Xcelplus International, Inc. (XLPI)

[softtailhog]

better than that here is grant money for cellulose ethanol r&d we already have a pat. need to check it out get the money!! 36 million total to be pasted out
Robert, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania writes:
Dear Mr. Secretary Why isn't more being done to promote and develop ethanol made from switchgrass as a gasoline additive that would help stretch our gasoline supplies and lessen our dependence on Middle Eastern oil?

Samuel Bodman
I appreciate your question Robert. And I want you to know that we are working to develop ethanol from switchgrass. In fact, President Bush, as part of his Advanced Energy Initiative proposed $150 million in FY 2007 for research into biomass based ethanol, including switchgrass. This is a 65 percent increase over 2006.


http://e-center.doe.gov/iips/faopor.nsf/3b3cff0a4a1f243485256ec100490e1a/cd30a4db081c7036852571cd006....

http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/solicitations/FY%202007/Table_of_contents_sub.htm


http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/solicitations/FY%202007/01.EE.Biomass.htm

It’s true that the global demand for oil continues to grow and suppliers are having a tough time keeping up. This is resulting in higher gasoline prices for all of us. President Bush is very concerned about high gasoline prices and the effect that they have on the American family. I wish there was a magic wand that I could wave that would lower gas prices. But I can’t. What I can do, however, is push for more domestic production of crude oil – this means gaining full support from our Congress to drill in the northern slope of Alaska (ANWR, as it’s referred to) and in the Outer Continental Shelf. We can continue to support investment and research and development into all kinds of cleaner and renewable sources of energy; this includes ethanol and hydrogen to power vehicles. We can also continue to work with Americans to conserve fuel as best they can – whether it’s carpooling, consolidating trips or even properly inflating your tires -– as the President said today, “every drop counts.”

As for your question regarding energy prices fluctuating several times a day, well, the world market sets the prices of gasoline. Just like the stock market changes minute-by-minute, so too does the world’s crude oil market. By being responsible market participants, enacting sound policies and fostering greater coordination through the sharing of data and information, we will serve our people and the world economy well. It’s important now that I point out that we have been decades getting ourselves backed into the corner that we are now in. And it will be years, if not decades, before we are able to get ourselves out, which is why President Bush’s new Advanced Energy Initiative is critical in reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil.

The Advanced Energy Initiative seeks to reduce our dependence on imported oil. As part of President Bush’s 2007 budget submitted to Congress in February, $2.1 billion has been requested to invest in new energy technologies including hydrogen, hybrid battery technologies, biomass and cellulosic ethanol, to name a few.

Already there are millions of cars on the road that can use ethanol-based fuel, called E-85. It’s called E-85 because 85% of the fuel is ethanol and 15% is gasoline. I would encourage all Americans to look in their owner’s manual to see if their car is a flex-fuel vehicle and it if can run on E-85. Or, if you’re buying a new car, ask the dealer if the car can run on ethanol.

What we need to do now, and what the President wants to do, is find more feedstock from which we can produce ethanol. Currently we use about 14% of our nation’s corn crop to produce ethanol. If funded by Congress, the Advanced Energy Initiative will invest $150 million in research into cellulosic ethanol to see how we can use non-edible bio-products like corn stover (the corn stalk), woodchips, and switchgrass to produce fuel.

Already we use about 4 billion gallons of ethanol a year in the U.S. By the end of this year we’ll probably get up to about 5.5 billion gallons. If we can increase that even more, we can reduce our dependence on foreign sources of fuel and also loosen our overall need for crude oil – which we hope would have a moderating affect on prices.

More information on the Advanced Energy Initiative can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006/energy



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