(April 10, 2012) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association, Norfolk Southern Corp., and Tate & Lyle will co-host an Ethanol Safety Seminar in Chattanooga, TN on April 18th at the Chattanooga Fire Department Training Center. This seminar is free.  To accommodate schedules and reach as many participants as possible, the seminar will 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.

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.

“Ethanol is the most commonly transported hazmat by rail today.  It is important that first responders are familiar with this commodity and proper response practices should an ethanol related emergency occur,” said David Schoendorfer, Norfolk Southern Manager Hazardous Materials. “This program is a part of our Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response initiative.  We are delighted that so many emergency responders have been able to take advantage of this unique training opportunity.”

“Safety is a top priority and a core value for all Tate & Lyle employees,” said Tim Meinhold, Tate& Lyle Vice President, Co-products and Ethanol Sales.  “This emphasis on safety also extends to public safety so sponsoring the Ethanol Safety Seminar is a perfect complement for the company.  The seminar is an excellent way to educate our community about ethanol safety.”

The goal of this seminar is for attendees to gain a 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.

“Ethanol accounts for 10% of our nations fuel supply, blended into 97% of gasoline across the county,” said Kristy Moore, Renewable Fuels Association VP of Technical Services. “With this high volume of blended fuel traveling through communities, it is essential that first responders are as fully prepared as possible to act immediately in the unfortunate event of an ethanol emergency.  Safety will always be a priority in the ethanol industry and we are thrilled to be able to offer this type of training.”

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.  This training has been approved as an official training program in the state of Tennessee by the Firefighting Commission.  Continuing education units (CEU’s) from the Tennessee Fire Fighting Commission will be awarded to attendees in need of training hours following the completion of the seminars.

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: Spartanburg, SC on May 7th; Raleigh, NC on July 11th; Decatur, IL on August 22nd, also co-sponsored with CN Railway and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM); and Pittsburgh, PA in late summer.  RFA has additionally partnered with Canadian National (CN) Railway 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 Tate & Lyle: Tate & Lyle is a global provider of ingredients and solutions to the food, beverage and other industries, operating from over 30 production facilities around the world. Through our large-scale, efficient manufacturing plants, we turn raw materials into distinctive, high quality ingredients for our customers. Our ingredients and solutions add taste, texture, nutrition and increased functionality to products that millions of people around the world use or consume every day. Visit www.tateandlyle.com