The production of biofuels plays a key role in both rural development and national security for one Pennsylvania agriculture official. Executive Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says investing in homegrown biofuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol, translates into the investment in domestic, local economies. Redding was referencing the benefits of biofuel production in the wake of PA Governor Edward G. Rendell’s PennSecurity Fuels Initiative.
Testifying before the state House Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy, Redding said that Governor Edward G. Rendell’s PennSecurity Fuels Initiative, part of his Energy Independence Strategy, will support the production of nearly one billion gallons of renewable transportation fuels annually.
“For every dollar we don’t send overseas, that’s another dollar we can use to grow Pennsylvania’s economy,” said Redding, noting that the United States imports 60 percent of its oil, with Pennsylvania spending $30 billion annually on liquid fuels produced beyond the state’s borders. “Depending on fossil fuels from countries that are politically unstable or controlled by regimes hostile to America’s interests is a danger to our national security. Under Governor Rendell’s plan, our farmers, local communities, biofuel manufacturers, and trucking and rail industries all win, while curbing our reliance on foreign oil.”
Under the Governor’s PennSecurity Fuels Initiative, every gallon of gasoline sold in Pennsylvania will include 10 percent ethanol once in-state production reaches 200 million gallons per year; with incremental increases up to 20 percent once annual production reaches 300 million gallons.
We may have just concluded one IFAJ Congress but it’s time to look forward to next year. The man in charge is former EU Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Franz Fischler. He’s chairing IFAJ 2008 and I met him in Japan.
convince you too. He says that we’ll get to see how a former communist country has changed and is working to keep the peace and their independence. It sounds like we’ll get some very contrasting looks at agriculture too since we’ll start out in one country and wind up in another.
Wow. It’s nice to be home. You can call this a catch up day and a much needed one. I’m going through cheese withdrawal right now.
The 2007 World Dairy Expo is over and it ended with a great Parade of Champions. You can see pictures of all the action in my photo album. There’s 242 of them in there!
It’s the final day of World Dairy Expo and things are getting more relaxed for the agriblogger. It’s also a lot quieter here in the media room. We’re down to the die-hards I guess. 
Kathy says the conference will feature many speakers and plenty of opportunities for women to network with each other since they face the same challenges regardless of what country they’re from.
You’ve got to love all the companies that are giving away iPods to producers so they can listen to our farm podcasts!
