US Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman yesterday (6th November) emphasised the importance of cellulosic ethanol to the future energy stability of the US. Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for Range Fuels' biorefinery he said; “Together, the Department of Energy and private sector pioneers, such as Range Fuels, are blending science and technology to advance the President's goal of reducing our dependence on foreign oil.  The production of cost-competitive cellulosic ethanol is a significant part of America's energy future. This new facility, one of six commercial scale biorefineries to be constructed with the Department of Energy's support, will expand the use of home-grown alternative fuels - protecting the environment and enhancing the nation's energy security.”

The six biorefinery projects selected to receive DOE funding to accelerate the production of biofuels also furthers the President’s Twenty in Ten Plan, which aims to increase the use of clean, renewable fuels in the transportation sector to the equivalent of 35 billion gallons of ethanol a year by 2017.  When fully operational, these biorefineries are expected to produce more than 130 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year.  Funding for these projects is also an integral part of the President’s Biofuels Initiative that will lead to the wide-scale use of non-food based biomass, such as agricultural waste, trees, forest residues, and perennial grasses in the production of transportation fuels, electricity, and other products, by 2012.

More details (http://www.energy.gov/) of the six biorefinery projects the Department of Energy selected in February.