The general manager of POET’s Michigan based ethanol plant says the Caro facility has offset the demise of the automotive industry.
“If you look at the Thumb of Michigan, it used to be heavily automotive back before the automotive crash and it’s basically an automotive ghost town right now. If it weren’t for this facility and the sugarbeet factory, the Thumb of Michigan would be just absolutely devastated economically.”
David Gloer says a recent economic impact study of POET facilities found the company makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. His plant alone generates $340 million dollars of economic revenue for the local community.
Gloer says the oil industry has declared war against agriculture by trying to kill the RFS. While he says that’s concerning big picture, he doesn’t expect much impact in Michigan. “I think we will be here long beyond the RFS.”
The Michigan plant uses 21 million bushels of corn to produce 53 million gallons of ethanol annually.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com