Paula Mohr PUSHING FOR E15: Minnesota farm organizations are supporting a new bill proposed in the Senate, calling for moving the ethanol blend standard from E10 to E15. Farm organizations rally behind the effort, calling it a priority for 2021. Feb 25, 2021 Minnesota, the first state in the U.S. to require a minimum E10 fuel blend in 1997, could once again be a national leader in biofuel policy, as legislators in St. Paul consider shifting the state’s fuel standard to E15. Chris Hanson, general manager of Poet’s biorefinery in Preston, Minn., appeared Feb. 17, on behalf of the Minnesota Ethanol Producers Association, at the state Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Finance and Policy Committee in support of the new standard. Hanson, who recently served on the Governor’s Council on Biofuels, highlighted the positive impacts E15 will have on the state’s economy and environment, including the many long-term benefits for Minnesota consumers and family farmers.