As part of the collaboration, GE Aviation anticipates purchasing up to 5 million gallons of renewable-jet fuel beginning in 2015.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said they have an incredible opportunity to create thousands of new jobs and drive economic development in rural communities across America by developing ways to use agricultural products to help reduce their reliance on foreign oil.
"USDA’s collaboration with General Electric Aviation will bring together multiple sectors of Ohio’s economy, including agricultural producers, to foster new innovations in the field of renewable fuels while bolstering new economic opportunities in the Midwest," Vilsack added.
The Ohio Soybean Council recently received a Value Added Producer Grant from USDA to initiate a pilot project through Ohio State University’s Bioproducts Innovation Center.
As part of the pilot project, bio-jet fuel will be refined from soybean oil produced by farmer-owners of Ohio’s Mercer Landmark cooperative in western Ohio.
USDA is also working with federal partners like the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of the Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration to improve the country’s energy security across the country.
