JACKSON &8212; Representatives from Rentech, Inc., were among the companies, politicians and academics who met at Friday&8217;s energy summit in Jackson.

One of the reasons U.S. Rep. Charles W. &8220;Chip&8221; Pickering, R-Miss., said he called the summit was he thought Mississippi could be a leader in the alternative fuels movement.

&8220;We can make Mississippi a leader in energy for the next 20 to 25 years,&8221; Pickering said. &8220;I wanted to get everybody together and see what contributions Mississippi could make.&8221;

Richard Sheppard, senior vice president of project development for the coal-to-liquid company, said energy sources like Rentech&8217;s were vital to the country&8217;s future.

They improve national security by reducing dependence on foreign oil, Sheppard said, as well as improving economic growth.

Other speakers, from Entergy Mississippi to Denbury Resources to Mississippi State University, echoed his sentiments, applauding alternative energy solutions.

&8220;Fuel for the future&8221; was what Pickering said was the reason for the summit. &8220;Mississippi is as well-positioned as any state in the nation,&8221; he said.

Researchers from Mississippi State University&8217;s Sustainable Energy Center presented ideas on biodiesel, synthetic gasoline and ethanol as potential sources of energy in the future.

Technologies to make fuel out of wood, corn, sewage and even lipid-containing microbes are either being researched or used, Co-Director of the Sustainable Energy Center William Bachelor said.

The trick is to utilize

&8220;feedstock,&8221; or resources, like timber and local plant life, that are already present in Mississippi, Bachelor said.

&8220;This state is very well positioned to provide feedstock to refineries,&8221; Bachelor said. &8220;We are expecting a major industry to evolve right here. But the demand has to be created.&8221;

Customers and governments have to demand alternative fuels from the providers, he said.

As long as traditional oil prices stay high, alternative fuels can be competitive, Pickering said.