GREENVILLE, Ohio — Last week, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft celebrated the groundbreaking of the Andersons Marathon Ethanol’s new ethanol production facility in Darke County.

Once completed, the plant will create approximately 40 jobs on-site and will have the capacity to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol per year. This is Taft’s fifth ethanol production facility groundbreaking this year.

“As fuel prices continue to be a concern and our energy needs grow, it’s critical that we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and begin developing our own clean, affordable sources of energy,” Taft said. “Today’s groundbreaking confirms Ohio’s strength as a national leader in agricultural production and reaffirms our commitment to renewable energy sources.”

The state government, through the Ohio Department of Development, offered Anderson Ethanol a Job Creation Tax Credit, a 166 Direct Loan, an Ohio Investment in Training Program (OITP) Grant, a Business Development Grant, a Roadwork Development Grant and a Community Development Block Grant.

“Ohio is the ideal location for an ethanol plant, which would greatly benefit all our citizens,” Taft said in support of ethanol-friendly legislation earlier in his term. “An ethanol plant would significantly boost our economy, create more jobs and improve the air we breathe.”

The Andersons Inc. is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, railcar marketing, industrial products formulation, turf products production and general merchandise retailing. It is among the top 10 grain-handling companies in America.

This facility will be Andersons’ first ethanol plant in Ohio, and is the first one to be constructed by the Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between The Andersons, Inc. and Marathon Petroleum Co. LLC.

Andersons’ Grain Division operated grain elevators in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, collectively handling in excess of 150 million bushels of grain annually. In addition to the Ohio facility, the Ethanol Division is also involved in the construction of two ethanol plants in Indiana and Michigan that, when completed, will be collectively capable of producing 165 million gallons of ethanol. The division will also provide facility management, corn origination as well as ethanol and distiller dried grain marketing.

Both production and consumption of eth-anol are gentle on the environment. Ethanol degrades quickly in water, posing much less threat to the environment than an oil or gasoline spill. Working as an oxygenate, eth-anol enhances the combustion of gasoline, reducing vehicle emissions.

The Taft Administration has worked to boost Ohio’s position as a leader in the production and deployment of alternative fuels. Earlier this summer Taft signed House Bill 245 which implements key components of his energy plan including: investing an additional $1 million in the alternative Fuel Transportation Grant Program to bring more E85 and biodiesel pumps to the state; increasing the state’s commitment to using alternative fuels in state government by requiring all new state vehicles to be flex-fuel models capable of using both gasoline and E85; and doubling the state’s commitment to using E85 to 60,000 gallons a year by January 2007.

At the bill signing, Taft, General Motors and Kroger announced a partnership to bring more E85 pumps to gas stations in Ohio. Last year, Taft signed an executive order directing the Ohio Department of Transportation to use at least one million gallons of bio-diesel fuel and 30,000 gallons of ethanol per year, and to purchase only new cars that are able to run on both unleaded fuel and ethanol.

Taft’s Jobs Cabinet has enabled the Ohio Departments of Development and Agriculture to work with agencies to streamline processes for potential ethanol plants to deal with the state, an effort that was able to assist Coshocton Ethanol.

In 2004, Taft established the biofuel industry as a key sector for Ohio and announced a specific goal to attract ethanol producers to the state.

This farm news was published in the Dec. 6, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.