Ethanol Spills, 1985 through 2015

Over the past 30 years, ethanol spills have increased tenfold as production and transportation of the biofuel has spiked.

Between 2011 and 2015, ethanol spills occurred between 607 and 741 times each year nationwide, about two a day on average. Some spills caused millions of dollars worth of damages and lead to significant injury and loss of life. Spills occur on the West Coast and the East Coast and everywhere in between. They happen near cities and in rural areas. They happen by truck and by rail.

"As more and more ethanol is being transported, more and more accidents are going to occur. The potentials for different kinds of accidents are getting higher and higher."

Use this map to track the increase in ethanol spills from 1985 to 2015. You can see where the spills occurred over the decades and which areas have seen the most incidents. You can click on any year to see how many spills happened up to that point and where the spills had occurred. Below the map, there is a table that shows how many spills occurred in each state, what types of spills these were (rail, highway, etc.) and how many of these caused significant damage.

You can read a full story about the impact of increased ethanol spills on the Midwest and the dangers of ethanol spills here.

Frequency of Incidents

Map shows the accumulation of incidents throughout the country.

Incidents in Each State

Click on the column names to sort the table.