[Hoot Gibson]

I do not believe the answer is in ethanol. I dont know where it is. However i do believe government programs can help us find the answer. This area is perfect for biomass. We already receive a large portion of trash from other regions. The only plant in the country is here in this area. Even more importan is the fact that the patten for such a plant and disign is owned by a man here in Floyd county. The federal prison in martin county is also the only one in the country producing biodeisel. They have several peices of equipment that runs off biodeisel, even a transport bus. However they can not produce enough to make a trip to the hub in Atlanta yet. The production cost is less than 50 cents a gallon. They are now in negotiations with the biomass place in martin county.

Why do you think eastern Kentucky is a perfect are for biomass production? Does it not stand to reason that this industry will be located where the growing season is the longest and soil the most fertile to produce sawgrass or whatever plant will be used to produce ethanol?

If small scale production of biodiesel is economically feasible at the prison, that is great, but based on your post, it is doubtful that there is enough raw material (fast food grease?) available to support the prison's diesel requirements let alone produce biodiesel for resale.

The wrong reason to locate any industry in a particular region is because the people there need jobs. Yet, the government attempts to lure manufacturers to particular areas to provide jobs for political reasons using tax breaks for an incentive. That kind of backward thinking is why our economy is in such a mess.

People are, or should be somewhat mobile, and they should move to fill available jobs. Alternatively, people can identify areas in which their area enjoys a natural competitive advantage over other regions and create businesses to meet a real economic need.

When people like Barack Obama and his radical accomplices, none of whom really understands capitalism or believes in free markets, interject themselves into the nation's private economy, no good can come of it. Don't believe the propaganda coming out of Washington. The Obama regime is not creating jobs, its policies are destroying them.