Governor Pawlenty convinced renewable energy is value-added opportunity
Pawlenty gave the annual address during the Oct. 30 Minnesota Agri-Growth Council annual meeting.
Agriculture, he said, is powerful and influential when it speaks with one voice, but the biofuels debate has divided it.
Minnesota has been one of the most, if not the most, aggressive state in renewable energy development, Pawlenty said.
The biofuels debate that raged when gas and corn prices soared over the summer was fueled by misinformation, he said.
"The ethanol industry in Minnesota has been a success," Pawlenty said.
Minnesota has 19 plants that created 11,000 jobs and consume 22 percent of the state's corn crop.
Cellulosic ethanol will be next, but the technology isn't ready, Pawlenty said. The University of Minnesota is a leader in cellulosic ethanol research, he said, predicting the technology will be ready in 10 years or less.
Pawlenty announced that 38 grant recipients would receive funding from the Livestock Investment Grant, an initiative passed during the 2008 legislative session. A total of $1 million was allocated from the program. Nearly 600 applicants requested about $11 million.
