Release No. 0215.06
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 23, 2006
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
USDA Press Office: (202) 720-4623
DOE, Craig Stevens: (202) 586-4940
USDA AND DOE ANNOUNCE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE
FOR OCTOBER
Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary
Mike Johanns and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel
Bodman today announced that the two agencies will co-host a
national renewable energy conference to help create partnerships
and strategies necessary to accelerate commercialization of
renewable energy industries and distribution systems, the
crux of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI).
The conference, Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural
Renaissance, is scheduled for October 10-12, 2006, in St. Louis,
Missouri.
"Keeping America competitive calls upon us to work
together to expand sustainable, market-driven, domestic energy
sources," Johanns said. "The October conference will
build upon the President's vision for overcoming our energy
challenges and help create new wealth opportunities in rural
communities."
"Never has reducing our dependence on foreign oil been such
a pressing issue," Bodman said. "We have the will and
the means to replace significant quantities of foreign oil with
homegrown fuel. We are hopeful this conference will identify
major impediments and critical pathways to get more domestically
grown, renewable energy sources out of the laboratory and into
consumers' hands as soon as possible."
Johanns also announced a loan guarantee and grant totaling
$3.75 million for construction and operation of a new biodiesel
production facility in Iowa.
>From Wall Street to Main Street, investors are seeking to
understand potential markets. This conference will focus on
elements of President Bush's AEI, specifically biomass, wind
and solar research and commercialization. USDA and DOE expect
the conference to identify major impediments, review challenges
and make recommendations to help accelerate renewable energy
technology development; examine key incentives that would help
promote certainty and reduce risk for investors and developers in
the marketplace; review challenges of developing new distribution
systems; and raise public awareness.
USDA and DOE expect conference attendees to cover a broad
spectrum of interests, including: agriculture, energy,
transportation, financial and investment, federal and state
government, and elected officials.
In announcing the biodiesel facility loan and grant, Johanns
said the funding recipient is Riksch BioFuels LLC, which will
construct a plant near Crawfordsville, Iowa. Twenty-five
investors, including farmers and business owners, already have
raised over $3.3 million for the project and will receive
$400,000 from the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
For the past several years, USDA Rural Development has provided
renewable energy grants. During FY 2005, 154 grants totaling over
$22 million were awarded. Today's announcement brings the amount
of renewable energy loans guaranteed to $13.35 million. Since the
start of the Bush Administration, Rural Development has funded
more than $356 million in renewable energy and energy efficiency
ventures through various programs.
The President's AEI requests $2.1 billion, a 22 percent budget
increase at DOE. The AEI aims to reduce America's dependence on
foreign oil and increase production of domestically grown fuel,
which will in turn, promote U.S. job growth and increase energy
security.
Information regarding the October conference will be available on
both USDA and DOE's website at www.usda.gov and www.energy.gov.
-END-
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