Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event that was important to the future of Maine – the official opening of the River Valley Technology Center, now officially named the Joseph P. Derouche Technology Center, in Rumford.

The Technology Center, working in tandem with the River Valley Growth Council, is a shining example of Yankee ingenuity at work in our community.

The goal of these two organizations is to help transform a sluggish manufacturing economy into a global leader by using the region’s existing natural resources. While the Technology Center serves mostly as a business incubator, both outfits are developing the technologies and businesses to help strengthen and diversify Maine’s business environment.

This was also an important moment for me personally, as I have worked hard for years to make the RVTC a reality.

One of the major projects these organizations are pursuing is the development of forest-based bio-products. This came about after two years analyzing not just Maine’s economy and resources, but also national market factors. The study identified what types of high-value products Maine could provide that could also create good-paying jobs.

The assessment concluded that, based on Maine’s natural resources, anything that could replace petroleum-based products with bio or “green” alternatives would be of value to the American economy and produce good, long-term jobs for Maine.

To learn more about “green oil,” I flew along with other members of the Growth Council to the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colo.

This multi-billion dollar federal lab is constantly searching for new ways to incorporate alternative, renewable energies into our market economy. The goal is to lessen reliance on foreign oil and the products that are derived from foreign oil. In these times of record high energy costs, this makes more sense than ever.

While the science behind forest-based bio-products is quite complex, the fundamentals are pretty easy to explain. There are several technologies that reduce wood to its basic organic elements – oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, and then recombine those elements to create fuels, fuel additives, gases, chemicals, flavorings, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

This new area of science and industry is seen by many as the next wave of jobs, growth and prosperity for the forested areas of Maine. When operating at scales of thousands of tons of chips a day, the future “biorefineries” will turn Maine wood and forest residue into things that America really needs.

While at NREL, the officials told us that there is great demand for biomass replacements for oil. However, they said that so far no American companies have been successful in reducing the cost of the source of biomass below $42 a ton. When we heard this, we told NREL that it could be done, and that Maine could produce forest-based bio-products below the magic number.

It turns out that Maine, New Hampshire and Southern Quebec have one of the largest biomass reservoirs in North America. We also concluded that integrating a biomass industry into our existing forestry industry could be a great economic boom to our state that has relied on natural resources for its livelihood for hundreds of years.

Following our visit, NREL officials got really excited about the prospects of Maine’s potential contribution to the biomass industry. NREL introduced us to a number of corporate partners that work with their organization and, as a result, we have been able to develop a small bio-refinery model.

This is only the beginning of great things to come. A related project we are working on is the creation of a forest bio-products development and commercialization center. This center, which will be located on the fourth floor of the new Technology Center, is called the Fractionation Development Center, or FDC. The FDC will work with the best minds from NREL and from the University of Maine and other leading institutions to turn emerging technologies into outstanding Maine businesses.

There is a tremendous amount of activity revolving around the Technology Center. We have developed and submitted a $4.7 million proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy to build and operate a pilot bio-refinery. We are also trying to raise $5 million in federal funds to get the FDC fully established, and I am working to get the matching funds from the state that will be needed when the federal grants are secured.

We are receiving numerous requests for assistance from businesses. One of these requests has come from the national association of paper producers, which has decided that paper mills must evolve into biorefineries if they are to remain competitive and profitable.

It may very well be that the RVTC turns out to be a key factor in keeping the paper industry alive and healthy in Maine.

The River Valley Growth Council and the River Valley Technology Center are working hard to create a better future for the River Valley and for Maine.

I am very proud to have served as the first president of the River Valley Technology Center and now, in my capacity as immediate past president, I have been asked to take leadership in making the FDC a successful, operating organization. I am proud to be involved with this critical effort, especially when I think that these two homegrown organizations are now leading the state into a new and growing economic sector.

By working together and by working smart, we are fundamentally changing the River Valley and making it a place where our neighbors and children can stay and work with good, sustainable, good-paying jobs.

Bruce Bryant is the state senator from District 24 representing many of the communities in Oxford County.