Contact:
Ethnie Groves, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156
Will Include Grant Programs for Agricultural and Forestry Bio-Industry Development
NEW RICHMOND – Governor Jim Doyle announced today he will sign into the state budget up to $5 million for agricultural and forestry bio-industry development. The funds are part of a major new biobased initiative announced in June.
“A growing bioeconomy will help rural communities and local farmers secure a place in Wisconsin’s economic future by creating new markets for their products,” Governor Doyle said. “And investing in our bio-industries is not only good for our economy. It is good for the environment, and helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
The Governor announced that his budget will include:
A $1 million grant program for agricultural businesses. These grants will help entrepreneurs develop ways to use plant and animal resources for no-waste, bio-based energy, fuels or products.
Up to $4 million grant program for the forestry industry. These grants will leverage federal dollars for the research, development, and implementation of forestry biomass technology in Wisconsin – encouraging the use of forestry biomass as an energy source.
The budgeted funds underscore Governor Doyle’s strategy to make Wisconsin the best place to invest in zero-waste, bio-based businesses. Bio-based industries take simple and safe raw materials – the carbohydrates in plants – and convert them into fuels, polymers, fabrics, and other chemicals. Every function now served by petro-chemicals can also be served by bio-chemicals, more simply, safely, and sustainably.
“When you hear Silicon Valley, you think of California and its high tech start-ups,” Governor Doyle said. “When people think about Wisconsin, I want them to think of it as the number one place to invest their time and money in biobased industry development.”
Bio-based products now on the market include renewable fuels, such as E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and gasoline; and soy-diesel; renewable energy such as electricity from manure digesters; and a wide range of products including lubricants, bio-degradable packaging, bio-degradable plastics, fabrics and biopharmaceuticals.
“Anything that can be made from petroleum can now be made from plants,” Governor Doyle said. “When it comes to our energy future, we need to be less dependent on the Mid East, and more dependent on the Midwest.”
In June, Governor Doyle appointed a diverse group of citizens to a Consortium on Biobased Industry. This Consortium will help guide the state’s commitment to the emerging bioeconomy, including renewable fuels and energy, and biobased products. The group makes its recommendations to the Governor in May of 2006.
Governor Doyle also announced he would include in the budget a $150,000 planning grant, and an $150,000 implementation grant for the Cashton Area Development Corporation for the Cashton Green Renewable Energy Park.
