McIntyre talks energy, agriculture

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre touted North Carolina’s agriculture and alternative fuels while in Greece today for an international conference on energy.

McIntyre, a Lumberton Democrat, is a senior member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, which promotes security through human rights, democracy and environmental cooperation, reports Barb Barrett.

He spoke in Athens before about 200 parliamentarians from 49 countries who attended the fall meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

There, he talked of how farmers in North Carolina are trying to develop energy from resources such as animal waste.

“In my home state of North Carolina, the agriculture industry is already making significant progress in converting plant and animal waste, agricultural stover [residue] and woody biomass into viable options for alternative energy sources,” McIntyre said.

“We need to be flexible and forward-looking, using alternative fuels, new crop-tilling mechanisms and the latest research in irrigation so that farmers will continue to be a reliable source of food and fiber not only for their own families, but for the world.”