| A: |
More
than ever, significant national attention is being given to the
prospect of energy independence – the end of the substantial
reliance America
has on fuel imported from countries with tumultuous governments run by
unstable regimes. At the center of this awareness is an
increasing focus on the benefits of alternative fuels as a supplement
to dependence on foreign oil. Fifteen of the SLC states currently
have biodiesel plants, totaling 35 throughout the South; and four have
ethanol plants. The feedstock for these production processes
range from corn to soy oil to animal fats. The agricultural
support for Southern states that these programs produce has yielded
steady attention by farmers and has encouraged further investigation
and development. In addition, the nascent promise of technology
will continue to facilitate innovative approaches to optimizing the
ability of Southern states to meet fuel demands through alternative
sources of energy.
|
|
Number of Biodiesel Plants
|
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
1
|
soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
Arkansas
|
2
|
animal fats, soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
Florida
|
2
|
recycled vegetable oil, multi-feedstock
|
0
|
|
|
Georgia
|
1
|
multi-feedstock
|
0
|
|
|
Kentucky
|
1
|
soy oil, tallow, yellow grease
|
2
|
beverage waste, corn
|
|
Louisiana
|
1
|
soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
Maryland
|
1
|
soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
Mississippi
|
2
|
soy oil, multi-feedstock
|
0
|
|
|
Missouri
|
2
|
animal fats, soy oil
|
4
|
corn
|
|
North Carolina
|
2
|
animal fats, yellow grease, multi-feedstock
|
0
|
|
|
Oklahoma
|
2
|
soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
South Carolina
|
1
|
soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
Tennessee
|
3
|
soy oil
|
1
|
corn
|
|
Texas
|
12
|
animal fats, cottonseed oil, palm oil, soy oil, vegetable oil, tallow, beef tallow, multi-feedstock
|
0
|
|
|
Virginia
|
2
|
soy oil
|
0
|
|
|
West Virginia
|
0
|
|
0
|
|
*Source: Biodiesel Magazine and Ethanol Producer Magazine.
|
