Mark your calendar for the International Congress on Biodiesel, November 5-7th in Vienna Austria. Congress General Chair Michael Haas of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service posted a message on the American Oil Chemists’ Society’s web site (one of the conference sponsors, along with the USDA) inviting participants to open a global discussion on the science and the technologies of biodiesel:

“Most of us tend to think of biodiesel largely in the context of local or national fuel needs. However, broader considerations now dictate that we must think and communicate on this subject in a new way. Biodiesel feedstocks as well as biodiesel itself are being traded globally. Fuel quality standards vary from country to country. New feedstock oilseeds are being considered in countries where they never before have been grown. Engines built in one country are being exported to other countries and must function in the fuel and regulatory climates there. Global warming knows no national boundaries. For these and for other reasons it is the right time to open a global discussion on the science and the technologies of biodiesel.”

Organizers encourage those interested in attending to register by July 6th on the American Oil Chemists’ Society web site to get a special online discount.