Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka today announced that the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council (HCEOC) has received a federal grant award of $677,000 for cloning and mass cultivation of Jatropha curcas plant seedlings for marketing to commercial growers to produce bio-diesel.  Jatropha curcas is an important feedstock for the production of biofuels.

"This grant will create jobs for about 70 people on the Big Island and provide needed information about the potential for Jatropha cultivation as a bio-diesel resource," said Senator Akaka.  "This project is an important step forward in our vision for a self sustaining energy future for Hawaii and our goal of significantly reducing green house gas emissions."

The project, set for east Big Island where the number of unemployed is among the highest in the state, will create jobs for 15 tissue culture laboratory technicians, five field research technicians, 30 laboratory and field equipment operators, and 20 field workers who will produce 3,000,000 seedlings within the 36-month project period.

East Hawaii residents also experience energy costs among the highest in our nation, including an electricity rate more than three times the national average at 31.04 cents per kilowatt hour.  Current fuel prices are about $3.20 per gallon of gas and $3.50 a gallon for diesel.  Senator Akaka says local research and development of renewable and alternative energy sources is Hawaii's best hope for a sustainable future free from foreign oil.

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