Northern to open renovated bio-diesel lab

Next week a fundamental piece of Montana State University-Northern's biodiesel program will emerge from months of renovation to help propel the program further.

On Oct. 16, starting around noon, Northern will be celebrating the reopening of its Bio-Energy Advanced Fuels Lab, in the former garage just east of the Applied Technology Center.

Until earlier this year, the garage was the main bio-diesel production facility for the school's research, crushing up oilseeds and refining them to work in regular diesel engines.

Some of the fuel produced in the building had been used to fill part of North Central Montana Transit's fuel needs. So, when the renovation began, some of the bio-fuel production was moved up to the NCMT bus garage on the eastern edge of Havre, on U. S. Highway 2.

But now that its new home is complete, the bio-fuels will return to the Northern campus, and with great fanfare.

The opening ceremony will offer open house tours, a ribbon cutting, barbecue and an appearance by U. S. Sen. Jon Tester.

Tester will be present to welcome visitors from noon to 12:30 p. m., when he will speak to the crowd about the role of Northern's research and local agriculture in our national energy debate.