As Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman appeared before the House Energy and Commerce today to testify about the Bush Administration’s 2008 proposed budget, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) urged House and Senate budget writers to invest in research and development and support commercialization of ethanol from cellulose as outlined in the budget.

A BIO release quotes President and CEO Jim Greenwood as saying, “The Administration’s budget contains funding for biofuels research that is significantly increased over last year’s budget. It also contains funding to guarantee loans for construction of modern biorefineries. This backing will help the biotechnology and ethanol industries, farmers, and the investment community work together to achieve the President’s goal of annually producing 35 billion gallons of renewable fuel within 10 years.”