(April 30, 2012) Washington - The Renewable Fuels Association and Norfolk Southern Corp. will co-host an Ethanol Safety Seminar in Spartanburg, SC on May 7th at the Spartanburg Community College, Health Sciences Building – Community Room. This seminar is free.  To accommodate schedules and reach as many participants as possible, the seminar features 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.

“As a part of our Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response initiative, the Ethanol Safety Seminars are a unique opportunity that provide emergency responders with the knowledge and skills they need to be prepared for ethanol related incidents,” said David Schoendorfer, Norfolk Southern Manager Hazardous Materials.

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.

“Safety remains a priority in the ethanol industry. It is important that those responsible for the safety of their communities are aware of the use and transportation of ethanol in their towns,” said Kristy Moore, VP Technical Services for the Renewable Fuels Association. “The training information and materials attendees leave with are valuable resources that will aide in responding to an ethanol related incident should it occur.”

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 from the South Carolina Fire Academy 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: Raleigh, NC on July 11th; 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 Canadian National (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.