USDA and DOE Release National Biofuels Action Plan

October 07, 2008

Photo of a landscape. In the distance, a large biorefinery stands against a clear blue sky. In front of it stretches a road, with a small red car driving on it. In the foreground is a fuel stand, with normal fuel pumps in three of the slots and a fourth slot that is stuffed full of plants, representing the potential of biomass and biofuels.

Oct. 7, 2008 — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman released the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP), an interagency plan detailing the collaborative efforts of federal agencies to accelerate the development of a sustainable biofuels industry. The NBAP was developed in response to President Bush's plans, as described in the 2007 State of the Union Address, to change the way the United States fuels its transportation fleets. The president's "Twenty In Ten" goal is to cut U.S. gasoline consumption by 20% over the next 10 years by investing in renewable and alternative fuel sources, increasing vehicle efficiency, and developing alternative fuel vehicles.

The NBAP was developed and is being implemented by the Biomass Research and Development Board. Co-chaired by USDA and DOE officials, the Board was created to coordinate the activities of federal agencies involved in biomass research and development. Its membership represents the combined expertise and resources of senior decision makers from nearly a dozen executive branch agencies and the administration.

See the full text of the National Biofuels Action Plan (PDF 4.9 KB). Download Adobe Reader.

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