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INDIANAPOLIS (May 11, 2006) ? Indiana reached another milestone in biofuels availability today as Governor Mitch Daniels, joined by Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, United States Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and executives from General Motors and Meijer, opened Indiana?s 30th public E85 pump at a Meijer store in Indianapolis and announced plans for 19 additional E85 pumps across the state.
"Indiana is rapidly emerging as a producer of renewable fuels. That must be matched by greater availability and convenience for consumers," said Daniels. "The commitment by GM and Meijer is a big leap forward on the demand side, and we're hopeful others will follow suit."
Indiana is the fifth largest corn producer and the fourth largest soybean producer in the United States, but until last year the state was home to only one ethanol plant. Just yesterday, ASAlliances Biofuels LLC announced plans to build a 100 million-gallon corn ethanol facility in Tipton; it is the eighth such plant for Indiana. Once online, the plants will produce an additional 600 million gallons of ethanol annually, and three new biodiesel plants will produce 95 million gallons of biodiesel annually. The state?s goal is to produce a combined 1 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel annually.
In January 2005, the state had no public E85 pumps. Today?s announcement brings to 49 the number of E85 pumps expected to open by the end of the year, surpassing the 2006 goal of 40.
?Agriculture will be a chief economic driver in Indiana, and we are very serious about turning this state into a national leader in the production of biofuels,? said Lt. Governor Skillman, who also serves as the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development and oversees the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development. ?Today?s announcement is another important step in expanding the availability of E85 ethanol so more Hoosiers can have access to this important renewable fuel.?
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Additional media contact:
Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Deb Abbott, 317/232-8767, dabbott@isda.in.gov
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