As talks are beginning in Rome about the factors behind and solutions to world food price inflation, Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen called on world leaders attending the summit to consider the issue in its entirety.
“Addressing issues of food security is a matter of great importance that cannot be taken lightly. As world leaders meet in Rome this week to discuss the price and availability of food worldwide, it is critical they examine all factors impacting food equally and without prejudice,” Dinneen said in a statement. “They must agree on solutions that do not derail the one industry that has significantly reduced oil consumption, while having little overall impact on the price of food – biofuels.”
Dinneen says he believes representatives from the United States at the conference, including Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, will do a good job in addressing the misinformation about biofuels that has been causing global concerns.
“Secretary Schafer and other USDA staff are going to be aggressively promoting the biofuels agenda and correcting a lot of the misinformation that is in the world press,” said Dinneen. “And we are confident that he will continue to point to the fact that it is other factors driving food price inflation, not biofuels.”
Dinneen says other world leaders will also stand by biofuels at the conference. “I am certain that Brazilian President Lula and other forward looking leaders of the world will see that this demonization of biofuels is misguided.”
The United Nations High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy is being held in Rome June 3-5. Besides Schafer, other members of the US delegation include U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance Henrietta H. Fore and Agriculture Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Dr. Mark E. Keenum.
Listen to the Ethanol Report with Dinneen’s comments here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/ethanol-report-14.mp3]
A 100% biodiesel boat trying to break the world record for circumnavigation of the globe has run into a bit of trouble in the East Indies. The Earthrace hit some debris near Palau and is limping toward Singapore for more permanent repairs:
Having made a swift 3 hours 15 minutes turnaround in Palau, Earthrace encountered some sea debris, which has damaged the port prop. The boat returned to port where the prop was removed and the drive shaft tested. The shaft has been put out of line and will require repair in Singapore. Earthrace left Palau at 0400 local time and will journey to Singapore on one engine. Her reduced speed of 16 kn will still maintain her lead on the current record, and help mitigate any further damage from possible sea debris, which is a known problem in this stretch of water. Ground Crew will arrive in Singapore on Monday 2nd June as planned, and will prepare for the repairs. The weather forecast is good and the revised ETA for Earthrace in Singapore is Friday 6th June. An update will be posted later today.
Nickelodeon, the kids’ network known for dumping copious amounts of green slime on participants of its silly contests, is taking its show on the road. And while it won’t be green slime fueling the “Slime Across America” tour, there will be green fuel in the tank.
In the piece on 
I really enjoyed getting to talk with our USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Tom Dorr, this evening. He was our keynote speaker at the CUTC. 
The fun and games are about to begin here at the
That’s exactly where the ethanol industry’s leading executives consider themselves to be when it comes to fueling the nation. Oil and fossil fuels are big time competitors for ethanol, but a growing criticism of the renewable simply demonstrates the alternative fuel’s mounting success.
“In Hawaii, so much of our (agriculture) land is lying fallow, and it is not growing anything but weeds, and many people are eying it for other developments — mainly housing projects, and why would we want to encourage that over energy independence or food independence?” House Majority Leader Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-Hawaii, said.