Feds pick Washington for $80M in biofuel grants

Finding ways to move our state off of fossil-fuels from abroad has been a priority for House Democrats for years. In the 2006 legislation written by Rep. Hans Dunshee, the reasons for investing in biofuels are made clear. Here are a couple selected paragraphs from the beginning of the bill (read the whole bill here):

• Washington's dependence on energy supplied from outside the state and volatile global energy markets makes its economy and citizens vulnerable to unpredictable and high energy prices.
• Washington's dependence on petroleum-based fuels increases energy costs for citizens and businesses.
• Washington has abundant supplies of organic wastes from farms that can be used for energy production and abundant farmland where crops could be grown to supplement or supplant petroleum-based fuels.
• The bioenergy industry is a new and developing industry that is, in part, limited by the availability of capital for the construction of facilities for converting farm and forest products into energy and fuels.
• The energy freedom program is meant to lead Washington state towards energy independence.

These goals got a shot in the arm earlier this week when the United States Department of Agriculture announced that $80 million in grants for biofuel research will be coming here. The University of Washington will receive $40 million to pursue "sustainably grown woody energy crops to produce biogasoline and renewable aviation fuel," while Washington State University will lead up research in how to "convert closed timber mills into bioenergy development centers."

Grants went to other research efforts in other states, but the fact that $80 million of the overall $136 million is going to Washington is a testament to our research universities and the state's commitment to biofuels.

You can read the whole press release and quotes from many public and private-sector officials on the USDA website.

For even more coverage, you can go to The Seattle Times and CBS News.

To read this blog post in Spanish, please go here.