Ethanol transportation backgrounder

The expected dramatic increased in ethanol production has brought questions concerning the transportation infrastructure that will move ethanol from the plant to the consumer. A report by the Agricultural Marketing Service of USDA has provided a background document looking at this issue. Ethanol Transportation Backgrounder: Expansion of U.S. Corn-Based Ethanol from the the Agricultural Transportation Perspective looks at the current and potential use of rail, truck, barge, and pipeline by the ethanol industry. The document also highlights current and potential transportation issues such as use of unit trains, the backlog in production of rail tank cars to meet demand, and transportation of co-products, such as distillers grains. The full report can be found here.