Chu visits UW biofuels center, talks future funding

One of the Wisconsin stops for Energy Secretary Steven Chu Thursday was at a U-W Madison site that’s working on alternative fuels. Chu says he’d like to see more funding for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

Five years ago, Secretary Chu helped convince the bush administration’s energy department to set up three bio-energy research centers, including a partnership between UW-Madison and Michigan State University. The initial grant of 125 million dollars for the Great Lakes Center is about to run out. Prior to a tour of the UW-Madison site, Chu said that he’d like to see more money for the center. “We would like and expect to renew for another five years, but this is part of seeing what they’re doing,” he says. They’re going through extensive reviews now.”

Chu says he remains committed to the idea of turning some of the U.S.’s agricultural resources into bioenergy. It’s not clear how Mitt Romney would feel about putting more taxpayer money into the bioenergy research centers. Romney’s campaign frequently criticizes spending on what it calls risky green energy projects.