Wisconsin Governor Doyle Promotes Wisconsin Energy Proposals with Obama Administration Officials

Discusses Wisconsin’s Leadership in Renewable Energy Initiatives with U.S. Secretary of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

March 03, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Governor Jim Doyle today met with Dr. Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy, and Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, to discuss how Wisconsin might use federal recovery and reinvestment funds to move forward with energy projects to build upon current efforts to create jobs, make America energy independent, and address the global climate crisis.

Article continues below...

“Wisconsin is in a prime position to take immediate advantage of grants from the recovery and reinvestment act that will create jobs for hardworking families, free us from our dependence on foreign oil and protect our environment for generations to come,” Governor Doyle said. “Wisconsin is already moving forward in areas that the act invests heavily in – research, manufacturing and agriculture – to create green jobs and get our economy moving forward as quickly as possible.”

At the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Governor Doyle discussed three key Wisconsin sectors which could immediately put to use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for energy projects: the University of Wisconsin, advanced battery technologies manufacturers, and the paper industry.

The Governor told Secretary Chu that Wisconsin would aggressively pursue funding for projects in priority areas including:

· University of Wisconsin initiatives
o Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center - UW-Madison is a national leader in sustainable energy research. The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center has more than 250 research and support staff who are working on finding the new discoveries in biomass production through pretreatment and conversion to fuels.
o Charter Street Biomass Project - The Governor announced in February that a new biomass boiler will be installed at the Charter Street Heating Plant as part of his commitment to stop burning coal at state-owned heating plants on Madison’s Isthmus. The new biomass boiler will be capable of burning up to 100% biomass, everything from wood chips to switchgrass pellets, and will eventually be able to burn about 250,000 tons of biomass per year. This demand for biomass will help create and sustain a biomass market in Wisconsin and provide economic benefit for landowners, farmers and processors in the state.
o UW Energy Institute – The state will be requesting at least $50 million from Department of Energy or National Science Foundation grant programs to build a Center for Sustainable Science and Engineering in order to consolidate sustainable research into a new distinct collaborative field of research and academic study with its own identity. The funds would be used to add critical new core facilities such as germplasm storage, genomics screening, informatics support, growth chambers, and biomass sampling.

· Advance Battery Technologies: The federal recovery and reinvestment package includes approximately $2 billion in competitive grants administered by DOE for advanced battery technologies.
o Hybrid Batteries - There are several battery manufacturers in southeastern Wisconsin that develop and manufacture battery technologies. Grants could be used to help create manufacturing and prototype development centers that will ultimately manufacture advanced battery cells.

· Paper Industry initiatives: Wisconsin is home to a number of paper companies that are planning significant biofuels projects.
o Flambeau River Papers, Park Falls – Flambeau River Papers has announced a biofuels project that will cost at least $90,000,000 that will involve at least 200 construction jobs and an estimate of 100 jobs in the plant. The main products of the biorefinery will be diesel fuel and waxes. The biorefinery would be constructed at an operating paper mill in Park Falls.
o New Page Biorefinery, Wisconsin Rapids – New Page has announced a biofuels project that will cost at least $90,000,000. The proposed biorefinery would produce biodiesel.
o Virent Energy Aqueous Phase Demonstration Scale Plant, Madison – Virent is working on a project that will cost at least $12,000,000 to complete its current demonstration scale plant. Virent Energy’s Aqueous Phase Reforming technology is a unique, transformational technology that converts sugars to hydrocarbon molecules. Virent Energy converts sugar to gasoline or any other hydrocarbon fuel such as jet fuel, diesel, or natural gas.

At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Governor Doyle discussed Great Lakes restoration priorities and the clean up of the Fox River.

· Great Lakes - Great Lakes restoration has been a top priority for Governor Doyle. As the Chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, Governor Doyle has been leading the effort to obtain the necessary funding for these national treasures. President Obama’s 2010 budget proposal includes $475 million to create a new EPA led Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that will work toward cleaning up contaminated sediments, reducing existing pollution sources and stemming the inflow of invasive species into the lakes. Governor Doyle is working with his colleagues on the Council of Great Lakes Governors to further refine these restoration priorities and work on solidifying the partnership with the Obama administration’s federal agencies to ensure timely and effective use of the money.

· Fox River - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice and the other involved parties will continue the cleanup of the Fox River including full scale dredging beginning in May. The project is the largest sediment cleanup in the country and began in 2005. The dredging in May will clean up the largest deposit on the river representing approximately 85% of the PCBs. This segment is the stretch of the River that connects to Green Bay. The clean up work is the responsibility of paper companies in the area that previously dumped PCBs into the river and will take 8-10 years to complete at a total cost of $600 million.

Yesterday, Governor Doyle met with USDA Secretary Vilsack to discuss federal support for rural clean energy projects that will clean the state’s air and water, create jobs, and save money for communities. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Rural Energy for America Program could provide critical funding to launch innovative new technologies, such as anaerobic digesters, that turn agriculture waste streams into clean energy.

The Governor also met with Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change and Nancy Sutley, White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman. In January, in a letter to the President, Governor Doyle offered to meet with the President and his energy and environmental cabinet to help develop a comprehensive national plan that builds on the momentum of strong state policies. The Governor’s meetings focused on: setting ambitious goals to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions; using market mechanisms such as cap-and-trade programs and incentives to encourage clean energy; and ensuring that state and local authority, state and regional clean energy programs, and private investments are included in any national energy plan.

Source: Wisconsin Governor