Western Maine has always been a leader in adapting its natural resources economy.

As developing countries increase their demand for oil, people in Maine face unacceptable increases in the cost of heating their homes and driving cars. An obvious solution to this problem is simply to not use fossil fuel or anything made from oil, but that is easier said than done. Even during the energy crisis of the 1970s when we should have moved away from oil, we didn’t. Now we have another chance, and an innovative way out of the situation.

We can keep the Northeastern forest largely intact, sustainable, profitable and working by using it for our renewable energy. Maine already has the forest infrastructure in place to sustainably harvest trees to make bio-fuels and chemicals that will move Maine in the direction of energy independence. Paper mills have the ability to diversify into significant fuel and chemical production plants using forest material. This will keep our mills profitable and keep high-paying, good-quality jobs here in Maine.

The Fractionation Development Center is making significant progress toward energy independence for Maine by charting a course toward significant fuel and chemical production from forest material. The FDC, headquartered in Rumford, completed the US Department of Energy-funded Biorefinery Feasibility Study. This study outlines the technology and strategy needed for Maine to produce significant amounts of energy, fuels and heating oil from trees, while increasing employment in rural Maine and decreasing foreign energy dependence. Implementing this plan will take billions of dollars in private investment along with state and federal money.

In the past year, the FDC has moved Maine closer to significant energy independence by:

• Outlining a technical and strategic pathway to large-scale production of forest biofuels and biochemicals;

• Recruiting a world-class technical advisory committee from universities and research institutes in North America and Europe;

• Assessing current and emerging technologies and selected specific technologies and technology companies to form strategic alliances with for the first generation of biorefineries;

• Beginning to build a world-class financial advisory committee capable of facilitating the large and complex financial arrangements needed first by pilot plants and, later, by a number of large and expensive bio-refineries;

• Initiating an assessment of communities in Maine that are capable of hosting a bio-refinery;

• Initiating an assessment of available forest material and an assessment of transportation infrastructure to assist in site strategies; and

• Working with private project developers to bring to market the first generation of biorefineries that will produce our own clean, renewable fuels and chemicals.

The FDC has created a long-term plan that will place Maine firmly on a path to energy independence. People may be surprised to find that the effort is headquartered in Rumford. But Western Maine has always been a natural resources economy, and over the course of more than 200 years of economic history, western Maine has innovated and adapted to ever-changing conditions.

Almost 200 years ago, when the Erie Canal opened and the farms of Oxford County couldn’t compete in the wheat market anymore, they raised hops. And, later, when foreign competition drove the price for hops down, our ancestors opened sawmills. When making paper for the world was more profitable than operating sawmills, we switched again. Now once again, Western Maine is leading, this time using brains and natural resources to guide us toward clean, renewable, profitable bio-fuels.

Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, is the vice president of the Fractionation Development Center and the founding past-president of the River Valley Technology Center. He serves on the Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Agriculture and Conservation & Forestry committees.