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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

DOE and USDA Award $5.7 Million for Biobased Fuels Research

August 9, 2006

DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on August 9th that they have awarded nine grants totaling $5.7 million for research in biobased fuels to accelerate the development of alternative fuel resources. The research will focus on genomics that will allow woody plant tissues such as alfalfa, sorghum, wheat, and other grasses to be grown in large quantities to produce renewable fuels, including ethanol. DOE granted $3.9 million to six projects, and USDA has granted $1.8 million to three projects, all of which will be supported for up to three years. The awardees include six universities in Indiana, Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kansas, and Georgia; two non-profit research organizations in Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.; and a national laboratory in New York. See the DOE press release.