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The Impact of Ethanol Production on U.S. and Regional Gasoline Prices and on the Profitability of the U.S. Oil Refinery Industry
CARD Working Papers
  • Xiaodong Du, Iowa State University
  • Dermot J. Hayes, Iowa State University
Publication Date
4-1-2008
Series Number
08-WP 467
Abstract

Using pooled regional time-series data and panel data estimation, we quantify the impact of monthly ethanol production on monthly retail regular gasoline prices. This analysis suggests that the growth in ethanol production has caused retail gasoline prices to be $0.29 to $0.40 per gallon lower than would otherwise have been the case. The analysis shows that the negative impact of ethanol on gasoline prices varies considerably across regions. The Midwest region has the biggest impact, at $0.39/gallon, while the Rocky Mountain region had the smallest impact, at $0.17/gallon. The results also indicate that ethanol production has significantly reduced the profit margin of the oil refinery industry. The results are robust with respect to alternative model specifications.

Publication Information

Selected Paper prepared for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association, Orlando, Florida, July 27–29, 2008.

Citation Information
Xiaodong Du and Dermot J. Hayes. "The Impact of Ethanol Production on U.S. and Regional Gasoline Prices and on the Profitability of the U.S. Oil Refinery Industry" (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dermot_hayes/66/