01.21.11

Cantwell Announces Clean Energy Grants for 11 Companies All Across Rural Washington

SEATTLE, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that 11 Washington companies will receive a total of $380,421 in federal grants to support the development of advanced biofuels and studies analyzing the viability of new clean energy projects. Nine of the grants are part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, which promotes clean, renewable energy research. Grant amounts are based on the amount of biofuel produced by the recipient from biomass feedstocks other than corn starch, including cellulose, crop residue, and animal and plant waste material. The other two grants are to study the viability of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. Funding for these grants was made available through the Rural Energy for America Program under the 2008 Farm Bill.
 
“I applaud the Department of Agriculture for investing in clean energy alternatives, which can help generate new revenue streams for our farmers while reducing our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and lower consumer energy costs,” said Senator Cantwell. “Putting more farmers in the energy business will create new jobs and while contributing our nation’s energy and economic security.”
 
Projects receiving funding for study of biofuels are listed below:
 
  • Gen-X Energy Group Inc.; $139,112
  • Imperium Grays Harbor LLC; $138,003
  • GDR Power, LLC; $11,399
  • Whole Energy Fuels Corporation; $7,519
  • Inland Empire Oilseeds; LLC; $5,651
  • FPE Renewables, LLC; $4,928
  • Standard Biodiesel, USA; Inc.; $2,270
  • Qualco Energy; $1,099
  • Farm Power Rexville; LLC; $786
 
Projects receiving funding for study of feasibility of new clean energy projects are listed below:
·         Scotts Dairy: Wind from 1-25 kW to 5-1 MW turbines; $20,000
·         Throp Paririe Community Wind, LLC: 30-2.5 MW wind turbine; $49,650
 
Cantwell has made making our nation's energy system cleaner, more efficient, and more diverse one of her top priorities. She fought for the recent extension of the Treasury Grant Program, which has supported over $18 billion in clean energy investment and built over 8,000 megawatts of renewable energy generation. She leverages her membership on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources, Commerce, and Finance Committees to push her vision of a clean energy economy and to support budding clean energy industries, while bringing tax relief to the American people and opening new markets to American goods and services.
 
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