The Honorable Spencer Abraham
Secretary of
Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue,
NW
Washington, D. C. 20585
Dear Secretary Abraham:
It has come to our attention that more than half the funds for the
Office of Fuels Development and the Office of Biopower and Hydropower
Technologies have been earmarked for special projects. As a result, it
appears that the Regional Biomass Energy Program may receive little or no
funding. On behalf of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition, I encourage you to
protect funding for this small but important program.
The Regional Biomass Program is unique in that it establishes
priorities in cooperation with the states and delivers funding directly to
the states or to specific biomass development projects supported by the
states. States have used the grants to foster rural economic development
projects, including biomass-to-energy, using switchgrass, wood, and other
biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel.
The Coalition is a group of 26 governors who support the increased
production and use of ethanol. The recent record high-energy prices and
record low commodity prices underscore the need for expanded production
and use of biomass resources. As a domestically produced renewable source
of fuel, biomass can play a pivotal role in stimulating the economy of
rural America by providing value-added grain processing options and new
jobs for rural parts of the nation. Domestic energy production also helps
to reduce our dependence on imported oil, and lowers our vulnerability to
future price hikes. Just as importantly, bioenergy and biofuels can be a
solution to many of the environmental concerns currently facing our
nation.
I respectfully urge you to enhance our energy security and help our
agricultural community by funding the Regional Biomass Energy Program in
the final fiscal year 2002 budget at a level at least equal to fiscal year
2001. On behalf of the coalition, I appreciate your support for this
important program.
