Former President Jimmy Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia will become the home of a new biodiesel plant. According to a press release from the National Biodiesel Board, the plant will be just a few blocks from Carter’s home and actually use peanuts from the Carter farm to make some of the biodiesel:

“The development of alternative, environmentally responsible energy sources has been a passion of mine since I became a public servant,” President Carter said. “The production of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, is a very important step toward energy independence while at the same time being less harmful to the environment and supporting local farmers.”

“We can thank President Carter for the thriving renewable energy growth of today,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. “Many people within the biodiesel and ethanol industries credit his leadership in the 1978 Energy Bill for launching the renewable fuels effort in the United States.”

Interestingly enough, the first diesel engine actualy ran on peanut oil.

The Alterra Bioenergy plant will be able to produce 15 – 30 million gallons of fuel a year. Production begins in the fall of this year.