Northern receives biodiesel grant

Montana State University-Northern is continuing to take steps ensuring its place among top national biodiesel researchers and producers.

The U. S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration announced on Thursday a grant sending $647,748 to Northern "to support the North Central Montana Renewable Industry Initiative to commercialize green technology and create new high-skill, living-wage jobs. "

The release says that the "project is expected to create 26 jobs and generate $90 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates. "

Northern's Dean of the College of Technical Sciences Greg Kegel didn't want to get too into details this morning, as the school is still hammering out the details with their regional partners, but did talk about some of the recent innovations at the school that ties into the grant, making the fuel produced in Havre more useful and valuable.

Kegel said they are working on a process to split the fuel products into camelina-based diesel fuel and a separate but much more valuable "co-product" that is similar to coconut oil and has applications from food-production to the more industrial uses like the manufacturing of plastics.

Some of the techniques they are using are patentable, Kegel said, and the school is working with an office in Bozeman to secure Northern's claim on them.

"It's going to make it much more economical to make this fuel, which has always been the big slow-down in this, to make the bottom line work, " Kegel said.

The announcement of the grant to expand all of this excited many people Thursday, from Havre to Washington.

Northern's new Chancellor Jim Limbaugh shared his thoughts on the importance of the grant for the Hi-Line in the Commerce Department release.

"This project will help to ensure that Montana is part of the emerging 'Next Generation' bio-refining for fuels, plastics, and other high-value industrial chemicals, " Limbaugh said in the release. "Montana's agricultural and innovation industries will be able to unite to bring new economic prosperity for this region. This industry will provide jobs with livable wages for graduates and displaced workers to keep more families in Montana. "

Both of Montana's Democratic senators spoke with pride of the announcement.

"With today's announcement, Montana is taking another step forward to create renewable energy jobs and tap into Montana's vast energy resources, " Sen. Jon Tester said in the release. "MSU-Northern and Bear Paw Development Corporation will work with local developers to create jobs, promote biofuel projects along the Hi-Line, and grow Montana's economy. "

"This is a smart investment in Montana jobs and American energy security, and I can't wait to see all the innovative ways MSU-Northern puts this project to work for our state, " Sen. Max Baucus said.