- Introduction
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- A Call to Action
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A call to action
In August 2006, recognizing the critical need for new biofuels research to secure U.S. energy independence, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it would invest $250M to establish and operate two separate Bioenergy Research Centers in existing laboratory facilities. The Department of Energy asked U.S. institutions to propose centers that would accelerate research into biofuels generated from plants and microbes as a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels. The Bioenergy Research Centers would need to create the right mix of technologies, processes, and expertise to address the need for environmentally friendly biofuels production-- a mission that was far beyond the scope of any single organization. A failure to meet this challenge would hamper solutions to global warming, exacerbate our nation’s energy security problems, and impede the U.S.'s competitive advantage in the global bioenergy industry.
