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U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Washington, DC
August 22, 2007
Fact Sheet
Advancing Cooperation on Biofuels:
U.S.-Brazil Steering Group Meets August 20 in Brasilia
The U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Steering
Group met on August 20 in Brasilia. This meeting,
a further step in advancing cooperation on biofuels, was
chaired by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy,
and Agricultural Affairs Reuben Jeffery III and Brazilian
Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Everton Vargas.
The partnership's aims are to catalyze biofuels use in the
region and beyond; diversifying energy supplies, democratizing
energy markets, bolstering economic prosperity, advancing
sustainable development, and protecting the environment.
The officials noted with great satisfaction the accomplishments
made under the U.S.-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding to
Advance Biofuels Cooperation signed on March 9, 2007, in
Sao Paulo.
Bilaterally, Brazil and the U.S.
continue to advance cooperation on biofuels research and
development. Since Presidents Bush and Lula met
on March 31, 2007, six high-level visits have occurred to
bolster bilateral cooperation on biofuels research. The
two countries welcomed the upcoming visit of a team of Brazilian
scientists to the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department
of Agriculture Laboratories the week of September 10, 2007.
To further advance cooperation on biofuels research, officials
agreed to explore professorial and graduate student exchanges
between leading U.S. and Brazilian Universities.
In third countries, U.S. and Brazilian
officials underscored the transformative role of biofuels
in advancing energy security and promoting sustainable development.
The United States and Brazil, in cooperation with the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), Organization of American States
(OAS), and the UN Foundation (UNF), have begun feasibility
studies in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador,
and have completed feasibility work in St. Kitts and Nevis.
These studies will be used to assist governments and provide
funding for public-private sector activities to develop
local capacity for biofuels production. Officials from each
of the initial four target countries are visiting the U.S.
in August to attend a USDA-sponsored biofuels conference.
Globally, the United States and
Brazil have agreed to a roadmap to achieve greater compatibility
of biofuels standards and codes by the end of 2007.
This work is being carried out initially by the industry
and standards organizations of the U.S., Brazil, and European
Union under the International Biofuels Forum (IBF). A report
on this work will be presented at the next IBF meeting scheduled
to take place in India this fall. IBF members include Brazil,
the United States, the European Commission, China, India,
and South Africa.
To further advance the public-private
sector nature of the U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Partnership, the
two countries agreed to create an advisory committee to
the steering group that will comprise private sector and
international organizations. The two countries
reiterated the high priority both attach to continued rapid
progress implementing the goals of the partnership, and
agreed to meet later this year in the United States.
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