Contact: Cassidy Walter
515-322-0435

JOHNSTON, IOWA – Absolute Energy, an ethanol plant near St. Ansgar, is one step closer to providing crucial habitat for monarch butterflies. Plant employees recently completed a seeding of its Monarch Fueling Station.

The seed mixture included native grasses and other plants that attract pollinators but had a special emphasis on milkweed plants. Milkweed is the only plant monarchs can lay their eggs on.

“Providing fuel for travelers is what we are all about at Absolute Energy,” said Tyler Schwarck, environmental, health, and safety technician at Absolute Energy “We see our Monarch Fueling Station as another way we can do that for an important pollinator that crosses through Iowa each summer. We look forward to seeing what we planted today grow and provided much-needed habitat for monarch butterflies.”

Absolute Energy began prepping their 1.3-acre Monarch Fueling Station last summer.

The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (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 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.

Absolute Energy staff seed the ethanol 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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