Our first Desert Biofuels Workshop, held in March of 2008, was an exciting event; attendee feedback included comments such as:

• "...a watershed for AZ biodiesel..."
• " ...never been at a conference with such broad representation, from corporate, to government, education, NGOs and home brewers..."
• "...showed just how important this topic is..." 
• "...tremendously valuable..." 

Details about last year's event can be found here (the "agenda" .pdf file includes links to the slides presented by each speaker).

For our second annual Desert Biofuels Workshop we hope to build on last year's success. Our primary goals for the Workshop are to (1) enable the diverse members of the Arizona biofuels community to connect with each other, and (2) explore how the $50 Billion in energy programs in the stimulus bill can advance biofuels in Arizona.

In connection with the first goal, we've asked key stakeholders in the AZ biofuels community to provide a brief overview of their activities.  Confirmed presenters include (in alphabetical order):

• John Andrews, Principal, Biofeedstocks Global
• Andrew Ayers, CEO, Algae Biosciences
• Ben Cloud, President & COO, XL Renewables
• Jeff Collier, CEO, Energy Derived
• Dave Conz, ASU
• Colleen Crowninshield, Tucson Clean Cities Coalition [via videoconference]
• Bob Eaton, President & CEO, AZBio
• Mark Edwards, ASU Polytechnic
• Richard Filley, Green CaRR Foundation
• Gary Greenburg, Science Foundation AZ
• Francine Hardaway, Stealthmode Partners
• Jeff Hassannia, VP, Diversified Energy
• Eric Johnson, Co-Founder, Desert Biofuels Initiative
• Bob Kec, President, Western States Petroleum
• Dave Klein, Project Coordinator, Riverpoint Solar Research Park
• Gene Leach and Jay Nance, Founders, Dynamite Biofuels Co-op
• Gordon LeBlanc Jr., CEO, PetroSun
• Tim McClellan, Co-Owner, Verde Biotrailers
• John McGowen, ASU Biodesign Institute
• Victor Merino & Max Enterline, City of Phoenix
• Kelly Patton or Dan Henderson, Town of Gilbert
• Dan Rees, President, AZ Biodiesel
• Bill Sheaffer, VP, Amereco Biofuels
• Chris Walker (formerly of PinalJet and AZ Biofuels)
• Gary Wood, CEO, Desert Sweet Biofuels

In connection with the second goal, we'll feature an analysis of biofuels-related funding opportunities (grants, loan guarantees and tax incentives) available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the "stimulus bill").

The Workshop will be held at ASU SkySong on Friday April 24th, 2009, on the first floor in the "Convergence" conference room.  We'll have coffee and networking from 9:00 to 9:15am, and then begin the Workshop promptly at 9:15am. We'll end at 12 noon.

The Workshop is free and open to the public. We welcome donations that help us cover the costs of the room and refreshments (these costs average roughly $10 per person).  Online donations using a credit card can be made on our website. You can also donate cash or by check (made out to Desert Biofuels Initiative, Inc.) on the day of the Workshop.

More info about Desert Biofuels Initiative is available at http://desertbiofuels.org.