ALEXANDRIA, Ind. — Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Dan Coats announced his “Energy Solutions for Hoosiers” proposal Tuesday as part of his plan for economic growth and job creation during a tour of the Poet Biorefining ethanol plant just outside of Alexandria.

During his visit, Coats stressed that he will be committed to lessening the country’s dependence on foreign oil looking to things like the ethanol produced at Poet.

Coats said the U.S. needs to increase domestic supply and create predictable vehicle efficiency standards for automakers; work toward allowing ethanol to compete in a fair and open market; encourage production of base load electricity including clean coal, hydropower, natural gas, nuclear, geo-thermal and renewable and alternative fuels such as clean coal-to-liquid technology and wind power; and double the amount of nuclear reactors over the next 20 years.

The former GOP senator said technology like that demonstrated at Poet will not only provide for a better, cleaner energy, it will also help create jobs locally and nationally.

Coats said the state is “fortunate to have some of the lowest energy costs in the country. The ‘climate change,’ ‘cap and trade’ legislation passed by the House of Representatives in 2009 to rein in carbon dioxide from coal, oil and natural gas is not the answer to achieve energy independence. While each state would be affected differently, independent analysis has revealed Indiana would be one of the hardest hit.”

Coats’ opponent for the Senate seat Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., said that while Coats’ may be critical of the “cap and trade” legislation while campaigning, as a Washington lobbyist, Coats and his firm made $480,000 advocating for cap-and-trade on behalf of hedge fund mogul Julian Robertson. Ellsworth went on to say that Coats has offered no less than three separate excuses for his work.

“The pattern that I find disturbing is that (Coats) is saying one thing when here in Indiana campaigning and is then doing a different thing in D.C. as a lobbyist accepting a paycheck for what he says and does,” Ellsworth said in a Tuesday interview. “It is a pretty common pattern that we are seeing.”

Ellsworth said the economy and creating jobs for Hoosiers is his No. 1 priority. But making strides in the field of alternative energy is on the forefront of his campaign. It may be the country’s next industrial revolution, he said.

“We want it to be produced here in Indiana,” Ellsworth said. “We want to be the leaders in alternative energy.”

Poet General Manager Dave Hudak said it is very important that national and state leaders understand the need for the ethanol industry to compete in a fair and open market. He said that Coats’ visit was important to the plant and they appreciated that the senatorial candidate’s sentiments echo theirs.

“We have a program that we call the Fueling Freedom Plan,” Hudak said. “(Coats) talked about energy independence and eliminating subsidies. Our plan redirects those subsidies to allow for tax incentives for retailers to add blender pumps and for automakers to make more flex fuel vehicles to allow us as an industry to compete in the fair and open market. That’s what he talked about. It encouraged me that Mr. Coats sees the vital role ethanol is playing and continues to play in the energy future of America. We are very honored he chose to come here and talk about his energy plans.”

Hudak said the plant welcomes visits and would love to give tours to state representatives and senators to give them a chance to learn more about what they do.

“We’ve made tremendous strides in ethanol and efficiency,” he said. “In visiting you can see that firsthand.”

Contact Abbey Doyle, 640-4805, abbey.doyle@heraldbulletin.com.