Ethanol Output in U.S. Plunges 4.7%, Energy Department Says

Bloomberg

By Mario Parker - Apr 20, 2011 9:42 AM CT

U.S. ethanol production tumbled 4.7 percent to a six-month low of 856,000 barrels a day last week, according to the Energy Department. The decline was the steepest since December.

Stockpiles dipped 2.1 percent to 20.1 million barrels from a record 20.5 million last week, the department said in a report released in Washington.

Production of conventional gasoline blended with ethanol rose 1.7 percent to 4.98 million barrels a day. Refiners receive a 45-cent tax credit for every gallon of ethanol blended into the motor fuel.

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