Wisconsin Governor Doyle Announces $125 Million Grant to Create Bioenergy Research Center

Also Announces $54 Million State Investment for Facility

June 26, 2007 -- MADISON – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced the University of Wisconsin will receive a $125 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to create the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

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Governor Doyle also announced that the state will commit $50 million to build the research facility, along with $4 million to pay research faculty. This funding will be partnered with an estimated $50 million that the UW will raise privately. Governor Doyle made the announcement with UW System President Kevin Reilly, UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell, and Molly Jahn, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“Through world-leading research in bio-energy, Wisconsin will seize today’s challenges, and turn them into tomorrow’s opportunity,” Governor Doyle said. “This Center will be the centerpiece of our state’s efforts to lead the country toward energy independence. And just like the Institutes for Discovery, this will be an economic engine that will translate new discoveries into high-paying jobs.”

The GLBRC represents the largest research grant ever received by the College of Agricultural Life Sciences, allowing the UW to move forward on research that will relieve dependence on foreign fossil fuels, protect the environment, and give strength to our economy. Centered at UW-Madison, the GLBRC will involve nearly 60 scientists and partner institutions, including Michigan State University, the University of Florida, Illinois State University, Iowa State University, as well as the Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge National Laboratories of the U.S. Department of Energy.

The GLBRC will develop innovative solutions to meet our energy needs – all the way from the ground level by yielding more productive biomass, to working renewable energy solutions into our state, national, and global economy – strengthening the research power of the UW System and helping Wisconsin lead the country toward energy independence.

In his budget proposal, Governor Doyle’s is dedicating more than $30 million over the next two years to entrepreneurs and companies developing renewable technologies, creating jobs and leveraging up to $300 million in private investment.

According the U.S. Department of Energy, Wisconsin could replace over 13 million tons of coal if it converted the15 million tons of biomass in the state. Biomass resources include byproducts from corn and other crops, waste from food and beverage processing, pulp remnants from our paper and lumber sectors, and switchgrass and other forest products that sit on our forest floors.

For more information on the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, visit: http://www.energy.gov/news/5172.htm

Source: Wisconsin Governor