WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Jim Miller, Vice President and Chief Economist of Growth Energy will travel with Steve Bleyl, Executive Vice President of Green Plains Inc., and Doug Berven, Vice President of Corporate Affairs of POET to Chinese Taipei to present papers on the benefits of ethanol as part of a larger U.S. delegation that will participate in a workshop on Ethanol Trade Development as part of APEC’s Renewable Fuel Strategy. In addition to these presentations, other U.S. experts, including Paul Trupo, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Dr. Michael Wang, Argonne National Laboratory, Angela Tin, American Lung Association, Mike Dwyer, U.S. Feed Grains Council, Ed Hubbard, Renewable Fuels Association and Marc Rauch, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher of The Auto Channel will discuss emissions, health impacts, engine performance and how ethanol produces both food and fuel.
Representatives from several countries will provide case studies concerning their successes, challenges and potential for increased ethanol utilization. 23 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members are expected to be represented at the conference. The forum was organized by United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) under an APEC grant.
Following the APEC workshop, the team, including representatives from Growth Energy, the Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Grains Council and the Renewable Fuels Association will travel to Beijing where they will be joined by Robert Hurley, Jr. of Marquis Energy. They will meet with China’s National Energy Administration, which oversees the country’s domestic ethanol program, as well as representatives of major energy producers and traders. The purpose of the meeting is to strengthen the government-to-government ethanol working group that was established last year and encourage the Chinese to include ethanol industry participation.
Following the trip to China, Steve Bleyl, Jim Miller and Mike Dwyer of the U.S. Grains Council will travel to India for a follow-up mission designed to set up a bi-lateral ethanol industry working group with Indian colleagues under the umbrella of the US-India Business Council. It is hoped the group will be able to develop a strategy to expand India’s use of ethanol in its transportation fuel supply that can be presented to the Modi government.
“These trade missions are critical in expanding the use of ethanol globally and building additional markets for U.S. fuel ethanol,” explained Jim Miller. He added, “Biofuels, like ethanol are cleaner burning and reduce harmful toxins and greenhouse gas emissions. As nations across the globe look to reduce their carbon footprint, more and more are turning to clean burning ethanol which has a proven record of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Steve Bleyl noted, “As the U.S ethanol industry continues to grow, we need to expand along the domestic market and there are opportunities around the globe to expand the marketplace and increase our customer base. To meet the need for increased demand, it is important, now more than ever, to develop partnerships with other nations by providing them with cleaner burning fuels like ethanol that can help accomplish their sustainability goals. As the global community looks to implement the use of renewable fuels to improve air quality issues, I am thrilled to be engaged in these trade missions, and the opportunities they provide to bring homegrown American ethanol overseas.”
Doug Berven added, “Biofuels like ethanol can solve many of the problems in countries around the world. Ethanol replaces cancer-causing agents in gasoline and reduces tailpipe emissions, two important qualities for dense, urban areas in particular,” Berven said. “We can improve the health and lifestyles of families everywhere.”
Robert Hurley, Jr., explained, “Since the U.S. and China lead the world in terms of gasoline consumption, it is important that the two countries collaborate on leading the global initiative towards a cleaner energy mix for the future. China reinforced their commitment to clean energy in their recently announced five year economic and social development plan. I believe the U.S. can serve as a valuable partner to China in achieving these targets based on our extensive industry experience.”
Marc Rauch concluded, “There’s a great need for the entire world to understand the benefits of ethanol, not just the United States. There is enormous potential for the growth of ethanol in Asian markets, which opens greater opportunity for the U.S. ethanol industry. I’m extremely excited and honored to have been asked to be part of this program.”
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