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URBANDALE,
Iowa - A new biodiesel plant in Washington, Iowa, is
now under construction. Investors broke ground today on the 30
million gallon biodiesel refinery, which is expected to begin
producing biodiesel next summer.
The primarily farmer-owned biodiesel plant will employ approximately
30 people from the Washington area. The refinery will use mostly
soybean oil and some animal fat to produce the biodiesel.
The biodiesel industry is extremely valuable to all Iowans. Not
only will biodiesel production raise the price of soybeans by
nearly 17 cents per bushel, but according to a recent study by
the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), soy biodiesel will bring more
than $1.3 billion in additional income to the state of Iowa by
the year 2010. Soy biodiesel production will also create 15,000
new jobs and $141 million of tax revenue in Iowa.
“Today is a big day for Iowa,” says John Heisdorffer
of Keota, an ISA district director and an Iowa Renewable Energy
board member. “This is great for all soybean producers and
also a great opportunity for the Washington community. We are
proud to be one of the few plants that will be producing BQ 9000.
The state of Iowa continues to remain a leader in the quest to
become energy independent.”
The Washington refinery brings the number of biodiesel plants
to 12. Six are currently producing biodiesel and six more are
under construction. Within the next 12-18 months Iowa’s
total biodiesel production capacity will be at nearly 250 million
gallons of biodiesel per year.
“Today marks an important milestone for the biodiesel industry
in the U.S.,” says Tom Verry, Director of Outreach and Development
for the National Biodiesel Board. “We applaud the leadership
Iowa has shown in meeting the growing demand for biodiesel. Iowa
is really playing an important part in making the nation energy
independent.”
Biodiesel use is rapidly growing across the United States, according
to the U.S. Department of Energy. More than 600 fleets use biodiesel,
including the U.S. Military, NASA, Yellowstone National Park,
local governments and hundreds of school districts.
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