Posted April 23, 2010
To read the updated story with confirmation of the President's visit,
see this story.
Although nothing's been confirmed yet, there have been media reports that President Barack Obama will visit the Poet Biorefining ethanol plant in Macon, Mo. So far, the White House is only saying the President will stop in Macon on April 28. "More details will be announced for these events as they become available," according to a White House office of Media Affairs press release.
The President will visit locations in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois next week as part of the White House to Main Street Tour. It kicked off in December 2009 as a way for Obama to get out of Washington and spend time with American families. Since that time he's made stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Georgia.
At the 2000 Census, Macon had a population of more than 5,500. The Poet ethanol plant there has a capacity of 46 MMgy. It started production in 2000 and was the first ethanol plant operating in Missouri, according to the company. Out of 45 total plant employees, 14 are original employees. At this time there have been no official confirmations from Poet about a possible visit from the President.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer issued a statement with some strong words for the President after hearing he would visit Macon. "It is important that the President has chosen to visit the hard-working people of Northeast Missouri so he can hear what I have been hearing for the past 15 months," he said, "folks are angry about the government takeover of health care, job-killing cap-and-tax legislation, endless bailouts and the failed stimulus package."
The President's tour starts out April 27 at Siemens Energy Inc Facility in Fort Madison, Iowa. He will then go on to Mt. Pleasant and then a town hall meeting in Ottumwa, Iowa, at Indian Hills Community College. The events on April 28 include stops in Macon and Quincy, Ill.