For Immediate Release: October 5, 2006
DBEDT Release News 06-27

HONOLULU--New opportunities for local production of ethanol, bio-diesel and bio-power will be discussed at the Hawaii Agriculture Bioenergy Workshop from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, October 27, 2006 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The workshop is open to the general public including farmers, landowners, the business community, renewable energy advocates and members of the community. The focus of the meeting will be speeding the expansion of Hawaii's bioenergy industry by bridging the gap between policy and implementation.

"This workshop advances the Governor's Energy for Tomorrow imitative," said DBEDT Director Theodore E. Liu. "It will inform the agricultural community on the opportunities of biofuels production."

Governor Linda Lingle recently signed legislation to establish a 20 percent Alternative Fuels Standard (AFS) by 2020. This new goal, with the 20 percent Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for electricity and 10 percent ethanol mandate, is focusing attention on Hawaii's capacity for local production of biofuels and bio-power.

Panel and speaker topics include: "The Demand for Bioenergy Now and Future," "Incentives to Meet the Challenge," "Hawaii's Bioenergy Research," "Hawaii Crop Production Opportunities: What grows, what flows, what burns," followed by breakouts and a summary session.

Workshop organizers include the Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism; Hawaii Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural Development, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute and the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum,

Sponsorship funding is provided by Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Energy Policy Forum, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and the U.S. Department of Energy,

This one-day workshop will follow Ag2006 Maximizing Your Bottom Line, the bi-annual Hawaii Agriculture Conference, also at the Hilton.

Registration is $50 per person, including lunch. To register online, or for more information, go to www.agconference.org or call 808-947-2914.

For more information, contact:
Dave Young
Communications
Phone: (808) 587-1212
Email: dyoung@dbedt.hawaii.gov