US Development Group LLC (USDG), an industry leader in ethanol handling and distribution terminals, announced that its West Colton Rail Terminal has begun to receive and offload ethanol railcars. The terminal in Rialto CA is served by the Union Pacific Railroad and is less than a mile from gasoline blending terminals that supply the greater San Bernardino and Riverside County-Inland Empire region.
The new terminal is capable of receiving single rail cars up to full unit trains and has the capacity to offload 15,000 barrels of ethanol per day. This facility will form a key link in the supply chain for distributing fuel-grade ethanol throughout the Inland Empire, as well as the San Diego and Bakersfield areas. The terminal has been completed in time to meet the increase in ethanol demand in California resulting from the January 2010 increase to a 10% ethanol blend across the state.
Future development includes construction of a pipeline to connect with a dedicated ethanol storage and gasoline operation. The direct pipeline will eliminate much of the need for secondary trucking operations onsite. Additionally, the terminal will include a 100-car unit train receipt and offloading terminal, scheduled for completion in late 2010.
In addition to the West Colton terminal, USDG has major ethanol hub facilities in Linden NJ, Baltimore MD, Dallas TX, and Houston TX.