LINCOLN- According to Gov. Jim Pillen at the Nov. 12th Alternative Fuels and Chemical Coalition Conference, the federal government's multibillion-dollar investments to develop plant- and microbe-based products and build markets for them offer the U.S. profound opportunities. However, other speakers argued, high interest rates for loans and the need for carbon offset measurements methods are among the challenges holding the nation back.

The conference was held just a year after President Biden issued an executive order requiring agencies to push forward the development of products derived from plants, trees, microorganisms, and food waste, as well as to develop carbon impact technologies. "The biobased economy is gigantic for the future," said Pillen at the conference, "It's our Silicon Valley."

Sustainable farming practices that create products with lower carbon scores were also discussed at the conference, and Gov. Pillen told the crowd about his pivot irrigation system at Pillen Family Farms, which can be "started with cell phones" rather than having to drive out to the field, which would produce carbon emissions.

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