New Mexico public officials, along with biodiesel industry leaders, educators and environmentalists, will examine the challenges, strategies and public policies that would promote the development of an environmentally friendly biodiesel industry at the New Mexico Biodiesel Policy Summit on March 27-28 in Albuquerque.
“While our region’s climate is too arid for the production of many agricultural products, some of the most important biodiesel crops are well-suited to New Mexico’s high altitude, low moisture levels and high summer heat, making the potential for biodiesel feedstock production enormous,” said I. Miley Gonzalez, New Mexico secretary of agriculture. “Less than 4 percent of the 121,412 square miles that make up our state are currently cultivated for biodiesel production. Although we are geographically poised to capture this development opportunity, New Mexico needs appropriate public policy to support it. This summit will bring industry leaders and government partners together to outline the path for New Mexico’s role in this emerging green energy source.”
The summit will be hosted by New Mexico’s Department of Energy, Department of Economic Development, and Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources. Sponsors include Green Earth Fuels Inc., Blue Sun Biodiesel LLC, Sandia National Laboratories, the New Mexico Biodiesel Policy Association, New Mexico State University, and the NMSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics. Gonzalez will be a keynote speaker at the summit. U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Fred Mondragon, New Mexico secretary of economic development, have also been invited to speak at the summit.
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“The challenge inherent in green energy development is how to spur environmentally advantageous innovation and policy while also driving growth in the industry to meet our increasing energy needs,” said Jeffrey Trucksess, executive vice president of regulatory affairs for Green Earth Fuels. “The potential for New Mexico to become a major player in the production of biodiesel feedstocks, such as camelina and jatropha, is very promising.”
For more information about the inaugural New Mexico Biodiesel Policy Summit, contact Maria Zannes at (505) 400-9747.