WASHINGTON, DC - Additional keynote speakers have been confirmed for Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance.  This conference is co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is designed to create partnerships and strategies that will accelerate commercialization of renewable energy industries and distribution systems, the crux of President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative.  Advancing Renewable Energy, is scheduled to take place October 10-12, 2006, at the America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Added to the growing list of distinguished keynote speakers are: Red Cavaney, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Petroleum Institute; Charles Holliday, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dupont; Patrick Wood, Chairman of the North American Advisory Board of Airtricity, Inc. and former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and Matthew Simmons, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Simmons and Company International, a specialized energy investment banking firm.

Leaders from government and industry will address renewable energy topics such as building supply and distribution; encouraging demand; adapting and building infrastructure; creating effective market models and partnerships; what USDA and DOE are doing to advance renewable energy; and other timely topics. 

The following are conference keynote speakers to date: 

• Samuel Bodman--U.S. Secretary of Energy
• Mike Johanns--U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
• Thomas Dorr--Under Secretary for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Dr. Raymond L. Orbach—Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy
• Alexander Karsner--Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
• Red Cavaney--President and Chief Executive Officer, American Petroleum Institute
• Dr. Keith Collins—Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Charles Holliday, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dupont
• Vinod Khosla--Founder, Khosla Ventures; Co-Founder of Sun Microsystems; former Partner of Kleimer, Perkins, Kaufield & Byers, a venture capital firm
• Robert W. Lane--Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Deere and Company
• Matthew Simmons--Chariman and Chief Executive Officer, Simmons and Company International, a specialized energy investment banking firm
• Patricia A Woertz--President, Chief Executive Officer, and Member of the Board of Directors, Archer Daniels Midland Company
• Patrick Wood--Chairman, U.S. Advisory Board, Airtricity, Inc.; former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• James R. Woolsey--Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton; former Director, Central Intelligence Agency 

Attendance is open to the public. Anyone involved with renewable energy is encouraged to attend, including transportation, finance, and investment officials; other Federal and State Government officials; and elected officials.  All attendees must register for the conference, including press, who may attend without charge. To register, view the conference agenda, or see the complete list of breakout sessions speakers go to: AdvancingRenewableEnergy.gov.

Media contact(s):
DOE: Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940
USDA: Jim Brownlee, (202) 720-4623