Contact: Cassidy Walter
515-252-6249

JOHNSTON, IOWA – Today Lakeview Plymouth Energy in Merrill announced it has dedicated two acres of greenspace on plant grounds to monarch habitat.

The ethanol producer seeded the plot in June 2017 and this summer it is seeing its first strong growth of milkweed plants, which monarch butterflies need for egg laying.

“At Lakeview Plymouth Energy we work every day to create a product that supports Iowa farmers and the environment,” said Joe Williams, plant manager. “We were excited to take on a project that allows us to do that in a whole new way. When we learned how easy it is to establish monarch habitat we jumped at the opportunity. We will continue to look for new opportunities to grow Iowa’s rural economy and protect our environment.”

The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by IRFA in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium in 2017. It is a program to help Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants establish patches of monarch habitat on plant grounds. To learn more about the IRFA Monarch Fueling Station Project, contact IRFA at info@IowaRFA.org or 515-252-6249.

Lakeview Plymouth Energy’s Monarch Fueling Station is outlined in red.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing nearly 4.4 billion gallons annually – including approximately 55 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 400 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

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