From left to right, Bliss Baker, Executive Director, Global Renewable Fuels Alliance; Gordon Quaiattini, President, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association; Robert Veirhout, Secretary General, European Bioethanol Industry Organization; Bob Dinneen, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association
The Renewable Fuels Association, the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association and the European Bioethanol Industry Organization have joined together to form the Global Renewable FuelsAlliance. Their first initiative is to reach out to the World Bank, along with other organizations, to encourage them to make investments in developing countries’ biofuels infrastructure a top priority.
While Brazil is not yet a part of this organization, Bliss Baker, Executive Director, of the Global Renewable FuelsAlliance, said that they have spoken and invited them, along with dozens of other worldwide organizations, to join the alliance. Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association followed up by saying, “Quite frankly, we expect them to join.”
The announcement of this global alliance comes on the heals of President Obama’s commitment to continued biofuels development in the States and the cooling of the “food versus fuel debate” which was proven to be a hoax this summer as commodity prices plummeted and food prices skyrocketed. There was a consensus among the group that the time was right to begin working together to help build the global energy infrastructure.
Gordon Guaiattini, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, stressed the importance of helping developing countries develop their agricultural productivity. “Agriculture productivity and poverty are directly linked.” He wants this new organization to take a similar approach that leading agricultural groups have, who have for years, helped developing countries adopt more sustainable practices while increasing output. He said that they will ensure that biofuels are developed in a sustainable manner that will allow poverty stricken areas to significantly increase their economic condition.
As energy is a global issue, this new alliance, which represents 60 percent of the global biofuels production and 29 countries, will focus on ensuring that international biofuels policies are sustainable, and developed in a way that each countries’ best interest as the center of all decisions. To learn more, visit the Global Renewable FuelsAlliance’s website at www.globalrfa.org.
Click here to listen to the full press conference: [audio:http://www.ethanolrfa.org/ethanolreport/audio/nec-09-grfa-conference.mp3]