FORT DODGE, IA - Nearly 600 new jobs in the ethanol industry may be created in Iowa over the next three years in fields like biofuels and biotechnology. But according to David Swenson, an associate scientist in economics at Iowa State University, the state could then potentially reach a saturation point.
Swenson said that between 25 to 30 plants will likely become operational in Iowa by 2010, bringing the total number to more than 50. According to Swenson, about a third of the new jobs would be for for college graduates with degrees in biotechnology.
But he warned against planning for a long-term period of growth, saying that the state doesn't have enough corn to accommodate more than a total of 60 ethanol plants. Swenson also said that alternative methods of producing ethanol are still in early stages of development.
"How can you plan...for a technology that has not been deployed?" he asked.
Donald Heck, coordinator of the biotechnology and biofuels technology programs at Iowa Central Community College, agreed that the industry's growth could reach a plateau in a few years. But Heck said that even with if it plateaus in the near future, job turnover would still yield a significant number of openings.
The issue has become particularly relevant in for officials at Iowa Central Community College, who hope to expand their programs in biofuels and biotechnology.
Iowa Central's bond referendum, to go before voters on June 12, would earmark about $8 million of an $18 million bond for the construction of a new Bio-Science and Health Science Center.
That would allow the school to expand the biofuels and biotechnology programs, which provide training for growing industries such as ethanol.
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