USDA Announces Support for Producers of Advanced Biofuels

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA will offer $5.6 million in grants to 220 producers across the nation to support the production of advanced biofuels, and award more than $4 million in additional grants to advance the bioeconomy and reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

The funding for producers is provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, payments are made to eligible producers based on the amount of advanced biofuel produced from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. Examples of eligible feedstocks include, but are not limited to, crop residue; animal, food and yard waste; vegetable oil; and animal fat.

Through the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, USDA supports the research, investment and infrastructure necessary to build a strong biofuel industry that creates jobs and broadens the range of feedstocks used to produce renewable fuel. USDA has made more than $280 million in payments to more than 350 producers in 47 states and territories since the program’s inception. These payments have supported the production of more than 5.8 billion gallons of advanced biofuel and the equivalent of more than 58 billion kilowatt hours of electric energy. S