In a press release, U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri announced his support for the 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which includes increased federal funding for cellulosic ethanol and biofuel production.

Arcuri, representing New York's 24^th Congressional District, was able to include a $7 billion loan program that will help build facilities to produce ethanol fuel from biomass, along with $251 million for the Biomass and Biorefinery Systems Research and Development program, which works to commercialize ethanol production.

What does this mean for New Yorkers? Says Arcuri: "With our region's natural resources, top-notch scientific and technological community, and central proximity to major metropolitan centers, Upstate New York is perfectly poised to become a national leader in alternative energy production."

New York is already moving forward, with $4 million committed to building a biofuel production facility in Cortland County. With the additional federal funding coming from Arcuri, we may soon see New Yorkers filling their gas tanks with clean fuel.