At this year's Summit, an expert group convened by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and the New Mexico congressional delegation will unveil "Toward a New Mexico State Plan for Biofuels Leadership," a comprehensive roadmap designed to make New Mexico a major player in the development and commercialization of next-generation biofuels.

"New Mexico and the Southwest's unique combination of climate, geography and natural resources, in conjunction with forward-looking public policy and the combined brain power of the national labs and top research universities give this part of the country an unprecedented opportunity to take the lead in the biofuels arena," said Tim Zenk, vice president of corporate affairs for Sapphire Energy and chairman of the SWBA.

"That's exactly why Sapphire chose to develop our first commercial-scale algal biorefinery in southern New Mexico."

For the first time, the Summit agenda this year includes a technical track for biofuels researchers and scientists to share their work in algal, cellulosic and seed crop biofuels. The Summit also includes a policy track addressing funding opportunities, federal and state energy policy and law, and agricultural advancements for Southwest farmers and biofuel producers.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been invited to open the Summit with a keynote address. Other participants include Dr. I. Miley Gonzalez, New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture, Sarah Cottrell, energy and environment policy advisor to Gov. Richardson, top scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia Laboratories and, legislative schedules permitting, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Sen. Tom Udall, Rep. Martin Heinrich, Rep. Harry Teague and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan.

Event hosts include the Southwestern Biofuels Association, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, and Sapphire Energy Inc.

"Biofuels are an increasingly important part of our national energy policy as we make the transition from petroleum-based fuels to renewable 'green energy' technologies," said Vaughn Gangwish, executive director of the SWBA. "The Summit provides leaders in the biofuels field the opportunity to exchange information and research as we collectively build a new industry."

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