Acting Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg paid a visit Monday afternoon to the Elite Octane, LLC Ethanol Plant, in Atlantic. Gregg met with Project Developer Ron Fagen, Plant President and CEO Nick Bowdish, Plant Manager Mike Messing, Republican Senator Tom Shipley and others, about what it took to make the plant a reality since 2006, when several attempts for various reasons each resulted in a failure to get off the ground. The site sat empty, except for one office building, and a concrete pad, until 2015.

Bowdish told Gregg “We’re back at it. We’ve had dozens of hurdles to see this thing come together, but one of the key ones was at that time, Governor Branstad [and current Governor Reynolds] took a meeting. We sat down and laid out ‘If this was gonna be competitive, we had to get the sale tax exemption done with Iowa Economic Development Authority, and that wasn’t just a rubber stamp.”

Bowdish said they just sent in the paperwork this week for their first sales tax redemption. He said they’ve estimated it at a $4.25-million dollars sales tax redemption through the Iowa Economic Development Authority. “Without that [he said] the capital costs would have been over what we could have justified.”

Bowdish asked Gregg to share with Governor Reynolds, thanks for her efforts to get keep the RFS in place and to strengthen it, if possible. Gregg said he was proud to see his boss in action, speaking with President Trump last week. He said “It was surreal… to watch Gov. Reynolds in her moment….advocate [for RFS].” He said it’s not every day that you’re in the room when the President is on the phone.”

Trump directed the EPA to table proposals to weaken the RFS, but Reynolds has said she’ll keep pressing to make sure that doesn’t happen. Gregg said their faith was validated last Thursday, when EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt put his assurances in writing as Reynolds asked. Gregg said Gov. Reynolds will be meeting with Tuesday in Washington, D.C. with Administrator Pruitt and Vice President Pence. The topic of discussion will be Fair Trade.

Left to right: Pat McCurdy; Ryan Pellett; Sen. Tom Shipley; IA Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg; Nick Bowdish; Mike Messing; Ron Fagen, Inc.; Russell Joyce/CADCO.

Bowdish told the Lt. Governor they’re looking at a May 2018 start-up for the Atlantic Elite Octane Ethanol Plant. At first, he said, there will be about 50 people, and although they haven’t advertised yet, all the positions are posted on the company’s website. They already have more than 200 applicants.

Bids were placed last week for some of the needed corn. They’ve already purchased one-half million bushels. They will process 50-million bushels and ultimately produce more than 120-million gallons of ethanol per year, when fully operational.

Fagen, Inc. Chairman Ron Fagen (Left) speaks with Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg