Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program

Created in June 2003, the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program provides up to $15 million a year in grants for financial assistance for the construction, modification, alteration or retrofitting of renewable fuels plants in Illinois. To be eligible, plants must have a production capacity of at least 30 million gallons of renewable fuel per year. Preference is given to applicants who use Illinois agricultural products. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity currently is setting specific guidelines for this program. As of July 2003, there were five ethanol plants operating in Illinois, with a combined annual capacity of 766 million gallons--the most of any state--and a dozen other production facilities in the planning process. More than 300 million bushels of Illinois corn are used annually to process ethanol.