(July 15, 2010) St. Louis – America’s ethanol industry is on the verge of important breakthroughs, but challenges to those breakthroughs are real and must be overcome. That is the message from Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen in his keynote address at the 2010 Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) in St. Louis, Missouri, June 15th at 8:30am CST.

With the tragedy in the Gulf driving more Americans to focus on the importance of energy diversity and security, Dinneen will urge people to refocus and redouble efforts to bring America closer to energy security. In his opening remarks, Dinneen quotes President Obama from a recent speech in Pittsburgh stating,

“If we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction -- if we don’t factor in the environmental costs and the national security costs and the true economic costs -- we will have missed our best chance to seize a clean energy future.”

Dinneen goes on to say, “President Obama is correct. More than ever before, now is the time to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity of America’s heartland and break our addiction to oil; now must be the time to seize control of our energy future.”

From an industry with just 610 million gallons of production when the first FEW was held, America’s ethanol industry has grown to produce more than 12 billion gallons annually. This growth in production has meant a rejuvenation of many rural communities and economic opportunity for those often left behind. “Ethanol production is bringing unequalled economic opportunity and growth to hundreds of rural communities all across the country,” Dinneen will say. Last year alone, ethanol production helped nearly 400,000 Americans keep their jobs or find new ones, all while unemployment climbed toward 10 percent.”

Dinneen is also expected to rally those in support of American ethanol production, reminding them of past successes and the very promising future that is just within their grasp. “Together, we have passed multiple extensions of key tax incentives. Together, we established ethanol as a safe alternative to MTBE in oxygenate markets. Together, we established the first ever Renewable Fuels Standard requiring oil companies use renewable fuels – only to expand it five-fold just two years later. Together, we created incentives and programs to accelerate the commercialization of cellulose and other advanced biofuels the people in this room are developing.”

Looking into the future, Dinneen goes on to say, “And the challenges we confront today, whether it is determining the carbon footprint of the industry, responding to critics opposing higher level ethanol blends, or defending existing tax incentives, require a greater degree of technical foundation than any time before. So, together, we have more work to do!”

Dinneen will address the challenging year that lies ahead and the pressing issues the industry will focus on including awaiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final decision on approval of E15, California Air Resources Board (ARB) refusal to accept new science as the best available and the extension of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, Small Producers Tax Credit and the Cellulosic Ethanol Production Tax Credit by the end of the year. These issues will not slow down the industry’s efforts by any means. “The road before us is fraught with challenges, potholes, and potential detours,” says Dinneen. “The issues we must confront cannot be solved with press releases or a speech at an ethanol conference. In order to ensure the long term viability of this industry and those members of this industry to come, we must not shy away from hard work.”

Dinneen’s remarks as prepared for delivery are available here.