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Biofuels infrastructure program gets more funding in MO

The state legislative affairs manager with the Missouri Corn Growers Association says the recently approved state budget includes more funding for the Biofuels Infrastructure Incentive Program.

Jacob Knaebel tells Brownfield the BIIP program provides resources to fuel retailers, distributors and others who plan to upgrade their infrastructure to offer E15 blends or higher.

“This program has been around since 2020. It’s been widely used and has been able to help offer more ethanol in more locations across the state.”

Knaebel says political dynamics in the Missouri Senate made compromise among lawmakers difficult this year and few bills made it across the finish line. He says a clarification on the Beginning Farmer Program that state lawmakers approved in 2023 didn’t pass.

“The issue is what constitutes a land owner? That’s someone who would be entering the sale of land or lease the ground to someone who qualifies as a beginning farmer. Because of how it’s worded, there are concerns that only individual landowners would be eligible to take part in the program.”

Knaebel says a water export bill and a major data users privacy bill also didn’t pass this session, but he’s expecting the bills to come back up again for consideration in 2025.

The Missouri State Legislative Session ended Friday, May 17. Hear the interview.