He also said most of that foreign oil comes from countries led by unstable leaders in unstable parts of the world.

Another benefit of the Mitchell County plant, Chambliss said, is that it would help retain more of the area’s young people.

“We are losing too many of our young people out of rural Georgia because they don’t have the opportunity to come back to their community after they get out of school. There simply aren’t the jobs they want to have,” he said.

“With the construction of facilities like this, we’re going to be able to allow young people an opportunity to have a very good paying job. They’ll be able to live in a part of the world in which they want to live, and provide quality of life for them and their families,” Chambliss said.

In closing, Campbell paid tribute to Mitchell County resident Lewis B. Collins, who promoted the use of corn and other crops as fuel sources as early as the 1970s. In honor of his vision, one of the roads leading to the plant will be called Lewis B. Collins Lane.