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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Pat Harkins |
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Lake Erie Biofuels gets $1.6 million for expansion
HARRISBURG, Sept. 9 – State Rep. Pat Harkins, D-Erie, announced that the Commonwealth Finance Authority has approved a $1.6 million grant for Lake Erie Biofuels LLC to expand its production and distribution facility.
The expansion project will allow Lake Erie Biofuels to increase its biodiesel production by 21.9 million gallons, bringing it to 66.9 million gallons per year. The company is the largest producer of biodiesel in the northeastern United States and has produced more than 85 percent of all biodiesel produced in the Commonwealth since the plant opened in 2007.
"This plant is an important asset in biodiesel production for the state and contributes to reducing our dependence on foreign oil while promoting economic development," Harkins said. "Hundreds of Erie residents, a few of whom I know personally, are employed at the plant and should be proud of the work they are doing in alternative energy production to the benefit of our state and our nation."
The grant was provided through the Alternative and Clean Energy Program administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Environmental Protection under the direction of CFA, an independent agency that evaluates and administers funding for economic stimulus projects across the state. More information about CFA funding and programs is available online at www.newpa.com.
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