Western Dubuque Biodiesel Announces Monarch Fueling Station Project
June 21, 2019
JOHNSTON, IOWA – Today Western Dubuque Biodiesel announced it is establishing a Monarch Fueling Station at its plant near Farley.
The monarch habitat will be at least one acre in size. The plant will start the process by spraying to eradicate non-native grasses this summer and again this fall. A dormant seeding of native plants and milkweed will occur this November.
“Part of our mission at Western Dubuque Biodiesel is to create fuel that is environmentally friendly,” said Western Dubuque Biodiesel General Manager Tom Brooks. “The Monarch Fueling Station Project is a unique way we can continue to do that. With this project we are helping fuel a brighter future for the monarch butterfly and other important pollinators.”
The location and size of the plot was decided in consultation with Kevin Reynolds, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s (IRFA) Habitat Establishment Coordinator.
“Traveling around the state and working with biofuel plants like Western Dubuque Biodiesel, I’ve been privileged to see how passionate they are about what they do and how proud they are of what they produce,” Reynolds said. “As these Monarch Fueling Stations grow, that same passion and community-oriented work ethic will help these projects flourish and make a lasting impact for the monarch butterfly population.”
The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by IRFA in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium in December 2017. It is a program to help Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants establish 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.
Tom Brooks, General Manager of Western Dubuque Biodiesel (left), stands with Kevin Reynolds on the selected site for the plant’s Monarch Fueling Station.
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 over 4.5 billion gallons annually – including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 11 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce nearly 400 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.
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