ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Wednesday saw a new chapter in Liberal’s book with the groundbreaking of a new pilot plant set to help produce sustainable aviation fuel, and a few lawmakers were on hand to share their praise.
“Kansas is the Air Capitol of the World, and through this project, we're combining the Air Capitol of the World with the best agriculture-producing state in the U.S., the breadbasket of the world. Kansas comes together in this effort to find a renewable way to help meet the needs of the aviation industry,” Sen. Jerry Moran said. “I was here 19 years ago for the groundbreaking of the ethanol plant, and today, look at all the benefits it's provided to farmers across the region, this community and its residents. This is just the beginning of another opportunity for Liberal, and it's something we all ought to take note of, and it's because someone made a decision to just go for something. I'm always amazed when Kansans do something that doesn't have an immediate impact or benefit for themselves or their families, but they recognize 'If we do something today, great things can happen for our children and grandchildren and other future generations we won't meet.' This is just one more example of this community, these businesses, and everyone involved agreeing it's time to do something for future generations of Kansans. Kansas has a bright future because of the amazing people in our state today. I am all in as your state representative, to help four-lane U.S. Hwy. 83 from north to south, and my first congressional earmark as a House member was to help four-lane U.S. Hwy. 54 from the Oklahoma border to the city of Liberal. I've always wondered why so many things in Kansas start in the eastern part of the state and hopefully come westward, so could we, for once, start something in the west part of the state and see how far we can take it east? Transportation is front and center, and we want to continue not only that work, but we also want to continue improving air service in Southwest Kansas, and we want LanzaJet to decide to also set up an office in Kansas along with their Georgia headquarters.”
Moran added he and his colleagues are fully committed to supporting the project.
“I'm pleased to be here with multiple colleagues of mine, and we're committed to working with Southwest Airlines and Conestoga and the other partners to make sure what the Department of Energy requires and FAA encourages is something that can be made and manufactured here,” Moran said. “We have a huge issue that will also require cooperation from the Department of the Treasury, the IRS and the Biden Administration to define 45-Z, the tax code provision, in a way that makes sustainable aviation field a viable opportunity for the kinds of products needed that we're lobbying for. In the interest of bringing aviation and agriculture together, I now chair a caucus in the Senate to educate ourselves and our staffs in order to help advance the cause of renewable energy. This begins with a groundbreaking, but I can't wait for this to lead to a ribbon-cutting, and then the utilization of corn stover and other Kansas products in a way that creates great economic opportunities and a cleaner environment.”
Rep. Tracey Mann said he is also excited to see the plant take off.
“In all the signage for this project, the main tagline is 'From farm to flight,' and I feel that's truly the essence of this project because of all the innovation that's happened and how everything will work,” Mann said. “Thanks so much for picking Kansas for this facility, and I think it's really fitting how Southwest Airlines is investing in Southwest Kansas. I also have to acknowledge the vision of the founders of the Conestoga Energy facility, because if they didn't wonder how they could put in the biggest ethanol plant in the state right in Southwest Kansas almost 20 years ago, we wouldn't be sitting here celebrating this project's groundbreaking. Success begets success, and that's truly what we need to celebrate. This project is at the intersection of agriculture and transportation, and those two go together like a hand in a glove in this part of the state. There has to be a great agricultural economy, and there also has to be a great transportation network able to get these products out of the fields and feedyards and to the ethanol plant so the consumers can get the maximum value. I'm blessed to be able to serve on the House Ag Committee and the House Transportation Committee, and I know Sen. Moran and Sen. Roger Marshall also did. It's crucial for us to continue to add as much value to our agricultural products as possible while they're in our state as long as we can. It's not enough to just grow the corn, but let's use the stover to produce sustainable and renewable aviation fuel. Let's add as much value as possible that's fit for our producers and our economy in Southwest Kansas.”
Mann added the project would make previous generations extremely proud.
“I was driving to Liberal and thinking about this project and just how big of a deal it really is. My great-great-grandfather was a man named John Winger, who came to Kansas in a covered wagon in 1887, and he didn't end up settling in Seward County, he actually ended up in Stanton County. I remember talking to my great-grandmother, Helen, and she would talk about how her mother came, settled here, and ultimately got to see man land on the moon,” Mann said. “Think about that generation and what they were able to accomplish during their time in the batter's box, so to speak – if you were to tell them there would be a day when there would be a groundbreaking ceremony for a project where you took corn stover and processed it into a fuel for machines that could fly you around the world at more than 500 mph, their minds would be blown. That really speaks to the innovation and freedom in this country, and that's why this project is such a big deal in the long run. Near the end of his life, Dwight D. Eisenhower said 'There are no problems facing the U.S. that faith, love of freedom, intelligence and the hard work of its citizens can't overcome,' and I think that really captures the spirit of what this project is all about.”
Sen. Roger Marshall said he agreed with Mann’s sentiment regarding the previous generations.
“We're all multi-generational Kansans, and there's many times when we all think of our older ancestors and how they might think of certain modern things,” Marshall said. “With this event, I got to thinking about my grandfather, who was born in the early 1900s and died in the 1990s, and he was the most innovative person I ever met – when he was 14, his father told him 'It's time for you to get a job and live on your own now.' He was the smartest man I ever met and could fix anything. In addition to his dairy, he had two big machine shops and had a tool for just about anything – in fact, if something broke in one of the oil fields, one of the hands would come to him with the broken part and ask 'Can you fix this?' and the vast majority of the time, he did. He also built multiple boats throughout his lifetime, and I remember several of the fishing trips I took with him. If I could spend just five more minutes with him, I'd probably share with him all about cell phones and the Internet and several of the other modern conveniences we have today, and I'd also share with him about this. He already knew corn could be turned into ethanol, but he would be amazed at how the stover could eventually be turned into aviation fuel.”
Marshall added the project also shows the overall Kansas spirit.
“The past couple weeks, we've spent several days in Southwest Kansas, and I continue to be reminded of the grit and determination of the farmers and ranchers who live in this area and the innovations seen from them,” Marshall said. “15 inches of rain is typically a good year in this area, and there have been years where farmers have had to grow crops with barely half that, so we developed dryland farming techniques and other irrigation techniques. This area has also embraced the oil and gas industry and other industries, including biofuels, which is a huge leap for the U.S., and we have the technology to now make sustainable aviation fuel. There's a lot of work to do, and there are a lot of challenges, and our work is just starting as legislators to help make some of those rules more flexible for farmers. This project rewards hard work and innovation, and this country needs to have more of that.”
