| NY Gov. Pataki
Highlights $20M Program for Cellulosic Ethanol Pilot Facility
New York Governor George E. Pataki recently highlighted a $20 million
program in the state budget for the development of a cellulosic ethanol
pilot facility in New York state, and renewed his call for the adoption
of his energy independence plan to reduce our dependence on imported
energy.
“It is imperative that our state and nation work aggressively to
transition from high-cost, imported petroleum to clean, renewable fuels
like ethanol,” Pataki said. “The development of cellulosic ethanol is
already underway at SUNY-ESF and other institutions, and has shown great
promise to be an energy-efficient fuel that can be produced in large
quantities from materials abundant in New York.
“My energy independence plan calls for additional investments in
renewable fuels, as well as greater energy-efficiency, to help reduce
the high energy cost burdens faced by families and businesses."
This year, Governor Pataki proposed, and the New Yrok legislature
approved, a $20 million program to develop a pilot cellulosic ethanol
facility in New York state. The New York State Department of Agriculture
and Markets will administer this program, using a competitive process to
make the award. At the present time, there is only one commercial
cellulosic facility operating in the world--Iogen in Ottawa, Canada.
Cellulosic ethanol is made from plant tissue, in a process that breaks
down a fraction of the plant fiber into sugars, which are then converted
into ethanol. Cellulose materials are the most common organic sources on
earth, and can be derived from willow, switchgrass, agricultural and
forestry residues, pulp and paper mill wastes, and corn stalks. Since
these plants and organic wastes are abundant in New York, their use in
making ethanol could significantly increase the volume of ethanol
production.
SUNY-ESF is working on taking sugars and other constituents from biomass
and making them into a variety of products. Among these projects are: a
collaborative effort with International Paper (IP) to take sugars
extracted from the pulping process at the IP mill in Ticonderoga to be
fermented into ethanol in Central New York; and a joint effort with
Catalyst Renewables to explore the use of dedicated willow crops and
forest grown wood for extraction of sugars-to-ethanol, while burning the
rest of the material in wood-to-energy plants.
The governor also announced the following State Department of
Agriculture and Markets’ Food and Agricultural Industry Development (FAID)
grants, which will produce feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production:
--$60,000 for SUNY-ESF to develop its first commercial willow
plantation, to be located in the Tug Hill region and managed in
cooperation with Lyonsdale Biomass; and
--$22,385 for Dutchess County Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell
University to begin 15-acre growing trials of switchgrass.
Both of these projects will establish feedstocks that can be used in the
production of cellulosic ethanol.
In addition, a biodiesel project at Sidor Farms in Suffolk County and a
biofuel project at Northern Biodiesel in Ontario, Wayne County, are
receiving FAID grants of $60,000 each.
Peter R. Smith, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA), said, “NYSERDA has been working
actively with SUNY-ESF for several years to support the development of
renewable fuels. Together, our work with fast growing willow production
and other related research projects have helped place New York at the
forefront of being able to begin the commercial development of
cellulosic ethanol which can transition us from high-cost
petroleum-based fuels.”
In addition to the cellulosic ethanol program, this year’s budget
includes two initiatives proposed by the governor in his energy
independence plan: a renewable fuel production tax credit and incentives
for the siting or development of an advanced “clean coal” power plant in
New York.
The governor also noted that the Systems Benefit Charge (SBC), a program
operated by NYSERDA, has been extended. This program provides $175
million annually to promote greater energy efficiency, low-income energy
assistance, and projects that reduce energy usage.
Other proposals in Governor Pataki’s energy independence plan that are
now effective include the Clean Pass and Green E-Z Pass programs, which
provide incentives for the use of hybrid vehicles. In addition, the
state has adopted a program to provide incentives for the siting and
development of an advanced “clean coal” plant in New York State, and the
New York State Thruway Authority is moving forward with an initiative to
install renewable fuel pumps at all 27 travel plazas.
Published 06/02/2006
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2005 Greenmedia Publishing Ltd.