California and Florida will get the lion's share of the funds, receiving up to $624 million and $342.2 million respectively. California recently allocated $4.15 billion of its $4.3 billion to begin work on a 65-mile stretch of high-speed rail in the Central Valley, which will connect the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles.
In November, DOT awarded Florida $800 million for the Tampa-to-Orlando high-speed rail corridor. Washington state will get up to $161 million; Illinois will receive up to $42 million for rail projects.
Overall, the Recovery Act included $8 billion to launch a national high-speed rail network to modernize America's transportation system. See the DOT press release for a list of states to receive redirected funds and the December 8 edition of EERE Network News for news about California's high-speed rail.
DOE: $30 Million for Next Generation Biofuels Research
DOE announced on December 14 that it's accepting applications-for up to $30 million in total funding-for small-scale process integration projects that support development of advanced biofuels.
DOE is looking to replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to vehicles or fueling infrastructure. The funds will support as many as five projects over the next three to four years.
Projects will focus on optimizing and integrating process steps that convert biomass into biofuel and bio-products that will eventually be used to support hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. Examples of process improvements include: pretreatment methods that alter biomass to improve sugar yields in subsequent process steps; less costly, more efficient enzymes that produce sugars; and fermentation organisms and catalysts that convert sugars into fuel and chemical intermediates.
The FOA solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application instructions are on the FedConnect Web site that lists public opportunities. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on February 7, 2011. DOE's Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and national lab partners on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. See the DOE press release and the Biomass Program Web site.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
