President’s Budget Would Renew Investment in Bioenergy

The President is proposing to renew investment for another five years in the nation’s three Bioenergy Research Centers, which conduct basic scientific research, and increase investment in bioenergy technology research and development.

The initiative would include developing advanced integrated biorefineries that would produce drop-in renewable fuels, feedstock production systems, algae biofuel production, and sustainability research and analysis.

In an April 4 press release , the Department of Energy (DOE) announced " it would fund its three Bioenergy Research Centers for an additional five-year period, subject to continued congressional appropriations. The three Centers —including the BioEnergy Research Center (BESC) led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in partnership with Michigan State University, and the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory— were established by the Department’s Office of Science in 2007 as an innovative program to accelerate fundamental research breakthroughs toward the development of advanced, next-generation biofuels. " Each center would be funded at $25 million per year.

In the release of the DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program FY14 budget request , the agency cited recent successes, including the demonstration of technology for producing cellulosic ethanol for $2.15 per gallon and support for one of the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plants to begin production in 2013. The bioenergy program will be integrated into the department’s "Sustainable Transportation" initiative. The administration is proposing to boost investment in this area by $82 million (41%) over last year.

Here are the details: