As printed in the Knoxville News Sentinel, June 26, 2007.

$125M center one of three announced today

A team headed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee has been selected by the Department of Energy to develop one of three U.S. bio-energy research centers.

A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon at ORNL, with Gov. Phil Bredesen expected to be in attendance.

The purpose of the research centers is to accelerate the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels, according to a release from U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, all Tennessee Republicans.

The local bio-energy center will be located in Oak Ridge and led by Martin Keller, a microbiologist recently recruited to ORNL, according to the release.

Most domestic ethanol today is made from corn, but cellulosic ethanol is made from other plant material. UT and ORNL have conducted research on converting energy crops like switchgrass and hybrid poplar trees to ethanol, which can be blended with gasoline to help reduce petroleum consumption.

Each of the new bio-energy centers will receive $125 million in capital funding. The other centers are reportedly to be located in Madison, Wis., and near Berkeley, Calif.

In addition to ORNL and UT, the Tennessee team will include Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, Dartmouth University, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Oklahoma, and three private companies – ArborGen, Diversa and Mascoma.

This article appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel, www.knoxnews.com, on June 26, 2007.