WEDN ESDAY, AUGU ST 31, 2011 Haslam, Alexander tour Ea st Tenn. biorefinery (Associated Press/Schelzig) Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sen. Lam ar Alexander are touting the potential of making clean fuel out of a plentif ul crop in East Tennessee. The two Republicans visited a Vonore farm growing several types of switchgrass on Tuesday, followed by tours of the processing plant and biorefinery that are expected to begin making fuel from switchgrass next year. It current ly makes ethanol from a variet y of cellul osic materials like corn cobs. Alexander said making ethanol out of switchgrass is preferable to corn because it doesn't drive up the price of an edible crop. "This is fuel fr om crops that we don't eat," he said. "So if it works — w hich we hope it does — it will be very important for our country's future," he said. Haslam said after the tour that if Tennessee can make a fuel that isn't subject to the whims of the international oil market, that is clean and domestically available, "that's a huge win for us." http: //content. usatoday.net/ dist/ custom/gci/ InsidePage.aspx?cI d=tennessean&sParam=37345833.story Governor, Senator tour biorefinery plant in Monroe Coun ty (WBIR-TV K noxville) Biofuels drew Governor Bill Haslam and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander to Monroe County on Tuesday. They toured the Vonroe Biofuel plant and farms participating in switchgrass research. The tour started at Brad and Kim Black's "Colorwheel Farm" which grows nearly 300 acres of the crop. The Blacks explained how the grass, a native and perennial crop, needs only to be planted once. That saves the farmers input costs. Switchgrass is harvested in the fall, where it is then taken to the Biomass Innovation Park. There, researchers convert the crop to feedstock which runs the biorefi nery. The plant can produce about 640 to 680 gallons of ethanol fuel per acre of switchgrass. The biofuels initiative grant first started under former Governor Phil Bredesen. Research began on corncobs. Governor Haslam and Senator Alexander agreed the goal should now be a commercial product. http://www.wbir.com/news/article/182015/2/Governor-Senator-tour-biorefinery-plant-in-M onroe-Co Biomass plant could go commercial as switchgrass gains ground (NS/Marcum) The Universi ty of Tennessee showed off its biofuel faci lities here Tuesday to top state offici als as the school works to increase effici encies so that the experimental project can become a commercial operation. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander , both Republ icans, had words of enthusiasm about the project's potential to help spawn a cellulosic biofuels industry in Tennessee. "Obviously, the potential to turn cellulosic ethanol into fuel that would be Tennessee-grown and provide U.S.-based clean energy is very important. We are here today to understand the econom ics of what stands between us and finally accomplishing this," Haslam said during a news conference after touring the complex. Alexander noted the emphasis that the UT project places on switchgrass as a biomass fuel rather than corn. http:/ /www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/30/vonor e-biomass-plant -could-go-commercial-as/ ‘Grassoline’ on the way (Maryville Daily Times) About 75 people, including Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, took a tour in Vonore Tuesday to look at the progress in developing a cost-effect ive way to turn switchgrass into ethanol to fuel vehicles. The two Republicans visited a farm growing several types of switchgrass, followed by tours of the processing plant and bioref inery that are expected to begin m aking fuel from switchgrass next year. It currentl y mak es ethanol from a variety of cellulosic materials like corn cobs. Alexander said making ethanol out of switchgrass is preferable to corn because it doesn’t drive up the price of an edible crop. “This is fuel from crops that we don’t eat,” he said. “So if it works — w hich we hope it does — it will be very important for our countr y’s future.” Haslam said after the tour that if Tennessee can m ake a fuel that isn’t subject to the wh ims of the international oil market, that is clean and domestically available, “that’s a huge win for us.” http://www.thedailytimes.com/Local_News/story/%E2%80%98Grassoline%E2%80%99-on-the-way%3 A - Switchgrass-to-ethanol-refining-to-begin-this-year-in-Vonore-id-0 15204
