On May 6, 2016 the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (“EERE”) of the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) issued a funding opportunity announcement (“FOA”) of $90,000,000 in financial assistance for projects focused on designing, constructing and operating integrated biorefinery facilities.
The financial assistance under the FOA is in the form of direct grants, designed to support pilot and demonstration scale manufacturing of advanced or cellulosic biofuels, bioproducts, refinery compatible intermediates, or biopower in a domestic pilot or demonstration scale integrated biorefinery. As such, it is a significant step taken by the Administration to further its goals to reduce the U.S. dependence on imported oil, reduce greenhouse gas and other air pollutants omissions, and shore up the U.S. bio-industry.