Advanced Transportation Fuels

When Henry Ford released the Model T, he revolutionized the transportation sector. The first mass-produced automobile was powered by ethanol. Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes the Midwest as the leading producer of ethanol, with Midwestern states making it into the top 12 corn ethanol producers list.  A recent USDA report predicts the central-eastern region, which closely resembles the MGA region, will produce more than 40 percent of the advanced biofuels goals of the nation.  

The Midwest can fuel the entire country, with our region’s abundant natural resources. The nation has long been dependent on overseas oil to provide the mobility that the American economy is built upon. Now, our region is at the point of providing domestically grown, cultivated and produced fuel sources to keep the nation's transportation system moving. Midwestern innovation has led to a burgeoning biofuels industry, both conventional and next-generation. As a region, the Midwest can power its transportation system through electric cars, hydrogen in fuel cells, biofuels, natural gas and biogas and domestic oil using enhanced oil recovery.

To realize these goals, the MGA has convened a group of Midwestern leaders to work on ensuring that our region's biofuels remain competitive with other sources of energy. In Februrary 2012, the MGA released this group's recommendations, available here.