Prairie Public Broadcasting

Bill funds Bioenergy Center OKLAHOMA CITY (KOSU) - A bill ensuring continued funding for the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center has been signed into law by Gov. Brad Henry.
Henry says the skyrocketing cost of gasoline makes it more evident than ever that the country needs to get serious about
sustainable energy and conservation.
The governor says Oklahoma is ideally suited to take a lead role in biofuels research and development.
The center was established in 2007 to coordinate biofuels research and development being conducted at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the Ardmore-based Samuel
Roberts Noble Foundation.
It already has attracted $10 million in federal funding to match the $10 million that the state appropriated to it last year. The appropriation was $4 million this year.
Henry says federal legislation requires the production of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. He says more than half of that is likely to come from what's called cellulosic feed stocks such as switchgrass and other prairie grasses native to Oklahoma.

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