DORGAN AND HOEVEN ANNOUNCE RENEWABLE FUELS ACTION SUMMIT AT BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE

Saturday, May 5, 2007

CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or  Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan and Governor John Hoeven announced Saturday they will convene a Renewable Fuels Action Summit May 20 and May 21 at Bismarck State College. The Action Summit will bring together renewable fuels experts from North Dakota and across the country to discuss the emerging industry and brainstorm ways North Dakota can boost production and use of ethanol and other renewable fuels. Hoeven and Dorgan will bring nationally known experts in renewable fuels to Bismarck for the Action Summit, including James Woolsey, Vice President of Global Resilience at Booz Allen Hamilton, and John Mizroch, Principal Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Woolsey has held presidential appointments under Democratic and Republican administrations, including the post of Director of Central Intelligence from 1993 to 1995 and Delegate at Large for President Ronald Reagan. In his current position at Booz Allen Hamilton, he advises companies on how to protect themselves from potential threats and vulnerabilities. Mizroch is a widely regarded expert and long-time proponent of sustainable development and environmental leadership. He is a strong advocate of investment in energy technology to provide efficient, clean and renewable energy that will improve the environment and help reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of energy. "I'm pleased that we've been able to attract some of the nation's leading experts to take part in this year's Renewable Fuels Action Summit," Dorgan said. "Our state is blessed with natural resources that could allow us to become a major producer of energy, and my hope is that the discussions we have at this event will help boost North Dakota's renewable fuels industry and help our nation achieve energy security." "Our conference brings together some of the most knowledgeable speakers in the nation, including former CIA Director James Woolsey, who has advocated powerfully for renewable energy as a national security, environmental and economic necessity," Hoeven said. "This kind of expertise and insight, combined with effective public policy at all levels, can unleash our farmers and entrepreneurs, helping to make our state an energy capital for the region and the nation. We look forward to a productive summit that will help us find new ways both to grow our economy and better secure our energy future."

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