By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
As printed in The Oklahoman, June 6, 2008.

The governor on Thursday also signed legislation that ensures continued funding for the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, which coordinates biofuels research, as well as development being conducted at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore.

Legislators appropriated $4 million to the center for the upcoming fiscal year.

The center, established last year, has attracted $10 million in federal funding to match the $10 million legislators appropriated in 2007 session.

Oklahoma Energy Secretary David Fleischaker said the bioenergy center has a partnership with the fifth-largest producer of ethanol in the world and with a 1,000-acre farm that will produce switchgrass and attract large farm machinery manufacturers to test new equipment for harvesting crops.

This article appeared in The Oklahoman, www.newsok.com, on June 6, 2008.