U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the offer of a conditional commitment for a $105 million loan guarantee to support the development of the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, to be located in northwest Iowa. Project LIBERTY, sponsored by POET, LLC, will produce up to 25 million gallons of ethanol per year and will be located in Emmetsburg.

POET estimates the project will generate approximately 200 jobs during construction and 40 permanent jobs at the plant. POET estimates the project will also bring approximately $14 million in new revenue to area farmers. Secretary Chu says the project “Will help decrease our dependence on oil, create jobs and aid our transition to clean, renewable energy that is produced here at home. “

Unlike many conventional corn ethanol plants, Project LIBERTY will use corncobs, leaves and husks – sources provided by local farmers – that do not compete with feed grains. The project’s innovative process uses enzymatic hydrolysis to convert waste into ethanol and will produce enough biogas to power both Project LIBERTY and POET’s adjacent grain-based ethanol plant.

Project LIBERTY will displace over 13.5 million gallons of gasoline annually and fulfill more than 25 percent of the projected 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard Requirement for biomass-based cellulosic ethanol. POET plans to replicate their unique process at 27 of their other corn ethanol facilities, which would have a projected combined annual capacity of one billion gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol. The company estimates that 85 percent of Project LIBERTY will be sourced with U.S. content.

A Clarinda Police officer was treated for minor injuries after he was allegedly assaulted at the jail Sunday by a man who was being booked into the Page County Jail. Police Chief Keith Mehlin said the unidentified officer was struck with a closed fist in the left eye region of his head. The officer was treated at the Clarinda Regional Health Center and released.

Twenty-two year old Dakota Jim Smith, of Gravity, was subsequently charged with felony assault on a peace officer. Smith was originally arrested on charges of public intoxication and simple assault, following a disturbance in the parking lot of a Clarinda apartment complex earlier in the day, Sunday.

A judge has sentenced a Shenandoah man to five-years in prison for selling more than $65,000 in Ag products and inventory that was not his. 28-year old Adam Sandahl had pleaded guilty in May, to selling products last year, that belonged to the Coin Seed and Chemical Company. He was arrested in June 2010 following a six-month long investigation by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.

Page County Attorney Jeremy Peterson said Sandahl’s sentence on Monday was suspended, and the man was placed on probation for two-years. In addition, he must pay the Ag seed dealership $65,405 within a period of two-years.

The Iowa Department of Transportation has been using and learning about new types of technology as it fights the flooding along state highways. D-O-T spokesperson, Dena Gray-Fisher says one of the new things they’ve been using is called “Trapbag.” It’s a large bag that is filled with rock and creates a barrier along the road. She says the Trapbag is a variation of the so-called Hesco barriers.

Gray-Fisher says the Trapbags are bags that are already connected together in a line and they move down the road filling them and can create about 400 feet of barrier in an hour. Gray-Fisher says the Trapbags let them put up a lot of barrier in a short amount of time. She says it allows them to be more efficient, and requires less labor, which she says is helpful when you are under time limits. Gray-Fisher says the new technology is used along with the old to find the best protection for roadways.

Gray-Fisher says they still use the traditional sandbags and barrier walls, and they also look at raising the elevation of the pavement. She says they’ve had plenty of practice in recent years in find ways to protect the highways, and they are getting more education from the western Iowa flooding.

For example, she says they’ve learned to use Trapbags in different ways on different roads to get the best results. Gray-Fisher says lessons learned in the past have served them well, but western Iowa also provides some new challenges.

She says this is very different because the flooding started happening in June and will last well into August, causing more seepage and impact from flowing waters than in past floods. Gray-Fisher says there is a lot of debris in the Missouri River and that can cause damage to roadways as well. She says they will have a lot more to learn from examining roadbeds and bridge structures once the Missouri River floodwaters finally recede.

(Radio Iowa)

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, Wednesday, announced his selection of individuals who will serve on an advisory panel to the Community Development Committee, in formulating a means to implement a fair and balanced Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Policy for the City to follow when it comes to doling out tax incentives to current and prospective business owners who either wish to locate in the community, or expand their operations here.

The advisory panel includes local developer Don Sonntag, the USDA’s Teresa Jorgensen, Greg Williams, Katrina Sonntag, George Howard, and Attorney J-C Van Ginkel. Jones says he had others who were interested in serving on the panel, but he wanted to limit the number to 6. Councilman Kern Miller objected to the selection. Miller said the only people who should be involved in determining with a CDC a TIF policy for the City, is the City Administrator and City Attorney.

Councilman Shaun Shouse, the City’s liaison to the Committee, says the panel will have no authority, implied or otherwise, to establish a TIF policy. It will only offer an opinion on how such a policy should be formulated and implemented.

Miller however continued to voice his objections over the Mayor’s selection to the panel, and insisted it wasn’t need.