A collaboration is underway to coordinate an industry that could produce a renewable Ohio source for jet fuel.

General Electric Aviation is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Ohio Aerospace Institute, and air carriers to investigate an Ohio or Midwest-regional approach for renewable jet fuel. The project would support production engine testing at GE Aviation’s Cincinnati area facilities, the USDA said. 

GE Aviation said it anticipates purchasing up to 5 million gallons of renewable-jet fuel beginning in 2015.

Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Cincinnati for a workshop to bring together agricultural producers, processing and transportation, refiners and finishers, academics and researchers.

GE Aviation said it would like to purchase up to 5 million gallons of renewable-jet fuel beginning in 2015.

“We have an incredible opportunity to create thousands of new jobs and drive economic development in rural communities across America by developing innovative ways to use agricultural products to help reduce our reliance on foreign oil,” said Vilsack. “USDA’s collaboration with General Electric Aviation will bring together multiple sectors of Ohio’s economy, including agricultural producers, to foster new innovations in the field of renewable fuels while bolstering new economic opportunities in the Midwest. USDA is proud to work alongside private and public institutions to support the research, creation and distribution of next generation energy solutions.”