Ethanol News Blog @newzblogz.com

AS long as Congress and its leaders are so unpopular - largely because they can't get anything done - they ought to do something that will be very unpopular in the short run but will vindicate them in the long run: raise gasoline taxes.

A hefty hike in gas taxes - better yet, in taxes on all carbon-based fuels - will accomplish far more than mandates and subsidies for what everyone claims to want: "energy independence" and "clean energy."

Carbon taxes would encourage conservation, fuel-efficient cars, development of alternative energy sources - and would provide funds for investment in energy research and infrastructure.

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UW-Madison will be the site of one of three bioenergy research centers designed to find new ways to turn plants into fuel, officials said Monday.

The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center on UW-Madison's campus, along with centers in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and near Berkeley, Calif., were described by the Department of Energy as three startup companies with $125 million each in capital, said two officials with knowledge of the grants, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made. They will involve numerous universities, national laboratories and private companies as partners.

The goal of the centers -- which are to be formally announced today at a press conference scheduled for 12:15 p.m. (CDT) in Washington, D.C. -- is to bring new technologies to market in five years. The Bush administration has touted the centers as part of its overall strategy to improve the nation's energy security and reduce its dependence on foreign oil by developing alternative fuels from sources such as switchgrass and wood chips. Bush's goal is to reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent in 10 years.

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WASHINGTON -- Michigan State University is to receive $50 million in federal grants over five years to conduct basic research on biofuels, officials said Monday.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman is expected to announce today that Michigan State and other universities have been selected to share $375 million in federal funding to develop new bio-energy centers for research on cellulosic ethanol and biomass plants.

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WASHINGTON -- Federal officials today will announce a $50 million research grant for Michigan State University aimed at turning ethanol into a realistic part of the nation's energy future.

Several sources familiar with the program said MSU and the University of Wisconsin will team up to host one of three federal bio-energy research centers, hubs to figure out the science that would allow conversion of ordinary plant matter -- not corn -- into fuel to replace gasoline.

Renewable-energy experts consider the effort to be vital as the United States seeks to curb its use of oil imports and fight global warming.

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