Fracking is buoying up the Mississippi barge business
We check in with Austin Golding from time to time to see how his business is doing. He’s the co-owner of Golding Barge Line down in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He says after a rough drought last year, things are looking up. The river is flowing nice and high and there is new demand from a burgeoning industry.
“We’ve really benefited from becoming a true source of quick transportation for anything fracked in this country. The domestic crude oil, the natural gas, the natural gasoline is all being moved by barge now and kind of a new wave of product we’ll be moving soon is the actual fracking water. They’ve been really trying to find a safe way to move it in bulk, so right now we’re working with the coast guard to determine what form of regulation will be placed upon that cargo. But we’re excited because we feel like we’re a great option to move that throughout the country in a safe and efficient manner.”
Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.