DOE Secretary Chu’s announcement today regarding $80 million of ARRA funding for biofuels is potentially a positive development for the long-term development of the biofuels industry.  What is worrisome from a practical perspective  is the division of funding.  The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts, centered in St. Louis, received $44 million to develop a systems approach for the sustainable commercialization of algal biofuel and bioproducts.  The National Advanced Biofuels Consortium, based here in the Pacific Northwest, received up to $34 million to develop infrastructure compatible biomass-based fuels.  Meanwhile eight infrastructure projects received up to $1.6 million to support expanded fueling infrastructure for ethanol blends. While the Administration is ahead of the curve in recognizing the importance of long-term support for the development of advanced biofuels, it is overlooking the increasingly challenging environment in first generation biofuels.  Simply put- and purely in my opinion- there will be no second generation of biofuels if the first generation does not again thrive.  The ethanol industry has hit a blend wall that the EPA has not been willing to help them overcome in the short term.  Adding $1.6 million in E-85 infrastructure is but a chip in that wall when one considers the massive costs involved in building a national infrastructure.  On the biodiesel side, the current industry has not yet received an extension of its tax credit and was already facing severe challenges.  The investors who supported the expansion of the first generation biofuels industry are still tracking their investments and the policy support for the industry.  While government funding will further the development of the science of advanced biofuels, private sector involvement will be essential to the ultimate commercialization of these fuels.  To accomplish its ultimate goals, the Administration will need to begin to address these issues in a systematic manner.