Brown Announces $2.5 Million for Biofuel Research at The Ohio State University
(Office of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)) Today (September 13, 2022), U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the Department of Energy has awarded a $2.5 million grant to The Ohio State University (OSU) for research on the creation of new biofuel energy to help decarbonize multiple sectors.
“Biofuel energy research and technology will position our state to lead in these growing industries and create good-paying jobs in Ohio,” said Brown. “The Ohio State University is one of our great institutions of higher education, and this award will continue Ohio’s leadership in innovation.”
“We thank Senator Brown and members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation for their support of these important federal investments in sustainable energy research that will benefit Ohio’s underserved communities and local economies,” said Ayanna Howard, Ph.D., Dean of Engineering, Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean’s Chair, The Ohio State University College of Engineering. “We look forward to collaborating with our partners at University of Cincinnati, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Tuskegee University.”
Brown fought to include his Sustainable Skies Act in the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation will grow Ohio’s sustainable aviation fuel industry and position Ohio to be a leader in the use and production of new fuels.
In April, Brown led his colleagues in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting the EPA update its greenhouse gas modeling for biofuels and adopt the Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. Following the letter, President Biden announced the suspension of a federal rule preventing the sale of higher ethanol blend gasoline. The updates helped to reduce prices for Ohioans, support farmers and the biofuel industry and reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources.
The investment was administered by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), which is focused on developing technologies that convert domestic biomass and other waste resources into low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts. BETO is part of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). READ MORE