WASHINGTON, DC -July 31, 2008– Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education
and Economics Gale Buchanan and Energy Department (DOE) Under Secretary for Science
Raymond Orbach and today announced plans to award 10 grants totaling more than $10
million to accelerate fundamental research in the development of cellulosic biofuels.
“USDA is committed to fostering a sustainable domestic biofuels industry at
home in rural America,” Buchanan said. “These grants will broaden the
sources of energy from many crops as well as improve the efficiency and options
among renewable fuels.”
“Cellulosic biofuels offer one of the best near- to mid-term alternatives we
have, on the energy production side, to reduce reliance and imported oil and cut
greenhouse gas emissions, while continuing to meet the nation’s transportation
energy needs,” Orbach said. “Developing cost-effective means of producing
cellulosic biofuels on a national scale poses major scientific challenges-these
grants will help in developing the type of transformational breakthroughs needed
in basic science to make this happen.”
The grants will be awarded under a joint DOE-USDA program begun in 2006 which aims
to accelerate fundamental research in biomass genomics to further the use of cellulosic
plant material for bioenergy and biofuels. DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental
Research will provide $8.8 million while USDA’s Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service will provide $2 million to the following institutions
over a three year period:
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (Ithaca, NY), $882,000
Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO), $1,500,000
University of Georgia (Athens, GA), $1,295,000
University of Georgia(Athens, GA), $1,200,000
University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA), $1,200,000
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), $540,000
Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA), $587,191
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), $1,200,000
Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), $1,200,000
Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR), $1,200,000
Cellulosic biofuels are made from a wide variety of plant materials or non-food
based feedstocks and energy crops.
For more information on the individual projects and the DOE-USDA biomass genomics
research program, visit: http://genomicsgtl.energy.gov.