The third annual Cellulosic Ethanol Summit is underway in Coral Gables, Florida this week. Summit chairman and Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen kicked off the event on Tuesday morning.

It is the first time the summit has been held outside of Washington DC and one of the reasons Florida was picked is because the state has become a leading supporter of the biofuels industry. The first speaker at the summit, Jeremy Susac, Executive Director of the Florida Energy & Climate Commission, discussed some of the initiatives Florida has put in place to promote the development of biofuels, including a Renewable Fuels Standard for the state.

“We have an E10 standard by 2010,” said Susac. “Another initiative that we are very proud of is the Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Fuel to stimulate the agriculture community to grow our fuels, fuel out cars, enhance our economy and strengthen our energy security.”

Susac says some of the most promising biofuels feedstocks for Florida include bagasse from sugar production, citrus peels, energy cane and sweet sorghum.

You can listen to my interview with Jeremy Susac here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/cell-summit-jeremy-edit.mp3]