CRAPO NOTES ETHANOL PLANT ONE STEP CLOSER

Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo says a facility to produce cellulosic ethanol from grain is a big step closer to reality today, following an announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy. Crapo and the Idaho Delegation were notified today that the DOE has given final approval to a new loan guarantee program and invited Iogen Biorefinery Partners LLC to submit an application to participate in the program.

"The Iogen facility would bring jobs to Bingham County and Eastern Idaho and create new markets for Idaho agriculture," Crapo said. "The plant near Shelley could produce 18 million gallons of ethanol annually using 700 tons of farm residues like wheat straw and barley straw, creating secondary markets for Idaho grain growers."

Crapo said plants like the proposed Iogen facility near Shelley were envisioned in the Energy Bill Congress finally passed after years of debate. He noted the additional advantage that ethanol brings-lowering American dependence on foreign oil