News Releases

(MORRISTOWN, Tenn.) - The Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and the University of Tennessee will host an educational public forum on the UT Biofuels Initiative and switchgrass production on Wednesday, August 29, at the Morristown campus of Walters State Community College, 500 South Davy Crockett Parkway. The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Judge William H. Inman Humanities Complex Theater, room number 147.

The UT Biofuels Initiative is an innovative research and business model that will position the state as a leader in the nation’s efforts toward commercially viable biofuels production. The public forum is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the UT Biofuels Initiative and its potential to improve local economies across the state.

Farmers will have an opportunity to learn more about the production of switchgrass, the new energy crop needed across the state to sustain production of cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is made from plant materials such as switchgrass and wood chips.

Special participants in the forum will be U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp, U.S. Congressman David Davis and U.S. Congressman Bob Goodlatte.

The Initiative seeks to partner the research capabilities of UT, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and private industrial partners together with farmers and landowners in Tennessee to produce ethanol fuel, initially from a 5-million-gallon-per-year biorefinery in East Tennessee. The facility will focus on research necessary to refine the conversion process, optimize the use of local farm and forest resources and generally improve the overall process to allow commercial scale up throughout the state. The principal product will be Grassoline™ – an alternative fuel that has the potential to replace 30 percent of our gasoline consumption.

As the Chairman of the House Republican Policy Energy and Technology Subcommittee, Congressman Wamp, serving Tennessee's Third District, crafted the Republican Policy's energy platform in the 109th Congress. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the 221-member Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency Caucus, which promotes legislation to secure America's energy independence, advance energy efficient technologies and protect the environment by increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

Congressman David Davis was elected to his first term as the representative of the First Congressional District of Tennessee in 2006. As a member of the Small Business Committee, Davis will address opportunities for traditional farm businesses to meet increasing demands for biofuel feedstocks, opportunities for small businesses in Tennessee to participate in the growing bioeconomy, and opportunities for communities to strengthen our bioenergy infrastructure.

Congressman Bob Goodlatte is the Ranking Minority Member of the House Agriculture Committee. He represents the agriculturally diverse Sixth District of Virginia. Goodlatte served as a conferee on the 2002 Farm Bill, where he worked to provide programs to rural Americans who are in need of a stable farm economy. He will address the development and progress of the 2007 Farm Bill, especially programs and incentives designed to hasten the development of the cellulosic biofuels industry.

Also participating in the forum are Mr. Lacy Upchurch, president of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation; Dr. Kelly Tiller, director of External Operations for the UT Office of Bioenergy Programs;
Dr. Clark Garland, chair of Biofuels Farmer Education Programs for UT Extension; Dr. Delton Gerloff,
UT agricultural economics professor; and Mr. Kevin Brown, Tennessee State Conservationist for USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Dr. Joseph DiPietro, University of Tennessee vice president for agriculture, will serve as moderator for the discussion.

Questions will be accepted from the public.

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Contacts:

Pettus Read, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, (931) 388-7872
Patterson Wilson, UT Office of Bioenergy Programs, (865) 974-5807, pattersonw@utk.edu

Additional information on-line at www.UTbioenergy.org