Contact: Paul Constance
(202) 623-2572

March 26, 2007

TOWARDS A HEMISPHERIC BIOFUELS MARKET:
THE OUTLOOK FOR PRIVATE INVESTMENT

IDB President Moreno, Jeb Bush and Brazil´s Roberto Rodrigues, co-chairs of
the Interamerican Ethanol Commission, discuss biofuels, the emerging Caribbean and Central American market, and implications of U.S.-Brazil agreement
 

Washington, DC – IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture Roberto Rodrigues, co-chairmen of the Interamerican Ethanol Commission, will review the road ahead for private investment in the hemispheric biofuels market at a April 2 briefing at IDB Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
   IDB President Moreno will review the Bank’s renewable energy strategy and its work plan in member countries with strong biofuels potential. He will also discuss the particular challenges facing smaller Latin American countries that are launching biofuels industries and review the IDB’s role in the implementation of the historic biofuels cooperation agreement between Brazil and the U.S.
   Gov. Jeb Bush will offer an analysis of the political and commercial barriers to free trade in biofuels and describe how renewable fuel targets in the U.S. could impact the hemispheric biofuels industry. He will also detail his vision for how the U.S. can strengthen its energy matrix through closer cooperation with Latin American biofuels producers.
   Roberto Rodrigues, president of Superior Council of Agribusiness of the Sao Paulo State Federation of Industries, will report on the latest developments in Brazil’s booming biofuels sector and explain how Brazil is working with the private sector to jump-start biofuels production in other Latin American countries.
   The briefing will include a first-look presentation of “A Blueprint for Green Energy in the Americas”, a comprehensive study of biofuels markets through 2020 commissioned by the IDB and carried out by Garten Rothkopf, an independent consultancy. The study, which surveys the development of biofuels in 50 countries worldwide and the trends shaping markets, policies, regulations, investment, and growth, offers strategic recommendations for building and maintaining competitive biofuels industries in the region.
   The presentations will be followed by a question and answer session.
   The briefing will take place from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, April 2, 2007, in the Enrique V. Iglesias Auditorium, 1330 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 20577.
   Please RSVP to Paul Constance, IDB Press Officer, 202-623-2572 or by Friday, March 30.