Pacific Ethanol seen mothballing remaining part of Aurora ethanol plant until summer

In Nebraska, Reuters reports that following the previous shut down of the smaller eastern part of its Aurora ethanol plant, Pacific Ethanol now plans to shutter the remaining 110 million gallons of ethanol production in the facility’s western section, likely until the summer driving period. The earlier shutdown led to laying off about two dozen workers. Low production margins are forcing players across the industry to shut down temporarily in an effort to boost prices back into positive margins.