Brown Announces More Than $2,600 For Bioenergy Production Projects

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH announced today that Ohio will receive  more than $2,600 in federal funds support the production and usage of advanced biofuels.  The funding was made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, which Brown worked to secure in the 2008 Farm Bill.

“This is about creating jobs and promoting economic development through alternative energy in rural areas,” Brown said. “These funds will help Ohio’s small towns and rural communities make strides in energy innovation. Across the state, these are home-grown projects that work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil while promoting job growth and economic development.”

The Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels authorizes payments to eligible producers to expand production of advanced biofuels. Payments are based on the amount of advanced biofuels a recipient produces from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch.  Eligible examples include biofuels derived from cellulose, crop residue, animal, food and yard waste material, biogas (landfill and sewage waste treatment gas), vegetable oil and animal fat.

Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. He is a leading advocate in Congress for the creation of a clean energy industry.  Brown joined 18 senators in a letter to Senate leadership calling for a program, known as the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit (48C), to be included in last year’s tax compromise. In the past year, Brown has held several roundtables with Ohio manufactures who received Recovery Act tax credits to improve the energy efficiency of their facilities and create new, clean energy manufacturing jobs.  Brown has also introduced the Security in Energy and Manufacturing (SEAM) Act, which would promote more domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology.  

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