Wamp, Alexander, Corker Applaud ORNL for Selection as One of Three New Biofuel Research Centers in the U.S.

Press Release

Wamp, Alexander, Corker Applaud ORNL for Selection as One of Three New Biofuel Research Centers in the U.S.

U.S. Represenative Zach Wamp and U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker today applauded Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for being selected as one of only three sites in the country to receive $125 million over five years to establish and operate one of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) new Bioenergy Research Centers. DOE is expected to make the formal announcement this afternoon at a press conference in Washington.

The centers will accelerate research in the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, and make biofuel production cost competitive on a national scale by 2012. ORNL's BioEnergy Sciences Center (BESC) will focus on improving the biofuel potential of switchgrass and poplar trees.

"This research center is a perfect fit for Tennessee, which should become a national hub for bioenergy," said Alexander. "Combined with the efforts of Governor Bredesen, the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Farm Bureau, this center can help produce new jobs for Tennesseans and higher incomes for farmers."

"This is outstanding news for Tennessee in terms of the role our scientific, agricultural, and business communities are playing in our country's energy security, and it couldn't come at a better time," said Corker, a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. "Last week, with my support, the Senate passed an energy bill that strongly promotes the development of biofuel alternatives to petroleum, and today's announcement further solidifies Tennessee's leading role in the innovative development of biofuels that will help reduce our gasoline consumption and dependence on foreign oil."

"Oak Ridge again demonstrates that it is on the cutting edge in alternative energy and will help lead our country to become more energy independent. ORNL led a strong team and it is no surprise that they were selected by the Department of Energy out of 21 teams across the country to host a new BioEnergy Sciences Center. If biofuels are part of the answer to our goal of energy independence, our region will be out front with solutions," said Wamp.

The Center will be located in Oak Ridge and led by Martin Keller, a microbiologist recently recruited to ORNL. The University of Tennessee will serve as one of the academic partners, providing specialized instrumentation, plant breeding technologies and new microbe discovery.

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