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Magellan Midstream Partners and Buckeye Partners Announce Joint Assessment of Dedicated Ethanol Pipeline
Would Bring Ethanol to Pennsylvania and New York via Pipeline
TULSA, Okla. and BREINIGSVILLE, Pa., Feb. 19, 2008 -
Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) and Buckeye Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: BPL) today announced they have begun a joint assessment to determine
the feasibility of constructing a dedicated ethanol pipeline. The proposed
ethanol pipeline system would safely and efficiently deliver renewable fuel
ethanol from the Midwest to distribution terminals in the northeastern
United States.
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The proposed pipeline could have the capacity to supply more than 10
million gallons of ethanol per day, enough to meet the needs of millions of
northeastern motorists who purchase 10% ethanol blended gasoline or higher
ethanol blends such as E85.
The pipeline would gather ethanol from production facilities in Iowa,
Illinois, Minnesota and South Dakota to serve terminals in major markets
such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the New York harbor. The project,
which preliminarily has been estimated to cost in excess of $3 billion,
would span approximately 1,700 miles and would take several years to
complete.
"The most promising liquid fuel alternative to conventional gasoline
today is ethanol. But without an efficient means to transport ethanol from
the Midwest to other markets, its benefits are limited," said Senator Tom
Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition
and Forestry and a leader in promoting ethanol pipelines. "Having a
dedicated ethanol pipeline running from the Midwest to the eastern markets
will help bridge the gap between the Midwest and the East, aiding America's
energy security. So I applaud these two companies' efforts and I look
forward to working in Congress to support the development of such
pipelines."
"We believe the proposed pipeline is a unique and innovative solution
to meeting the growing need for renewable fuels in the Northeast," said Don
Wellendorf, Magellan's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Pipelines
have consistently been chosen over the years as the safest, most reliable
and cost effective method for moving liquid fuels. The potential project
would be a major step in bringing ethanol into the traditional petroleum
infrastructure system."
"Buckeye and Magellan are leaders in the pipeline industry and can play
an important role in developing the infrastructure needed to efficiently
meet the renewable fuels requirements of the recently enacted Energy Bill,"
said Eric Gustafson, Buckeye's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer. "This feasibility study will evaluate the possible use of existing
right-of-ways and workforces as well as other synergies and resources that
our companies have. Our goal is to develop a cost effective project that
could deliver ethanol from the production hubs in the Midwest to the high
demand areas in the Northeast."
The feasibility of this project is dependent upon the successful
outcome of ongoing studies addressing technical and economic issues
associated with the transportation of ethanol via pipeline. Congressional
support and assistance is necessary for a project of this nature given the
changing federal policies associated with renewable fuels.
In addition to assessing governmental support, financing and technical
issues, Magellan and Buckeye stated that the feasibility study would also
review construction requirements, construction costs, project economics,
regulatory issues and other matters. The technical and feasibility studies
could be complete in the latter half of 2008. However, the necessary
governmental support, the timing of which is unknown at this time, is
critical for the partnerships to make a decision on proceeding with
construction of the proposed ethanol pipeline. Pursuit of the proposed
project also is conditioned on changes to federal tax laws to ensure that
transportation of ethanol by pipeline will be treated the same as the
transportation of natural resources, such as refined petroleum products, by
pipeline.
Although there are many hurdles to overcome to make this ethanol
pipeline project a reality, the two partnerships are hopeful that the
obvious need for a pipeline to deliver ethanol from the Midwest to
distribution terminals in the northeastern United States will lead to a
viable and successful project.
Both companies have extensive experience handling ethanol at their
respective terminal locations. Magellan already blends ethanol at 36 of its
petroleum products terminals and is currently investing in six new ethanol
blending systems at its terminals in the Midwest and southeastern states.
Buckeye currently has 24 terminals with ethanol blending capabilities and
is in the process of investing in two new ethanol blending systems at its
terminals in the Northeast.
About Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. and Buckeye Partners, L.P.
Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) and Buckeye Partners,
L.P. (NYSE: BPL) are unaffiliated publicly traded partnerships formed to
own, operate and acquire a diversified portfolio of energy assets. The
partnerships primarily transport, store and distribute refined petroleum
products in their respective service areas. More information is available
at http://www.magellanlp.com and http://www.buckeye.com.
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Portions of this document may constitute forward-looking statements as
defined by federal law. Although management believes any such statements
are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual
outcomes will not be materially different. Additional information about
issues that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in
each partnership's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
InvestorIdeas.com Disclaimer: Issuers of press releases are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
For more information, please contact:
Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.
Media Relations:
Bruce Heine 918-574-7010
Email :a bruce.heine@magellanlp.com
Investor Relations:
Paula Farrell 918-574-7650
Email :a paula.farrell@magellanlp.com
Buckeye Partners, L.P.
Media and Investor Relations:
Stephen Milbourne 800-422-2825
Email :a smilbourne@buckeye.com
SOURCE Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.; Buckeye Partners, L.P.
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