Webinar on Invasive Plants for Biofuel

As you all know, the Ecological Society of America leadership recently joined several other organizations in signing a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget requesting that the agency not approve a rule which would allow Arundo donax, an invasive species, to qualify as an "advanced biofuel feedstock" under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The letter asserted that production incentives for high risk feedstocks such as Arundo donax should not be provided because the potential costs of mitigating environmental damages are very likely higher than the plant's benefits.

An upcoming webinar on November 20, 2012 is going to address this issue. As part of the 2012-2013 NAIPSC Webinar Series, Chris Dionigi with the US Department of the Interior and Deputy Director of the NISC will talk about invasive plants and biofuels and the challenges of intersecting mandates and the need for coordination. This should be a very timely and engaging webinar on a topic that is front and center for a range of agencies and groups at the local and national level. You can sign up for the NAIPSC Online Community and view this and many other webinars by visiting the NAIPSC website and following the instructions (http://ipscourse.unl.edu).