Assistant Secretary Karsner Visits Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 
On May 7 Assistant Secretary Karsner, along with Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, dedicated a new building for the advancement of biomass research.
At the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL), researchers will create a portfolio of bio-based products and fuels that will help reduce the nation's dependence on foreign petroleum and carbon footprint of energy use. Researchers will focus on biofuels that are more efficient to produce and more compatible with the existing fuels infrastructure than today's biofuels. The research will advance conversion technologies that can be used with a variety of feedstocks, including non-edible cellulosic biomass and crops specifically grown for fuel.
