WASHINGTON, DC, US — Two biofuels industry leaders are scheduled as keynote speakers for the US Grains Council’s (USGC) Global Ethanol Summit planned Oct. 16-18 in Reston, Virginia, US.

Bruce Rastetter, founder and executive chairman of Summit Agricultural Group, and Jeff Broin, founder and chief executive officer of POET, will be the keynote speakers on Oct. 16.

US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also has been invited to give opening remarks.

More than 450 ministerial-level officials and industry leaders, ethanol producers and refiners from more than 40 countries have been invited to attend the summit with the goal of engaging a diverse group of international ethanol leaders about the benefits of expanding global use.

Rastetter’s Summit Agricultural Group is a leading agribusiness and renewable energy firm with operations in North and South America. Rastetter’s hands-on experience in global agricultural and renewable energy sectors, matched with his strong focus on strategic business development, has been key to building successful companies and advising government leaders on policy matters.

POET is the world’s largest biofuel producer. Broin, who is founding chairman of Growth Energy, has worked to advance the role of renewable biofuels and bioproducts for more than 35 years, in addressing national and global issues surrounding agriculture, human health and climate change.

GES will begin with four general sessions on Oct. 16 and continue with breakout sessions focused on particular challenges and opportunities facing the biofuels industry today.

 Oct. 16 general sessions:

  • Opening remarks and keynote speakers
  • Governmental prospectives: Current and future global ethanol policies and regional success stories
  • Multilateral entities: Global ethanol feedstocks and end use outlooks and trends
  • Ethanol associations: Domestic dynamics, international engagement efforts and next steps to achieve global E10 and beyond

 Oct. 17 breakout sessions:

  • Sustainable aviation fuel: Future of alcohol to jet technology, plant technologies and policy support
  • Retailer ethanol integration, best practice examples, and blending benefits
  • Ethanol’s low carbon analysis updates from the producer level: Recent zero carbon commitments, carbon capture and underground storage status, and farm level applications
  • Bio-based chemical applications for ethanol around the world
  • Automaker trends, recent fleet success utilizing ethanol blends, and the future of ethanol engine technology
  • Refinery and terminal industry experience: Ideal logistics, sourcing, storage and blending implementation for ethanol blended gasoline
  • Utilizing ethanol as a clean air solution and updated ethanol modeling within carbon fuel standards

Registration for GES is now open and hotel rooms with special event rates are available until Sept. 15. More information and a complete agenda are available on the conference website.