~ CAMACOL, Fispal and the Interamerican Ethanol Commission reached an agreement to join forces in the promotion of initiatives for the development of the agro-energy. ~

April 27, 2007 (Miami, FL) – On Monday, April 30, 2007, in the Brickell Room of the Biltmore Hotel, Camacol, Fispal and the Interamerican Ethanol Commission (IEC) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), formalizing their shared commitment to collaborate on the promotion of policies, activities and initiatives that will stimulate support for the development of biofuels, especially ethanol.

The MOU will be signed by Captain William Alexander, President of Camacol; Oscar Dominguez, President of Fispal and Jorge L. Arrizurieta, Founding Director of the Interamerican Ethanol Commission. Speaking of the impending signing of the MOU, Arrizurieta commented that “Camacol and Fispal have long been loyal supporters of our efforts, dating back to the organization’s membership and active involvement in the Ethanol Advocacy Committee of Florida FTAA, which worked with former Governor Jeb Bush to create and launch the Interamerican Ethanol Commission. We are looking forward to signing the MOU as an act of formalizing a long standing partnership.”

Camacol’s strong relationships with other Chambers of Commerce throughout the region and Fispal’s promotion of the diversification of agribusiness make them logical partners of the IEC, which has as its mission to promote the usage of ethanol in the gasoline pools of the Western Hemisphere. The IEC recognizes that the creation of a robust marketplace for ethanol will require substantial investment, new policies, new infrastructure, and a significant education campaign to build support for ethanol and will work with Camacol and Fispal to address these issues. 

In late May, the IEC will have the opportunity to further publicize its new partnership with CAMACOL and Fispal by organizing and participating in the 2nd Annual Panel on Ethanol for CAMACOL’s 28th Hemispheric Congress / Fispal Latino 2007 Tradeshow event. The panel will discuss the potential of renewable fuels in the Americas and how to expand the regional ethanol market. 

Among those on the conference’s guest list are: Agricultural and Energy experts from Sao Paulo, Brazil; Argentina’s Federacion of Biocombustibles; Jorge Piñon, an expert in the field from the University of Miami; Hernan Martinez, Colombia’s Minister of Energy and other leaders and experts who have experience in the development of ethanol from various feedstock.

Brazil, Jamaica, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago are among the major suppliers of ethanol to the United States, who together supplied a total of 653 million gallons of the renewable fuel to the U.S. market. Although the United States’ ethanol production reached over 4 billion gallons last year, this amount is minimal in comparison with the amount needed to supply the ambitious goals set forth by President Bush in the State of the Union. The potential demand for ethanol, not only in the U.S., but throughout the region, is enormous, and many Latin American countries are well positioned to become major suppliers of the fuel.