Contact:

Janine Finnell, Clean Energy Ambassador and Founder
CleanEnergyAmbassador@leadersinenergy.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC-June 16, 2015 With the EPA issuing new biofuels targets that fall short of the 2015 and 2016 targets Congress set, many are wondering what the effect the targets will have on meeting renewable fuel standards, bio-based fuels, biofuel product options, and green jobs in the bioenergy sector. Leaders in Energy will host The Evolving Bioeconomy and Renewable Fuels event, a preconference event to Bioenergy 2015, on Monday, June 22, 2015, from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to explore the short and long-term ramifications. Register at www.leadersinenergy.org.

In the United States, 28% of energy usage is attributed to transportation to move goods and people, according to the National Academies. Sixty percent of transportation usage is accredited to personal cars. With a 23% decline in gas prices, from a high of $3.662 last year, 60% of Americans are expected to hit the road this year, according to AAA. However many Americans aren’t aware of the increased reliance on biofuels in the summer and winter blends of gasoline used throughout the year to combat air pollution and achieve CAFÉ standards.

“Biofuels and products increasingly offer us additional ways to diversify our economy in a more sustainable fashion and to provide new avenues for careers and entrepreneurship in this field,” says Janine Finnell, Clean Energy Ambassador and Founder of Leaders in Energy.

“I hope to illicit conversation and a better understanding of the bioeconomy, its products and its importance for our future, says Bill Brandon, a biofuels consultant and panel moderator. “As an emerging industry, it has had to fight off attacks from its major competitor, the petroleum industry. A better understanding about the bio-economy is needed by the general population to put these attacks in perspective,” he says.

Leaders in Energy

Leaders in Energy is now part of the Circular Economy Network Map which is managed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Leaders in Energy engages professionals who delight in thinking about, discussing, and collaborating on energy, environmental, and sustainability topics through online and in-person networking events. We seek to attract like-minded individuals who are passionate about dialoguing, collaborating, and seeking solutions to energy, environmental and sustainability challenges. Through its 1,500 + member LinkedIn site and monthly professional networking events in the Washington, DC area, the group collects and exchanges ideas and information to build a specialized network of professionals who are interested in making a difference through transformative leadership and actions.