Posts tagged ‘Obama’

May 3rd, 2010

Growth Energy Pleased With Obama Visit to Ethanol Plant

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis gave President Obama a big hug after his speech at the POET ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri on Wednesday.

“It’s a great honor to have the president of the United States come out to an ethanol plant and demonstrate again his long support for production of renewable fuels,” Buis said in an interview with Domestic Fuel at the event. “He again reiterated this nation continues to face economic challenges based on our addiction to foreign oil and we need to produce renewable fuels here in America and that’s a powerful message from the most powerful person in the world.”

Buis also talked about the recently introduced Growth Energy advertising campaign for ethanol and reaction they have received to it. “The feedback has been very positive,” he said, noting that ethanol needed some visibility on national television next to the other sources of energy that are advertised. “The old line is that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu and we wanted to be at the table and get the positive message out there.”

Listen to the interview with Tom Buis here:

April 28th, 2010

Obama Visits Iowa Wind Turbine Plant, Off to Missouri Ethanol Plant

President Barack Obama visited a wind turbine plant in Iowa today, part of his Midwest tour that will also take him to a northern Missouri ethanol plant (watch for Chuck’s coverage on this Web site and follow him on his Twitter account @AgriBlogger).

The Environment News Service reports Obama got to see up close some of Siemens Energy’s expanded wind turbine blade factory at Fort Madison, Iowa, during his “Washington to Main Street” tour:

“So you’re manufacturing blades for some of the most advanced wind turbines in the world; each one as tall as Air Force One is long; each is capable of generating enough power for hundreds of homes, just by harnessing the wind,” Obama said. “So what’s going on here, what each of the employees of Siemens are involved with, is helping stake America’s claim on a clean-energy future.”

Siemens, a global company based in Germany, built the wind turbine factory three years ago on the site of a closed tractor-trailer manufacturing business.

Today, the turbine factory employs more than 600 workers, almost two-thirds of whom were previously unemployed, and supports more than 350 other jobs throughout Lee County.

The article goes on to say that the Siemens plant was able to use $3.5 million in Stimulus Bucks to expand the plant.

As I mentioned earlier, Chuck will be following the president tomorrow (Wednesday) as he visits the POET Biorefining ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri.