La. State Group OK's Grant to Aid Plant

The grant is to be used with a $600,000 sales tax rebate approved by the Ascension Parish Council in December to build the spur, Kurtz said.

The $126 million biofuels plant, Dynamic Fuels, is a joint venture of Tyson Foods Inc. and Syntroleum Corp. Plans call for construction to begin later this year with operations to begin in early 2010.

The plant is expected to employ more than 45 people and have an annual payroll of $4 million.

Tyson will supply chicken fat and other agriculture waste products to the plant, while Syntroleum will provide the technology to convert the waste into biodiesel and jet fuel.

Biofuels are manufactured from plant matter, animal fats, vegetable oils and field crops rather than fossil sources, such as oil or coal.