In 2003 the UT Agricultural Experiment Station was proposed as one of five regional centers in a national Sun Grant Initiative that involved creating university-based research, extension, and education programs for bio-based energy technologies. President Bush signed into law the 2005 Transportation Act in August 2005, legislation that included funding for the Sun Grant Initiative. The UT Center was designated in 2006. Part of President Bush’s plan to reach his goal of replacing more than 75 percent of oil imports from the Middle East by 2025, the Sun Grant Initiative extends the establishment of corn and ethanol as domestic sources of fuel by using agricultural wastes, crop residues, and new and dedicated crops for the production of bioenergy. Native grasses, such as switchgrass, and fast-growing trees, such as hybrid poplars, were early candidates for development. The other four regional centers named were at South Dakota State, Cornell, Oklahoma State, and Oregon State.
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