E15 sales in January totaled 502,042 gallons, nearly three times the amount sold in January 2015. The volume sold in January was the third straight month E15 sales in Minnesota have been over half a million gallons. In November and December 2015, E15 sales were at 510,210 gallons and 528,171 gallons respectively. 

Besides E15, sales of other mid-blends such as E30 was at 30,277 gallons in January. While lower than December 2015 (40,934 gallons), E30 sales in January this year were still higher than January 2015 (22,532 gallons).

Still, it's worth noting that in January 2016, only 58 stations reported the gallons they sold to the Department of Commerce compared to 62 stations in December 2015 and this may have accounted for the lower E15 and E30 volumes announced for January.

Nonetheless, the Department of Commerce estimates that the total sale of mid-blends (E15, E20, E30, E40 and E50) in January totaled 877,764 gallons, marginally higher than the volume estimated for December last year (877,226).

Meanwhile, using data from the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the Minnesota Department of Commerce reported that sales of E85 in January 2016 was the same as January 2015 at 847,745 gallons.

E85 sales the last few months have been under pressure due to the smaller than usual price differential with regular unleaded. In January, the average price differential was 23 cents.