Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2007

Contact: Eric Gerber
713.743.8189 (office)
713.617.7130(pager)
egerber@uh.edu

HOUSTON, July 9, 2007 – The newly created Texas Bioproducts Industry Council will be housed in the University of Houston’s Center for Industrial Partnerships, it was announced today.

The announcement came in conjunction with Gov. Rick Perry’s press conference at the Greater Houston Partnership laying out his plans for a statewide bioenergy initiative.

The Texas Bioproducts Industry Council, which will help develop statewide policy and move the governor’s agenda forward, includes partners from the energy, agriculture and petrochemical sectors, such as Shell, BASF, Bayer CropScience, Chevron, Earth Biofuels, Standard Renewable Energy and CleanFuel USA.

“We’re pleased our Center for Industrial Partnerships will not only serve as a member of the council but also contribute a base of operations for this important new group,” said John Warren, executive director of the CIP/UH. “Texas is well suited to lead in the development of global solutions for energy and environmental issues, and we look forward to playing a role in that.” For more information about CIP/UH, please visit http://www.uh.edu/cip/.

Although the council’s focus is statewide economic development, the University of Houston was selected to house the organization because so many of the leading industrial partners are headquartered in this city, said Lee Ann Woods, project manager of the Governor’s Statewide Energy Initiative. “Houston can be the hub of the bio-fuels, bio-chemicals and bio-material enterprises that play such a fundamental role in creating the state’s bio-economy.”

The CIP/UH will be uniquely positioned to help the Texas Bioproducts Industry Council provide technology and research support to bring a wide range of goods and services into the marketplace. UH will be working with academic partners from around the state, including Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and Lamar universities.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON AND ENERGY
With a world-recognized faculty of scholars and industry executives combining leading-edge research and real-world experience, UH is preparing the energy industry workers of today while exploring critical issues affecting the energy industry's future. The Global Energy Management Institute (UH-GEMI) brings those influencing the future of energy together in a neutral forum dedicated to advancement of the industry through forums, seminars and symposiums. The university-wide array of energy and energy-related research and scholarship includes petroleum engineering; alternative and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar; superconductivity and fuel-cell technology; air quality and environmental projects; as well as regulatory, commercial and legal aspects of such enterprises. The Department of Energy has selected the UH-led Lone Star Wind Alliance to direct a $24 million world-class research and test facility in Texas to test large wind turbine blades and wind system components, a major step forward in the future of clean, renewable wind energy.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.