Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
KADB Approves $19,953 for the development of Kentucky’s 25 X‘25 Energy Roadmap

Frankfort, Ky- The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approved $19,953 in state funds to create Kentucky’s 25 X ‘25 Energy Roadmap. The University of Louisville Research Foundation is assisting the Kentucky Rural Energy Consortium in its efforts to create this strategic plan and vision. This proposal was one of the twenty-six projects, totaling $1,418,074 approved at the August Kentucky Agricultural Development Board Meeting.

 The purpose of the Kentucky 25 X ‘25 Roadmap is to identify and define the major issues associated with the achievement of the 25 X ‘25 vision in Kentucky.  The Kentucky Roadmap is a renewable energy initiative based on the national 25 X ‘25 action plan which outlines how America's natural resources can be utilized to produce 25 percent of the nation's energy supply from renewable sources by 2025. 

“Kentucky agriculture has a big role to play in renewable energy,” said Keith Rogers, Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy. “In addition to our growing ethanol and biodiesel industries, Kentucky is well suited for the production of biomass crops that may be sources of cellulose ethanol production.  The Kentucky 25 X '25 Roadmap will be the strategic plan that guides Kentucky agriculture to a leadership role in providing the energy needs for our country in the future.”

Governor Fletcher endorsed the Kentucky 25 X ‘25 Roadmap on August 14, 2006. This initiative identifies biopower, demand reduction, biofuels, and bioindustries as the four main strategies that provide the best opportunities for Kentucky to secure sustainable, renewable and efficient energy resources. 

For more information on this, make plans to attend the Kentucky Rural Energy Consortium (KREC) town hall meetings to explore new ideas and opportunities for securing Kentucky’s energy and economic future.  

Please visit www.kppc.org for registration information or call (502) 852-0965. The meeting schedule is as follows:

·        Frankfort- Monday, August 27, from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)

·        Somerset- Tuesday, September 18, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EDT)

·        Princeton-Tuesday, October 16, from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM (CDT)

Governor Fletcher and the Kentucky Legislature continue to make great strides toward lessening Kentucky’s dependence on tobacco production while revitalizing the farm economy by investing 50 percent of Kentucky's Master Settlement Agreement into the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.  To date, Kentucky has invested more than $251 million to an array of county, regional and state projects designed to increase net farm income and create sustainable new farm-based business enterprises. The diversification programs represent over 3,036 projects that have been funded through Agricultural Development Fund, since the inception of the program in January 2001.

For more information on this project contact Cam Metcalf at (502) 852-0965. To learn more about cost-share grant and loan programs available though the Agricultural Development Fund contact the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy at (502) 564-4627. 

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