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| Wilson Urges Sorghum Funding |
March 28, 2007 |
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Letter to Committee Calls for Support for Biomass Energy Development
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today released a letter to the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee urging funding to support more use of sorghum, a New Mexico-grown crop used to produce ethanol as a renewable energy source.
Wilson, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, supports a $29 million increase to $179 million in 2008 for a Department of Energy program that includes sorghum. (Energy Supply and Conservation, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources in the Biomass and Biorefinery systems Research and Development sub account.)
“Sorghum uses much less water than most grain crops. That makes it a great fit here in New Mexico, and it is already widely produced here,” Wilson said.
Sorghum, which ranks third as a New Mexico grown crop, is being used to make ethanol at Abengoa Biotechnologies plant in Portales, New Mexico, where Abengoa recently doubled the plant`s capacity to 30 million gallons a year.
To help ensure that the industry grows to include the sorghum belt, federal research funds need to be committed to understand sorghum’s role as a feedstock. For example, DOE and USDA have committed a significant amount of research funding to switchgrass and corn stover as a feedstock, but very little to a crop that could be used as a feedstock in the cellulosic industry outside the traditional Corn Belt. Congress recognized the importance of regional feedstocks and included provisions in the Energy Policy Act encouraging regional fuel supply diversity.
Letter text attached below:
Dear Chairman Visclosky and Ranking Member Hobson,
I urge you to support the Administration`s FY08 budget request of $179 million, a $29 million increase over the FY 07 budget, for the Department of Energy’s, Energy Supply and Conservation, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources in the Biomass and Biorefinery systems Research and Development sub account.
Sorghum ranks among the top three crops grown in New Mexico. Sorghum typically uses one-third less water than any other feed grain, which makes it ideally suited for New Mexico’s arid climate. Sorghum already is being used to make ethanol at Abengoa Biotechnologies plant in Portales, NM. Abengoa recently doubled the plant`s capacity from 15 million gallons a year to 30 million gallons a year.
To help ensure that the industry grows to include the sorghum belt, federal research funds need to be committed to understand sorghum’s role as a feed stock. For example, DOE and USDA have committed a significant amount of research funding to switchgrass and corn stover as a feedstock, but very little to a crop that could be used as a feedstock in the cellulosic industry outside the traditional Corn Belt. Congress recognized the importance of regional feedstocks and included provisions in the Energy Policy Act encouraging regional fuel supply diversity.
Again, I urge you to support the Administration`s FY08 budget request of $179 million, a $29 million increase over the FY 07 budget, for the Department of Energy’s, Energy Supply and Conservation, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resources, Biomass sub.
Sincerely,
Heather Wilson
Member of Congress
HW: rc
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