Pres. Bush Calls Biodiesel Most Promising Fuel to Meet RFS Requirements
WIREC Conference Puts Biodiesel, Renewable Fuels, on Center Stage

WASHINGTON, D.C.– President Bush yesterday at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) called biodiesel the most promising renewable fuel for helping to meet renewable fuels standards. Today, the WIREC conference wraps up its four-day sessions that began Monday, March 3. Here are a few of the ways biodiesel was highlighted.

"The legislation requires fuel producers to supply at least 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel in the year 2022," said Pres. Bush. "In other words, these just aren't goals, these are mandatory requirements. I'm confident the United States can meet those goals, and I know we must, for the sake of economic security, national security, and for the sake of being good stewards of the environment. Biodiesel is the most promising of these fuels. Biodiesel refineries can produce fuel from soybeans, and vegetable oils, and recycled cooking grease, from waste materials. All you out there with waste, you may be in business before you know it as this new technology kicks in. Most Americans -- or, more Americans -- are beginning to realize the benefits of biodiesel every year.

"Last year, we produced 450 million gallons of biodiesel. That's up 80 percent from 2006. Today there are more than 650 biodiesel fueling stations in America. There are hundreds of fleet operators that use biodiesel to fuel their trucks, and that's just the beginning of what is going to be a substantial change in our driving habits," said Pres. Bush.

Read more on the President's speech.

Equipment at the conference showed biodiesel in application. Volvo Group, together with Mack® Trucks, featured trucks running on renewable fuels, including biodiesel, on the trade show exposition floor. The truck running on biodiesel was manufactured in Dublin, Va. President Bush also visited this exhibit, commenting on the "amazing joint venture with Mack and Volvo on these giant trucks that are using biodiesel to power them." See www.volvogroup.com for more.

Manning Feraci, National Biodiesel Board VP of Federal Affairs, addressed conference attendees in a session yesterday. The NBB also held a booth at WIREC.

The NBB is the national trade association of the biodiesel industry and is the coordinating body for biodiesel research and development in the U.S. Its membership is comprised of state, national, and international feedstock and feedstock processor organizations, biodiesel suppliers, fuel marketers and distributors, and technology providers.

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