The Energy Department has
awarded more than $13 million in financial assistance to support the recently
signed Bioenergy Executive Order. "With the guidance and leadership provided by
the President's Executive Order, the Energy Department will continue its efforts
to speed the development of biomass as an environmentally friendly, renewable
energy source," said Energy Secretary Richardson. "By stimulating public-private
partnerships and creating a national bioenergy initiative, yesterday's Executive
Order brings us closer to the goal of using biomass to power our cars and
provide electricity for our homes." The awards will further the development of
technologies that reduce the cost of using biomass to create new energy, fuels
and products.
Among those receiving financial
assistance are $3 million to the Michigan Biotechnology Institute International for their
work with Heartland Grain Fuels and the Energy and Environmental Research
Center to further development of biomass conversion technologies for fuels
and chemicals, and $1.4 million to BC International Corporation for engineering scale up and final design of the
pretreatment reactor at the Jennings, Louisiana biomass-to-ethanol production
facility.
