Biofuels Links
Audio Clips 
- "The objective of our biofuels plan is to provide North Carolinians with an alternative source of fuel other than just gasoline."
- "We have to figure out how to create partnerships with people who are already in the distribution system."
- "We see it as an opportunity to create a brand new business segment in North Carolina."
As the call for a greater reliance on alternative fuels grows stronger, North Carolina residents still consume about 5.6 billion gallons of petroleum-based liquid fuels per year.
The North Carolina General Assembly wants to move beyond oil and legislators have set a goal of replacing 10 percent of the state’s annual gasoline consumption with biofuel by 2017. That will allow North Carolina to reduce its dependence on unstable oil-producing regions and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The 10 percent goal is one of the main objectives outlined in a strategic plan governing development of a new biofuels industry sector statewide.
But what does this alternative fuels push mean for the average North Carolinian?
"We will be able to start to use fuels that we produce in our state from homegrown products, and this is an important step forward for all of our citizens," said E. Norris Tolson, the Biotechnology Center 's president and chief executive officer.
Tolson discusses how biofuels will impact the state's economy and way of life beyond the gas pump in the first of a periodic series of three-minute audio interviews with Biotechnology Center leaders.
Note: To listen to the audio clips, please use of these free media players: