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\nEd Glab<\/em><\/strong>, director, Knight Ridder Center for Excellence in Management in the college, and former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues<\/strong>, at the signing ceremony<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Through the \u201cEnergy Forum,\u201d founded by Ed Glab<\/strong>, director, Knight Ridder Center for Excellence in Management in the College of Business Administration, experts from Florida International University will examine key issues related to developing greater energy security and independence for The Am\u00e9ricas. The college is sponsoring the multi-part project with support from the Center for Energy and Technology of the Am\u00e9ricas (CETA) of the Applied Research Center (ARC), whose experts will work on the scientific aspects of the new fuel possibilities\u2014especially renewable sources.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s objectives are to serve as a forum for Western Hemisphere energy stakeholders to discuss:<\/p>\n Experts from the college will use their research strengths to clarify opportunities and barriers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe college will research business, regulatory, and policy issues related to this potential new market,\u201d Glab said. \u201cWhile we want to encourage alternate fuels in the marketplace, from a business perspective we have to understand if the alternatives\u2014such as ethanol\u2014will stand on their own and deliver an acceptable return on investment. In terms of regulation, we have to be sure that there\u2019s a level playing field to encourage investment. And, we need to research whether or not governments are prepared to implement policies that will encourage the development of these options.\u201d<\/p>\n College and \u201cEnergy Forum\u201d support former Governor Jeb Bush\u2019s energy initiative.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Consistent with its founding mission, the \u201cEnergy Forum\u201d fully supports former Florida Governor Jeb Bush\u2019s recent announcement of the creation of an Interamerican Ethanol Commission to promote the development of renewable fuels for The Am\u00e9ricas. The commission was unveiled on December 18, 2006, at a press conference at the Biltmore Hotel, in Coral Gables, Florida. In addition to Bush, the Commission\u2019s members are Luis Alberto Moreno, president, Inter-Am\u00e9rican Development Bank (IDB) and Roberto Rodrigues, former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are confident the collective minds involved in this new project will bring many answers to the questions surrounding alternative fuels,\u201d Glab said.<\/p>\n In anticipation of the Governor’s announcement, the \u201cEnergy Forum\u201d organized and chaired a panel on biofuels for The Am\u00e9ricas as part of the 30th Conference on the Caribbean Basin sponsored by Caribbean and Central American Action (CCAA) and held in Miami in early December, 2006. The dialogue from that panel will be published this month.<\/p>\n Upcoming conferences will provide opportunities for information sharing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The group already is organizing conferences to delve into the issues more deeply.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are planning two conferences in 2007 focused on alternative transportation fuels for The Am\u00e9ricas,\u201d said Carmen Algeciras <\/strong>(MIB \u201903, BA \u201901), director, USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) Program, who has been working with ARC and whose FTF program has a number of synergies with the new \u201cEnergy Forum.\u201d \u201cWe are looking at ways to foster biofuel production in countries that we have relationships with through FTF.\u201d<\/p>\n A small conference in February, 2007, in Managua, Nicaragua, will focus on the DR-CAFTA region, whose countries will be able to export ethanol to the United States duty free. The Foundation for Social and Economic Development (FUNIDES) will co-sponsor the event.<\/p>\n In June, 2007, a conference in Miami will focus on The Am\u00e9ricas in general with a number of co-sponsors, including Free Trade Area of The Am\u00e9ricas (FTAA), CCAA, and various private-sector companies.<\/p>\n \u201cThis conference will be broader in scope, focusing on the core issues of transparency in practices, and ways to ensure stability for overseas investment, and on just what the rules of the game will be,\u201d Glab said.<\/p>\n\n
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\nFrom left to right: Former Brazilian Minister of Agriculture; Roberto Rodrigues<\/strong>; former Florida Governor Jeb Bush<\/strong>; and Inter-Am\u00e9rican Development Bank (IDB) President Alberto Moreno<\/strong>, sign the Memorandum of Understanding to form the Interamerican Ethanol Commission. The signing ceremony was held at the Biltmore Hotel on December 18, 2006.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n