POET facilities earn safety award

BNSF Railway Company recognizes eight plants for records of safe transport

POET’s safety record in 2008 has earned recognition from BNSF Railway Company.

POET has received the BNSF’s Annual Product Stewardship Award for 2008. The award is presented to shippers who transported a minimum of 500 loaded tank cars of hazardous materials during the previous year with zero non-accident releases (releases that are not caused by a derailment or collision) during the entire transportation cycle.

“We are proud that our partnership with BNSF has helped keep transport of ethanol safe and efficient,” POET CEO Jeff Broin said. “These POET plants work hard to ensure that safety remains a top priority.”

POET Biorefining plants in South Dakota recognized in the award are Chancellor, Mitchell, Big Stone City, Groton, Scotland and Hudson. POET plants in Iowa are Coon Rapids and Corning.

Four POET plants earlier this year received an award from Union Pacific for zero non-accident releases.

About POET
POET, the largest ethanol producer in the world, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 20-year-old company produces more than 1.54 billion gallons of ethanol annually from 26 production facilities nationwide. POET recently started up a pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which uses corn cobs as feedstock, and will commercialize the process in 2011. For more information, visit www.poet.com.