USDA Spending $3 Million To Add Ethanol Fuel Pumps In Michigan

LANSING (AP/WWJ) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is spending $3 million to add about 130 additional ethanol fuel pumps in Michigan.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan says Thursday the grant will be matched by state and local support, more than doubling the funding available to install the pumps.

According to  Stabenow, the biofuels industry creates thousands of jobs in rural America. She says this funding will increase the availability of ethanol in Michigan, helping boost ethanol use by more than 4 percent.

"Investing in renewable energy helps create jobs and grow rural economies," Stabenow said, in a media release. "This support will help Michigan families by reducing costs at the pump and our dependence on foreign oil."

Ethanol is an alcohol fuel that's distilled from plant materials, such as corn and sugar.

Michigan was selected as a partner in the USDA's Biofuels Infrastructure Program. The federal funding is part of $100 million in grants for 21 states.

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