Promoting Aviation Biofuels

Promoting Aviation Biofuels. I’m Greg Martin as Line On Agriculture presents the Harvest Clean Energy Report.

Biofuels can be a very important way for the U.S. to gain independence over foreign oil but it will take the support of people like Washington Senator Lisa Brown from Spokane who recently has sponsored a bill to boost aviation biofuel efforts in WA.

BROWN: We’ve had a group that has been working together on what might some of the opportunities be for biofuels. And we decided we were at a point where we could pass a bill that would create some specific opportunities for the industry should we get to the point of having a biofuels production facility or refinery and we also want to kind of continue the strategic effort to keep identifying opportunities.

Groups like WSU and Boeing are part of this group and Brown says it was time to see if the state could play a positive role in developing these fuels.

BROWN: The bill basically has three parts. The first two are to give tools should we get to the point where we could actually have a biofuels refinery in the state. The first tool would allow the facility to be called a project of statewide significance. And that gives it advantages with respect to permit streamlining and so forth.

That would make getting a refinery project off the ground quicker.

BROWN: The second one brings in the states ability through our Housing Finance Commission to essentially help line up financing for any kind of effort that would get off the ground. Then the third piece is to keep the momentum moving forward with the strategic group.

A group called Innovate Washington will continue to explore the avenues available. Brown says that Governor Gregoire just signed the bill this past week.

BROWN: Obviously for the ag sector they don’t want to just go with something not knowing whether or not it’s going to prove economically viable and so that’s why we think this partnership is really important of having all the different entities involved. If you think about it for the airline industry, it really makes sense for them to diversify their future fuel stock. I think for agriculture, knowing they’ve got research partners as well as kind of economic partners is really important.

For additional information on clean energy, visit harvestcleanenergy.org. That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.???www.harvestcleanenergy.org