Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance

The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) will host Phil Robertson, Professor of Crop and Soil Sciences at Michigan State University on Friday, March 7 for a talk on "Biofuels Sustainability: A Biogeochemical Challenge."

A crop and soil scientist and ecosystem ecologist, Robertson focuses much of his research on the role that agriculture plays in greenhouse gas dynamics, and he is internationally known for his expertise in this area. Robertson has been the director of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) at the Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, Mich., the only site in the national LTER network to focus on agriculture, for almost 20 years. Robertson leads sustainability research at the GLBRC.

The talk will run from 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. at the Ebling Symposium Center in the Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Drive in Madison.

For more information, please visit www.greatlakesbioenergy.org.

T. Boone Pickens, the legendary Texas oilman who founded Mesa Petroleum in 1956 and now serves as the Chair of BP Capital Management, praised ethanol in a recent interview with CNBC.

Pickens, who was ardently anti-ethanol in the past, said on "Squawk Box" this week: "I was a hard guy on ethanol.  I didn't jump for that at first, but I'd rather have ethanol, and recirculate the money in the country, than to have it go out the back door on us."

Pickens noted one of the key benefits of ethanol – the economic development it promotes, particularly in Midwestern states like Wisconsin, and the fact that it keeps American dollars in the United States, rather than shipping them overseas in exchange for foreign oil.

To view the entire interview, please click here.

Rep. Andy Jorgensen (D-Fort Atkinson) will be on WFAW 940 AM in Fort Atkinson tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. to discuss ethanol and its benefits for Wisconsin.

Jorgensen serves on the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Biofuels and Sustainable Energy in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and we encourage everyone in the area to listen in and hear from one of our state's leaders on renewable energy.

Due to the expected snow storm the regularly scheduled WBIA meeting on Wednesday is being moved to next week. If members have questions feel free to contact Josh or Eric in the office at 414.344.1733.