Web exclusive posted March 9, 2009, at 2:52 p.m. CST

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels has extended the deadline for comment on Version Zero to March 27, the day after the last of multiple stakeholder meetings held around the world. A meeting is scheduled March 16 in Washington, D.C., along with meetings also slated to be held in the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Belgium, Malaysia and Kenya. The RSB is soliciting input on Version Zero of its global sustainability guidelines with a goal of publishing Version One in June. The process is moving towards a global sustainability standard to be used for verifying and certifying sustainable biodiesel and ethanol in a voluntary system.

In a presentation to the RSB stakeholders meeting in Ames, Iowa, on March 3-4, Doug Berven, director of corporate affairs for Poet LLC, made the case for the ethanol industry, pointing to improvements in corn production and increases in water and energy efficiency in ethanol production. Berven cited recent studies showing the industry's impact in jobs, taxes paid and its overall contribution to the rural economy. Pointing to the promise of better sustainability performance from cellulosic ethanol, he said, "cellulosic ethanol is not possible without the foundation of grain-based ethanol."

From the environmental community, Craig Cox with the Environmental Working Group, said the preeminent challenges of this century are to move away from fossil fuels as fast as possible while doubling food production, lifting billions in the world out of poverty and living with the profound effects of global warming. He described a sustainable biofuel as making a meaningful contribution to reducing use of fossil fuels and not competing with food production for land and water.
A sustainable biofuel must substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline and, he said, "must conserve soil, water, watersheds and habitat and enhance resistance and resiliency under a volatile climate."

Other presenters included Bruce Babcock from Iowa State University, talking about indirect land use change; Ken Cassman from the University of Nebraska, talking about biofuels and climate change; Joe Colletti from ISU, talking on food security; Rick Cruse, also from ISU, talking on water and soil impacts from biofuels production; Cornelia Butler Flora, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, talking about community consultation and impact assessment.

The RSB is inviting new memberships, with a deadline of March 12 for applications to one of the newly organized chambers that will elect two representatives each to a new Executive Standards Board. The chambers divide the open membership into stakeholder groups such as trade unions, small and large farmers, producers, financial institutions, petroleum and transportation industry, food security non-government organizations (NGO), indigenous people's groups, conservation NGOs, and a general category for government representatives, certifiers and others.

Visit www.bioenergywiki.net and follow the links to read and comment on Version Zero, and to access many of the presentations given at the stakeholder meetings.