(Washington, DC): -- As the 109th Congress comes to a close, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island) have announced that the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations bill includes $1,000,000 for a Bio-Waste to Bio-Energy project at SUNY Cobleskill.

"I am always pleased to see federal funds return to my congressional district from Washington, but I am especially proud to secure this funding for SUNY Cobleskill and Schoharie County," McNulty said. "This funding will be used to conduct research on a new process that creates clean energy through the conversion of organic waste. This new technology could significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, reduce the costs of removing and handling solid biowaste, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels."

“I am pleased to help SUNY Cobleskill move their clean energy research agenda forward. Converting waste to energy is a win for the economy, the environment, and our energy security,” Senator Clinton said.

"SUNY Cobleskill is very grateful to both Congressman McNulty and Senator Clinton for their work in securing funding for this important project and for bringing it to New York State and our campus. The project may result in a unique method of producing clean renewable energy, which puts both the Congressman and the Senator on the front end of helping meet the energy needs of the future; at the same time, it will provide the military, the agricultural community and municipalities with a value-added product from their waste streams. This project will also highlight SUNY Cobleskill's commitment to be on the forefront of the sustainability movement, while providing our faculty and students the opportunity to participate in cutting edge research. Bioenergy technology is the future, and working with Congressman McNulty and Senator Clinton, we at SUNY Cobleskill want to help develop the solutions for the next generation," said Dr. Anne C. Myers, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at SUNY Cobleskill.

"At a time when high energy costs are an enormous burden for many Americans, I am thrilled that SUNY Cobleskill is at the forefront of efforts to find alternative energy solutions. Not only does this technology have the potential to help those living in the United States, but it could also help our troops in the field. Much of the waste on military bases is organic. By converting food wastes to usable fuel on-site, soldiers would save valuable time and energy that might otherwise be spent disposing this waste by burning, burying it, or transporting it off site," McNulty added.

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