Following its news last week on its receipt of approval to begin a waste treatment system at Kreider Farms, environmental treatment solutions company Bion Environmental Technologies Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BNET) has announced today that Ed Schafer, former Governor of North Dakota and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has agreed to join its management team through the end of 2013.
"Bion's technology, along with the integrated project business mode it supports, has the potential to simultaneously provide significant advantages to the agricultural community, while improving the health of our environment and providing significant cost savings to the American taxpayer. This combination represents a remarkable business opportunity. I am looking forward to lending my expertise to this endeavor that truly benefits everyone," said Schafer in a statement.
Schafer, who was the Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009 and Governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000, will provide Bion with strategic advice, focusing on areas of public policy related to the livestock industry both domestically and internationally. He will consult at Bion for a transitional period until January 2011, at which point he will become a key member of the company`s senior management team. In addition to his public sector experience, he has led a multi-national consumer products business and several entrepreneurial start-up companies.
The news comes as the company announced just last week that it had received approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to develop the first phase of a waste treatment system at Kreider Farms’ 1,200 cow dairy. The Kreider Farms project will see Bion develop one of its environmental waste treatment systems, which are designed to cut nitrogen and phosphorus from the effluent of dairy cows, while also reducing ammonia emissions in to the air.
The company`s stock is up nearly 4% on all the good news to $2.35.
Bion has provided environmental treatment solutions to the agriculture and livestock industry since 1990. Its patented technology provides a unique comprehensive treatment of livestock waste that achieves substantial reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus, ammonia, greenhouse and other gases, as well as pathogens, hormones, herbicides and pesticides. Bion's process simultaneously recovers cellulosic biomass from the waste stream to produce renewable energy. The company`s technology also enables development of large scale livestock facilities in strategic locations that provide greater efficiencies and dramatically reduced transportation costs, but were previously impracticable due to their environmental impact.