Illinois Valley Times

The cost of gas and groceries in the United States is skyrocketing. Can biofuels help ease the prices and pain?

From January to February, nearly every category of goods and services became pricier. Gas jumped 6.6% and accounted for almost one-third of price hikes. Grocery costs jumped 1.4%, the sharpest one-month increase since 1990, other than during a COVID-19 pandemic-induced price surge two years ago. The cost of fruits and vegetables rose 2.3%, the largest monthly increase since 2010.

Numerous academic, economic and government studies have disproved the food vs. fuel myth, concluding that Wall Street speculators, high oil prices and the high costs of manufacturing, packaging and transporting all have far more impact than ethanol on everyday grocery prices.

Marquis Energy Communication Coordinator Allison Prestegaard said biofuels can reduce the costs of many products in Illinois and across the country.

“The answer is simple. Food costs are highly correlated with fuel costs and biofuels are a lower-cost transportation fuel,” Prestegaard told Illinois Valley Times. “Therefore biofuels will lower transportation costs and, ultimately, lower the overall costs of finished food prices. A seed is planted, it utilizes the sun’s energy and grows right here in the Illinois Valley area, is refined here at Marquis and the output is a cost-saving, high-octane biofuel that minimizes greenhouse emissions and saves hardworking Illinois and nationwide families money at the pump.

“Ethanol drives down prices, the known basis of increases is transportation,” she said. “If ethanol has any impact on food prices, we drive them down.”

Marquis, a family-run business for 47 years, is based in Hennepin. Its stated mission is to be the “world’s leading producer of sustainable fuels.”

The Marquis Industrial Complex is situated on the Mt. Simon geological formation and has the capacity to store more than 100 million tons of carbon dioxide. Marquis also intends on investing in a renewable oil plant to produce low-carbon soybean oil for the production of renewable diesel, according to its website.

“Marquis further plans to produce blue hydrogen and blue ammonia to aid in decarbonizing agriculture and future marine transportation,” its website states. “With its best-in-class logistics and global reach, Marquis will lead in global decarbonization.”

Prestegaard said this is a path to economic health, and is being done in a well-planned, efficient manner.

“Marquis is a very efficient producer of biofuels,” she said. “Biofuels have been proven to bring down transportation costs and therefore help reduce the costs of finished food products.”

In use for nearly two centuries, ethanol has a long history of success and is popular in the Midwest. However, this is not the case across the country.

Blender pumps, which draw two fuels from separate storage tanks and mixes them together in different percentages, offering fuel choices for customers, are very common in the Midwest, in parts of the East Coast and in Florida. They are rare in the western United States.

“In some regions blender pumps are hard to come by. However, this is not a case in the Illinois Valley area,” Prestegaard said. “A list of biofuel stations can be found here.” 

There was good news for ethanol producers this spring. On April 12, President Joe Biden announced the Environmental Protection Agency will allow E15 gasoline, which uses a 15% ethanol blend, to be sold this summer.

“This is the latest step in expanding Americans’ access to affordable fuel supply and bringing relief to Americans suffering from Putin’s price hike at the pump,” a White House release stated. “To make E15 available in the summer, the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] is planning to issue a national, emergency waiver. Without this action, E15 cannot be used in most of the country from June 1-Sept. 15, and the EPA plans to take final action to issue the emergency waiver closer to June 1. 

"E15 is currently offered at 2,300 gas stations in the country, where it can serve as an important, and more affordable, source of fuel,” the White House said.

Marquis is a leading proponent of biofuels to help fill U.S. gas tanks and keep bank accounts from being drained, Prestegaard said, adding that the company has a diverse business plan.

“In addition to biofuels, at Marquis we produce 1 million tons of animal feed a year,” she said. “We take the fat and protein [most nutrient dense parts] of the corn kernel to make livestock feed, corn oil, and the starch is separated and refined into ethanol. We play a part in both feeding and fueling the world.”

While doing so, it ensures there are minimal risks.

“Safety is one of our core values at Marquis,” Prestegaard said. “We make every effort to provide necessary precautions to try to create a safe and efficient place for our employees to work.”

Prestegaard was a natural fit for Marquis, growing up as the fifth generation on her family’s grain and beef farm in rural northern Illinois. She attended University of Wisconsin Platteville for an agribusiness degree and previously worked for livestock nutrition company Hueber LLC.

Prestegaard joined Marquis Energy in February.

“I am excited to be a part of the incredible team of professionals here, while pursuing my passion for sales/marketing and additionally … Illinois corn,” she said.