(July 2, 2012) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Norfolk Southern Railroad, and Novozymes North America, Inc. will co-host a free Ethanol Safety Seminar in Raleigh, NC on July 11th at the North Carolina Joint Forces Headquarters in the Emergency Management Central Briefing Room. To accommodate all schedules, there will be a morning session from 9:00am-2:00pm and an evening session from 5:30pm-10:00pm. Lunch and dinner will be provided. While primarily targeting first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, it is also open to the general public.

The goal of this seminar 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.

"These Ethanol Safety Seminars are a part of our Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response initiative, providing a unique opportunity for emergency responders to gain the knowledge and skills they need for responding to ethanol incidents," said David Schoendorfer, Norfolk Southern Manager Hazardous Materials.

"As a supplier and partner with the ethanol Industry, Novozymes is a strong supporter of the Ethanol Safety Program to ensure a focus on prevention of incidents and effective response to any that do occur," said Jack Blackmer, Novozymes Senior Manager, Quality, Environmental & Safety.

"Safety remains a priority in the ethanol industry. Educating and preparing those who may face an ethanol related emergency is important for their own safety and for the communities they protect," said Kristy Moore, RFA VP of Technical Services. "We are thrilled to continue these partnerships with companies like Norfolk Southern and Novozymes so we are able to provide this valuable ethanol response information at no cost."

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.

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

The RFA and Norfolk Southern Corp. will be co-hosting Ethanol Safety Seminars throughout 2012 in the following locations: Decatur, IL on August 22nd, also co-sponsored with CN Railway and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM); and Pittsburgh, PA on September 13th.  RFA has additionally partnered with CN Railway 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 Norfolk Southern: Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products. Visit www.nscorp.com.

About Novozymes: We imagine a future where our biological solutions create the necessary balance between better business, a cleaner environment and better lives. We want to change the world together with our customers. Visit www.Novozymes.com.