OXFORD, N.C., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catalyzing an entire
new industry for North Carolina is the long-term task of the newly
established Biofuels Center of North Carolina, which moved to reality today
following its first board of directors meeting.
Funded with a $5 million initial appropriation from the 2007 General
Assembly, the non-profit corporation will in coming years implement North
Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership. The Plan was mandated by
the General Assembly in 2006 and presented to its Environmental Review
Commission in April of this year.
The Plan offers a challenging goal: by 2017, 10 percent of liquid fuels
sold in North Carolina will come from biofuels grown and produced within
the state.
At current usage rates, production of almost 600 million gallons will
be required.
"Meeting this bold goal will require enormous commitment, new
resources, and untold acres of energy crops across the state," said W.
Steven Burke, chair of the Biofuels Center's board of directors. "Meeting
the goal will also yield a sector of impact statewide, particularly for
rural and agricultural communities. How often does a state have opportunity
to create a large new industry with widespread benefit?"
The Strategic Plan was shaped by a 24-member steering committee and
more than 80 public and private participants from across North Carolina.
Six months of discussion and ideas yielded 9 strategies to ensure that the
state gains biofuels capabilities and benefit over the next 10-15 years.
Key among the strategies was establishment of a neutral catalyzing and
assisting agency to work with researchers, growers, production facilities,
educators, and policy- makers.
Establishment of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina moves that key
strategy to quick reality. The non-profit corporation will be headquartered
at the newly established North Carolina Biofuels Campus in Oxford. The site
is the former U.S. Department of Agriculture tobacco research facility that
was turned over in 2005 to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services. Goal: By 2017, North Carolina will supply 10 percent of
its liquid fuel needs with biofuels produced in the state.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and his department see biofuels
as an increasingly important sector for the state's agricultural economy
and have designated the campus for biofuels development activities.
"The Biofuels Center is the right idea at the right time," said state
Rep. Jim Crawford, representing House District 32 and Granville County and
a lead advocate for the Center. "It's valuable for Granville County and
people in Oxford but also for people across North Carolina. After all, we
all need more biofuels."
Though many states are aggressively pursuing biofuels development,
North Carolina is believed to be the first to establish both a central
targeted agency and a central campus for support and activities. The
catalyzing agency is patterned on the state's bold leadership move in 1984
to establish the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in nearby Research
Triangle Park.
The Strategic Plan focuses the state's biofuels future on products made
not from important food and feed crops such as corn, but rather from
cellulosic feedstocks such as wood waste, animal wastes, and high-yield
plants and grasses. With its rich forestry and agricultural resources,
North Carolina is well suited to develop and grow such biomass.
Initial board members of the Biofuels Center are:
-- W. Steven Burke, Chair, senior vice president, corporate affairs with
the North Carolina Biotechnology Center
-- Billy Ray Hall, president of the North Carolina Rural Economic
Development Center
-- Ghasem Shahbazi, Ph.D., professor and director of bioenvironmental
engineering at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
-- Norris Tolson, Secretary and Treasurer, president and CEO of the North
Carolina Biotechnology Center
-- Johnny Wynne, Ph.D., dean of the College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences at North Carolina State University
The Board will rapidly gain an executive director and small staff for
the Biofuels Center. Programs will be established to fund research on crops
strategically important across the state, to strengthen growing and
production capacity, to initiate workforce training programs, and to
address public awareness, policies, and federal funding.
"The growing biofuels industry offers enormous opportunities for
creating new jobs and decreasing America's dependence on foreign energy,"
said Congressman G.K. Butterfield, whose 1st District includes Granville
County.
"It also provides the potential for strengthening our farms and rural
communities by offering them a strong, sustainable and important long-term
stake in America's energy strategy. The Biofuels Center of North Carolina
will help to ensure that these possibilities and opportunities become
realities."
A complete copy of Fueling North Carolina's Future: North Carolina's
Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership is available on the Web at
http://www.ncbiotech.org/biofuels/.
SOURCE Biofuels Center of North Carolina
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Related links:
http://www.ncbiotech.org
CONTACT:
Steven Burke, chairman of Biofuels Center of
North Carolina and senior vice president of corporate affairs at
the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, +1-919-549-8819
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