USDA awards $11.5 million to 14 ethanol producers
Fourteen ethanol producers from Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas will receive payments through the USDA's Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels program, the agency announced Oct. 31. Payments are calculated based on biofuels produced from renewable biomass, other than corn starch.
"This funding will help local producers increase the production and availability of renewable energy and thus help our nation begin to reduce its reliance on foreign oil," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Just as importantly, USDA's support will help to further develop the nation's growing biofuels industry and generate green jobs and economic growth."
Ethanol production from sorghum qualifies, according to the National Sorghum Producers. Also on the list of producers that will receive payments are biodiesel and pellet producers as well as anaerobic digestion units. “Advanced biofuels are produced from renewable biomass crops such as cellulose, sugar and starch (other than ethanol derived from corn kernel starch), hemicelluloses, lignin, waste materials, biogas, butanol, diesel-equivalent fuel, sugarcane, and nonfood crops such as poplar trees or switchgrass,” the USDA website says.
Here’s a listing of the ethanol producers that will receive payments:
Arizona
Pinal Energy LLC: $70,643
Indiana
Central Indiana Ethanol LLC: $120,490
Kansas
Arkalon Ethanol LLC: $1,711,257
Bonanza Bioenergy LLC: $900,458
Ese Alcohol: $49,670
Kansas Ethanol LLC: $1,440,213
Nesika Energy LLC: $220,960
Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy LLC: $874,943
Reeve Agri Energy Inc.: $416,123
Western Plains Energy LLC: $899,861
Missouri
Abengoa Bioenergy Corp.: $1,138,787
Nebraska
Kaapa Ethanol LLC: $2,829
Texas
Levelland/Hockley County Ethanol LLC: $514,881
White Energy Inc.: $3,146,733