[R Wilco]

I've worked for a major chemical company for 26 years. Our main chemical produced is acetic acid. Its feedstock is butane. The process involved in making the acid is like a controlled explosion. The technology is very old and I think we are one of 2 plants in the world that use it. We can do it because we buy our butane a gas byproduct from the worlds largest inland refinery only 30 miles away from us.

Like everyone else we have a new plant in China that is supposed to come on line in a little over a year. I personally hope the Commies just take it and tell us to GTFO.

Coal is our means to produce power and steam to heat all the re-boilers, HE's etc. We use about a million gallons of water a day in our process. One of the byproducts of all that effluent which is treated in an anaerobic reactor is methane which is burned in the boilers, and we are able to use the waste water to grow some really good cattle feed grass.

Our plant is being courted by many of these new ethanol conglomerates springing up. The consensus is it costs about 50 cents to make a gallon of ethanol if coal is your power source. Of course the main byproduct is the leftover corn mash. Bonus is we are located in one of the biggest areas for feed yards, dairies, and hog farms. That stuff is pure protein and all those feed yards are clamoring for it.

So there are more benefits than many people are aware of. I hope our plant pulls the trigger before the China plant becomes an issue. That way I can work out there until I am good and ready to retire.