Contact: Cassidy Walter
515-252-6249

JOHNSTON, IOWA – While many automotive environmental debates today revolve around climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, evidence is mounting that direct health impacts from tailpipe emissions should not be ignored. The 2020 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will feature a roundtable discussion entitled “Is Your Fuel Killing You and How Biofuels Can Help” to address this concern.

“As a dad with two kids, the growing amount of research on the impacts of petroleum-based octane-boosters called aromatics is quite frankly chilling,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Our roundtable experts will delve into what health risks are posed by aromatics and why ethanol is a clean-burning, environmentally safe alternative for boosting fuel octane.”

The roundtable will feature Carol Werner, director emeritus and senior policy fellow for the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), and Steffen Mueller, principal economist at the University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center. Werner served as the executive director for EESI for over 30 years and has more than 35 years of public policy experience on energy and environmental issues. Mueller has conducted research specifically on the health threat of aromatics. He will discuss the results of his research with Werner at the Summit.

The 2020 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will take place at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center on January 16, 2020. The Summit is free to attend and open to the public, but registration is required. To register to attend or learn more about the Summit, please visit: IowaRenewableFuelsSummit.org.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing over 4.5 billion gallons annually – including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 11 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce nearly 400 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

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