(June 6, 2012) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association, CN Railway and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association will co-host two Ethanol Safety Seminars in Iowa next week.  The Dubuque, IA seminar will be held on June 13th at the Dubuque County Emergency Responder Training Facility, also co-hosted by Big River United Energy. The Waterloo, IA seminar will be held on June 14th at the Hawkeye Community College, also co-hosted by Homeland Energy Solutions, Golden Grain Energy, and Absolute Energy.

Both seminars are free and feature a morning session from 9:00am to 2:00pm and an evening session from 5:30-10:00pm. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

The goal of these seminars is for attendees to gain full ethanol emergency response training experience that they can put to use immediately in the field as well as pass along to other first response teams.  A majority of this training is based on the Complete Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response, a training package created by the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) that has been distributed throughout the United States and to several countries worldwide.

“As a commitment to TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response), CN is happy to partner with the Renewable Fuels Association to conduct this series of Ethanol Safety Seminars for first responders, including firefighters, local emergency planning officials and police agencies,” said Scott McLeod, Sr. Dangerous Goods Officer for CN Railway. “With a focus on ethanol, this seminar demonstrates the importance of preplanning and a continued partnership between responders, the producers and transportation.”

Attendees will receive in-depth information on proper training techniques that first responders and hazmat personnel need to effectively respond to an ethanol-related emergency.  While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public.

“With Iowa producing nearly 30% of our nation’s supply it is very important for producers to help educate emergency personnel and station owners about ethanol safety standards and what to do in case an emergency situation would arise,” said Walt Wendland, CEO and President of Homeland Energy Solutions and Golden Grain Energy.

“At Big River, safety is our first order of business,” said Jim Leiting, General Manager of Big River United Energy. “Taking care of people; our employee team, service providers and customers is a value held above and beyond other priorities.”

The Ethanol Safety Seminar focuses on numerous important areas of ethanol safety including an introduction to ethanol and ethanol blended fuels, chemical and physical characteristics of ethanol and hydrocarbon fuels, transportation of ethanol blended fuels, storage and dispensing locations, firefighting foam principles and ethanol, ethanol blended fuel emergencies, and incidents at tank farm and bulk storage locations.  Certificates of attendance will be distributed following the completion of the seminar that can be credited toward the 24 hours of continuing training hours required for Iowa firefighters each year.

To register for this seminar, go to www.rfa.traincaster.com.

The RFA and CN Railway will be co-hosting Ethanol Safety Seminars throughout 2012 in the following locations: Sioux City, IA on July 30th, also co-sponsored by IRFA and Siouxland Ethanol LLC; Fort Dodge, IA on August 1st, also co-sponsored by IRFA and Little Sioux Corn Processors LLP; Decatur, IL on August 22nd, also co-sponsored by Norfolk Southern and ADM; and Elgin, IL on October 2nd. RFA has additionally partnered with Norfolk Southern Railroad and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) for several Ethanol Safety seminars in 2012.

For more information on ethanol emergency response, visit the EERC website at www.ethanolresponse.com.

About the RFA: The Renewable Fuels Association is the leading trade association for America’s ethanol industry. Its mission is to advance the development, production, and use of ethanol fuel by strengthening America’s ethanol industry and raising awareness about the benefits of renewable fuels. RFA’s 200 members are working to help America become cleaner, safer, more energy independent and economically secure. Visit www.EthanolRFA.org.

About CN Railway: CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI)  – Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries – spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. Visit www.CN.ca.

About IRFA: The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) brings together Iowa ethanol and biodiesel producers to foster the development and growth of the state’s renewable fuels industry through education, promotion and infrastructure development. IRFA is committed to making Iowa a leader in producing renewable fuels and value-added co-products. Visit www.iowarfa.org.