Leaders from the agricultural, research, industrial, academic and public
policy sectors of the biofuels industry will meet April 13-14 at the
Embassy Suites Hotel in Albuquerque for the Southwestern Biofuels
Association (SWBA) Annual Policy Summit to discuss new challenges
facing biofuels development and strategies to advance renewable fuels in
New Mexico and the Southwest.

At this year’s Summit, an expert group convened by New Mexico Gov. Bill
Richardson and the New Mexico congressional delegation will unveil
“Toward a New Mexico State Plan for Biofuels Leadership,” a
comprehensive roadmap designed to make New Mexico a major player in the
development and commercialization of next-generation biofuels.

“New Mexico and the Southwest’s unique combination of climate, geography
and natural resources, in conjunction with forward-looking public policy
and the combined brain power of the national labs and top research
universities give this part of the country an unprecedented opportunity
to take the lead in the biofuels arena,” said Tim Zenk, vice president
of corporate affairs for Sapphire Energy and chairman of the SWBA.
“That’s exactly why Sapphire chose to develop our first commercial-scale
algal biorefinery in southern New Mexico.”

For the first time, the Summit agenda this year includes a technical
track for biofuels researchers and scientists to share their work in
algal, cellulosic and seed crop biofuels. The Summit also includes a
policy track addressing funding opportunities, federal and state energy
policy and law, and agricultural advancements for Southwest farmers and
biofuel producers.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been invited to open the
Summit with a keynote address. Other participants include Dr. I. Miley
Gonzalez, New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture, Sarah Cottrell, energy
and environment policy advisor to Gov. Richardson, top scientists from
Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia Laboratories and, legislative
schedules permitting, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Sen. Tom Udall, Rep. Martin
Heinrich, Rep. Harry Teague and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan.

Event hosts include the Southwestern Biofuels Association, the New
Mexico Department of Agriculture, and Sapphire Energy Inc.

“Biofuels are an increasingly important part of our national energy
policy as we make the transition from petroleum-based fuels to renewable
‘green energy’ technologies,” said Vaughn Gangwish, executive director
of the SWBA. “The Summit provides leaders in the biofuels field the
opportunity to exchange information and research as we collectively
build a new industry.”

For registration information and the Summit Agenda, go to www.swbiofuels.org.
About Southwestern Biofuels Association
The Southwestern Biofuels Association (SWBA) is a non-profit
organization promoting ecologically appropriate biofuels through
strategic partnerships between the Southwest’s biofuels industry,
universities, national laboratories, state agencies, educators,
consumers, business entrepreneurs, agribusiness, environmental and other
interested organizations. Board Members include Sandia National
Laboratories, ARFuels, Green Earth Fuels, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, the Institute for Energy and the Environment, New Mexico
State University, and Sapphire Energy. The New Mexico Department of
Agriculture and Gov. Bill Richardson’s Office are co-chairs of the SWBA
Advisory Board that also includes the Center for Excellence in Hazardous
Materials Management.
Contacts for Interviews:Vaughn Gangwish, Executive Director, SWBA, 505-554-5159Tim Zenk, Vice President, Sapphire Energy, and Chairman, SWBA, 206-226-2417Sarah Cottrell, Energy Advisor, Office of Gov. Bill Richardson, 505-476-2241Jeff Trucksess, Co-Founder, Green Earth Fuels, LLC, 713-237-2815Dr. Abbas Ghassemi, Director, Institute for Energy & Environment, New
MexicoState University, 575-646-2357Dr. Jose Olivares, Deputy Division Leader, Bioscience Division, Los
AlamosNational Laboratory, 505-665-5190