Sometimes, it&8217;s good to get out.

Working from the perspective of Albert Lea or of Minnesota, it can be difficult to comprehend aspects of other cities and other states.

But companies that do business in multiple states, such as Poet Biorefining, can provide a perspective that reflects how other regions do economic development.

In the wake of Poet&8217;s decision to not build a second ethanol plant in Freeborn County, there was a lot of finger-pointing. Wipe all that away and one thing remains true: Poet saw problems in Minnesota that it didn&8217;t see in Ohio and Indiana.

State and local officials now can take that feedback and work together to streamline red tape in such situations as &8220;single-source&8221; designation. They also can see whether Minnesota is interpreting federal regulations differently than other Corn Belt states.

Freeborn County was looking forward to the construction of the ethanol plant. It meant jobs. It meant a buyer for local corn. It meant increased interest in ethanol for the Albert Lea area.

Poet did mention that one day it could reconsider, if conditions are right. Let&8217;s hope that day comes. This area is pro-ethanol.