The volume sold in January was the second straight month E15 sales in Minnesota were above the 4-million-gallon mark. In fact, the volume in January was identical to the volume recorded in December 2017 (4.6 million gallons).

On a year-on-year basis, however, the volume in January 2018 was nearly six times the volume sold in January 2017 (835,298 gallons). 

While it's still early, E15 sales in January point to the possibility of another record year for E15 in Minnesota. In 2017, E15 sales in Minnesota totaled 19.05 million gallons, nearly four times the 5.68 million gallons of E15 sold in 2016, and surpassing E85 sales for the first time (14.82 million gallons). 

Meanwhile, E85 sales in January this year totaled 1.14 million gallons. While lower than the 1.34 million gallons recorded in December 2017, it was still 1.7 percent higher than the 1.12 million gallons sold in January 2017.