Is an ethanol plant a good fit for your back yard? Or your county?
How do you determine whether you should buy shares in an ethanol plant? Could it be a solid investment or a money pit?
The Clean Fuels Development Coalition, the Nebraska Ethanol Board and USDA have developed a guide to help farmers, ranchers and grassroots investors explore the feasibility of building an ethanol or biofuels plant.
The "Guide for Evaluating the Requirements of Ethanol Plants" tells what to consider when deciding whether to commission an ethanol feasibility study. The guide offers help on every thing from community relations to the permits required to build a plant.
The guide was released at an ethanol marketing seminar in Omaha in May.
Douglas Durante, executive director of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition says, “Rural communities need help making informed business decisions. An ethanol plant may not be right for every area.â€
Durante says communities need to understand the risks involved in investing in an ethanol plant. The guide is a product of research, plus the sharing of real life experiences by many who have successfully invested in ethanol plants over the last few decades.
The guide will be available in Extension offices and USDA Rural Development offices around the U.S. It is also available free of charge from the Internet at: www.cleanfuelsdc.org or www.ethanolacrossamerica.net.