RSU Launches Biofuels Assistance Center
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Tulsa Business Journal Article
Tulsa Business Staff
10/30/2008
RSU Launches Biofuels Assistance Center

Rogers State University provide support for area businesses seeking to develop biofuels from crop residues and various waste products through the establishment of the Biofuels Assistance Center on the Claremore campus.
The new Biofuels Assistance Center, to be located at the RSU Innovation Center, will promote economic expansion in rural northeastern Oklahoma by supporting the production of biofuels including biodiesel and ethanol, said Ray Brown, RSU vice president for economic and community development.
The establishment of the Biofuels Assistance Center was made possible by a grant of $51,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Rural Business Enterprise Grant was funded through the Oklahoma Rural Business Cooperative Service. The USDA Rural Development branch administers several federal grant programs including housing, utility, business and other initiatives to help build and strengthen rural communities.
Helping entrepreneurs develop renewable energy sources is another way to positively impact the rural economy of northeastern Oklahoma, Brown said.
"This region is home to several agricultural products that are potential feedstocks including wheat, soybeans and sorghum," Brown said. "The availability of these feedstocks plus the woody byproducts from timber mills, old utility poles and railroad cross ties has created an increased interest in developing biofuels."