"The growth in the use of renewable fuels has skyrocketed inrecent years and companies are becoming aware of a growing demandin our region," a spokesman for the congressman tells GlobeSt.com,noting that the state's many research universities and its largeinvestment base would make Massachusetts an ideal location.

Although no site has yet been selected for the project, thespokesman says the Delahunt would like to see the facility locatedon the South Shore. As part of the incentive to build the facility,each center will receive $25 million in federal start up moneyalong with $100 million over four years to research ways to convertmaterials into fuels that would eventually replace petroleumproducts.

Paul Angelico, president of Twin Rivers Technologies, one of twoprominent bio-energy companies in the Bay State, tells GlobeSt.comluring a bio-energy research company to the state could haveprofound effects on the region's energy consumption.