Southwestern Biofuels Summit Explores Science, Politics and Economics of Promising “Green Energy” Sector

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - April 28, 2009: Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) will join a roster of industry executives, top policymakers and leading scientists to discuss strategies for public policy and the development of environmentally beneficial biodiesel fuel at the Southwestern Biofuels Association Policy Summit, slated for May 27-28, 2009, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Albuquerque.

“Renewable energy is at the top of our national energy agenda,” said Vaughn Gangwish, Executive Director of the Southwestern Biofuels Association (www.swbiofuels.org). “The most efficient way to leverage new federal dollars and realize the full potential of biofuels is to bring the public and private sectors together to create a program that is both economically and environmentally viable.”

Dr. Jason Pyle, Chief Executive Officer of Sapphire Energy and a world leader in algal biofuels development and commercialization, will address the reinvention of America's fuel supply. New Mexico's congressional delegation will focus on federal programs to advance the industry in the Southwest. The country's top scientists will discuss current research in biofuels, and congressional staff will provide insight into funding to advance the development of the biofuels industry.

“By focusing attention on this region’s potential, the SWBA Policy Summit will be a seminal step toward establishing a biofuels industry in the Southwest,” said Jeffrey Trucksess, Executive Vice President of biodiesel energy producer Green Earth Fuels, LLC, a lead sponsor of the Summit. New Mexico and the Southwest are prime areas for development of “third generation” biofuel feedstocks, such as oil-rich camelina and algae-based biofuels.