The purpose of Petroleum Equipment Institute‘s webinar was to provide an overview of the current state of the biofuels infrastructure to the commercial trade service executives at the Department of Commerce and Office of Energy and Environmental Industries within the United States government. In addition to the overview, Renkes, along with fellow co-presenter Jeff Hazle of the National Petroleum Refiners Association (NPRA), educated attendees on the implications and outlook the biofuels infrastructure will have on global trade for fueling-station and dispensing equipment.

The “Biofuels Infrastructure” webinar was well-attended and included representatives from several countries, including the United States, Chile, Columbia, Germany, France and Brazil. Renkes was invited to co-present the discussion by the International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce as a result of a presentation he gave on June 19, 2007, in Washington, D.C., at the Department of Commerce Biofuels Conference. Renkes´ presentation from the June 19 conference can be downloaded by going.

“The growth in ethanol and biodiesel has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on PEI members,” noted Renkes. “It´s very important for PEI to keep up-to-date on the changes occurring so they can capitalize on potential business opportunities moving forward. Our involvement with webinars and conferences such as the ones recently hosted by the Department of Commerce will continue to keep PEI at the forefront of this growing industry.” (petrolplaza)