ST. LOUIS, MO. – Spurring a new endeavor that will help break barriers to American energy independence, a cleaner environment and new jobs, U.S. Senator Kit Bond today joined members of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and GeoSynFuels, LLC to announce a new joint venture that will help generate environmentally-friendly and cost-effective energy supplies.

 

          “Biotechnology continues to revolutionize our lives in the same way the steam engine revolutionized industrial production, and the computer revolutionized the sharing of information,” said Bond.  “And now, thanks to all of you, biotechnology is going to help us generate cost-effective, environmentally-friendly sources of energy.”

 

           Since he served as Governor, Bond recognized the future of biotechnology in Missouri.  In 2002, Bond led the Missouri congressional delegation to provide $1.075 million in federal funds for a USDA-Agriculture Research Service lab at the Danforth Plant Science Center for soybean research.  Bond also secured federal funds in the fiscal year 2006 agriculture appropriations bill for another project at the Center which provided the underlying technology for cellulosic biofuel production and the new joint venture.

 

            Today, the high cost of enzymes that break down cellulosic materials to make fuel is a major barrier to the cellulosic biofuels industry.  Solutions to this dilemma are critical to improving American energy independence, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating jobs.  At today’s event, Bond announced that members of the new joint venture, Agrius BioForms LLC (ABF), will help bring together Missouri resources including agricultural and entrepreneurial business knowledge to help produce solutions that will reduce the complexity and cost of enzymes and make them competitive in the transportation fuel market.

 

            During the announcement, Bond discussed the importance of ABF venture mission to America’s future.  Bond noted that Congress passed the Renewable Fuels Standard as a major part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to help America become more energy independent. The RFS mandated that the U.S. produce 21 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol production by 2022.  Bond stressed that ABF’s enzyme solutions will enable America to meet the renewable energy goals set in the energy law and promote energy independence.

 

            Bond emphasized that due to the efforts of many pioneers in science like ABF, biotechnology is already revolutionizing the lives of people around the world.  He elaborated, noting that biotechnology is already improving the health of hundreds of millions of people worldwide through innovative drugs and vaccines, increasing the nutritional value of foods produced by increasing vitamin and mineral content in crops, cleaning the environment through transgenic seeds reducing pesticide use, and feeding the hungry through improving the tolerance of crops to drought, pests and weeds.

 

“I am proud that Missouri continues to be home to many of the pioneers of exploration in biotechnology, including Roger Beachy,” said Bond. “I wish you all the best in this new collaboration and look forward to hearing of your progress.”

###