U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Three Maine Biofuel Businesses Part of More Than $8 Million in Payments to Support the Production of Advanced Biofuel

Name
Emily Cannon
City
Washington
Release Date

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is making $8.8 million in payments to 108 producers in 39 states to use advanced biofuels.

“Producing advanced biofuels will help us take control of our energy future,” Vilsack said. “We can do this by developing domestic, renewable energy sources. These payments not only help produce biofuels, but also protect the environment and help create jobs by building a renewable energy economy in rural areas.

USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel said, “These payments are a continuation of USDA Rural Development’s ongoing commitment to support the growing biofuel industry in Maine. Since inception of this program in 2009, USDA Rural Development has provided six Maine biofuel businesses with payments totaling $1.1 million, investing in wood pellet production and biodiesel and supporting Maine’s clean environment and energy independent future.”

In Maine, three biofuel businesses will receive payments from USDA Rural Development under this recent announcement as a part of an ongoing commitment to supporting the production of Advanced Biofuels locally:

  • Maine Woods Pellet Company, LLC., of Athens, has been selected to receive a payment of $2,393 to produce wood pellets.

  • GF Funding, LLC. (formerly Geneva Wood Fuels, Inc.), of Strong, has been selected to receive a payment of $1,652 to produce wood pellets.

  • Corinth Pellets, LLC., of Corinth, has been selected to receive a payment of $1,153 to produce wood pellets.

Vilsack’s announcement comes as USDA this month is examining what a changing climate means to agriculture and how USDA is working to reduce greenhouse gases. For more information, visit Chapter 5 of https://medium.com/usda-results.

The funding is being provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Payments are made based on the amount of advanced biofuels produced from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. Examples of eligible feedstocks include crop residue; animal, food and yard waste; vegetable oil; and animal fat.

Through the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program and other USDA programs, USDA is working to support the research, investment and infrastructure necessary to build a strong biofuels industry that creates jobs and broadens the range of feedstocks used to produce renewable fuel. USDA has made $308 million in payments to 382 producers in 47 states and territories. These payments have produced enough biofuel to provide more than 391 billion kilowatt hours of electric energy.

View the complete list of producers receiving payments.

These payments build on USDA’s historic investments in rural America over the past seven years. Since 2009, USDA has worked to strengthen and support rural communities and American agriculture, an industry that supports one in 11 U.S. jobs, provides consumers with more than 80 percent of our food, ensures that Americans spend less of their paychecks at the grocery store than most people in other countries, and supports markets for homegrown renewable energy and materials.

USDA has developed new markets for rural-made products, including more than 2,500 biobased products through USDA’s BioPreferred program since 2009; and has invested $64 billion in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve the quality of life in rural America. This month, USDA is examining what a changing climate means to agriculture and how USDA is working to reduce greenhouse gases. For more information, visit the latest chapter of USDA’s Medium page, How Food and Forestry Are Adapting to a Changing Climate.

Since 2009, USDA’s Rural Development agency (#USDARD) has invested $11 billion to start or expand 103,000 rural businesses; helped 1.1 million rural residents buy homes; funded nearly 7,000 community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; financed 185,000 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results.

USDA Rural Development has Area Offices located in Presque Isle, Bangor, Lewiston, and Scarborough, as well as a State Office, located in Bangor. There are 54 employees working to deliver the agency’s Housing, Business, and Community Programs, which are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, and farmers, and improve the quality of life in rural Maine. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA Rural Development's web site at http://www.rd.usda.gov/me.