The Biofuels Center of North Carolina is a private, nonprofit corporate facility located on a Biofuels Campus in Oxford, North Carolina. The Center is funded by the North Carolina General Assembly to implement North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership and to reduce the state's dependence on imported liquid fuel. The Center's mission is to develop a sustainable, statewide biofuels industry to reduce this dependence, create jobs and opportunities for prosperity for North Carolinians. The strategic goal: by 2017, 10% of North Carolina's liquid fuels—or about a year—will be produced in-state from locally grown biomass.
The Biofuels Center of North Carolina was funded with a $5 million initial appropriation from the 2007 General Assembly. It receives continuing funding from the General Assembly to implement the Strategic Plan.
History
The Biofuels Center of North Carolina originated from legislation introduced by N.C. Representative Jim Crawford and N.C. Senator Charlie Albertson. The outcome of their legislative efforts was Senate Bill 2051, mandating the statewide biofuels Strategic Plan. The companion bill in the House was House Bill 1990. The resulting Strategic Plan was derived from input from more than 70 participants including leaders in agriculture, academia, state government, non-governmental organizations, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Rural Development Center, and others. The plan and these bills were instrumental in the creation of the Biofuels Center to meet the mandate of the Strategic Plan.
The General Assembly demonstrated its continuing support for the mission of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina during the short session in 2008. N.C. Representatives James W. Crawford, Jr., and Edith D. Warren introduced House Bill 2109 and N.C. Senator Doug Berger introduced Senate Bill 1655 along with nine co-sponsors to provide continuing operational funding for the Biofuels Center in the 2008/2009 fiscal year. The support from the N.C. House and Senate ensured that the Biofuels Center was able to continue building a new biofuels industry in North Carolina.
In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the Biofuels Center continued to receive funding from the General Assembly with a portion of its $5 million appropriation coming from U.S. Department of Energy stimulus funds. N.C. Representatives Crawford and Ty Harrell introduced House Bill 400 and N.C. Senator Albertson introduced Senate Bill 841.
North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership
Almost of petroleum-based liquid fuels are consumed by North Carolinians every year. None is produced in North Carolina. The net effect is no revenue for North Carolina and dependence on other states and countries for fuel.
Considering these concerns, 70 North Carolina leaders, including legislative, corporate, and academic heads, met to create a liquid biofuels industry. To achieve this aim, they devised North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, which comprises nine strategies.
These strategies outline the means to develop a liquid biofuels industry in North Carolina that is substantial in output, agriculturally and economically important, sustainable, and significant. The plan combines bold vision with brevity. The 24-page document has nine realistic strategies for the Biofuels Center to implement. Strategy 1 - Ten percent of fuels sold in NC will be locally grown and produced by 2017 Strategy 2 - Provide leadership in developing the biofuels sector Strategy 3 - Maximize economic and rural development through sustained policy Strategy 4 - Create the biofuels sector in North Carolina and enable the state to take a leadership role for the state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern region Strategy 5 - Create a plan to successfully connect feedstock growers with biofuels producers Strategy 6 - Accelerate effective science, research, and development capabilities Strategy 7 - Establish a nationally unique Advanced Biofuels Acceleration Facility Strategy 8 - Develop a skilled workforce and advance public commitment to local biofuels Strategy 9 - Identify and implement appropriate and targeted legislative incentives along the biofuels value chain.
Sustainability
The Biofuels Center is focused on long-term sustainability. While economic sustainability is key, environmental sustainability is critical in developing a successful industry.