Pre-conference Workshop: How to Accelerate the Commercialization of Biofuels 

Big Oil and Biofuels: How Biofuels and Conventional Fuels are Converging and What it Means for the Future

Todd Taylor, Lead Biofuels Attorney, Fredrikson & Byron

Since 2005, when former oil man and then President Bush signed the 2005 Farm bill creating the Renewable Fuels Standard, oil companies have been forced to deal with biofuels. With various degrees of enthusiasms', big oil has entered the biofuels market, often with unexpected results. From simply being a blender of biofuels, to investing in new biofuels technologies and start-ups, and more recently actually buying distressed ethanol assets, big oil companies have significant impact on biofuels market dynamics. Biofuel companies need to understand big oil’s perspective on biofuels, even if they don’t agree with it, and work on strategies to either minimize big oil’s influence or maximize cooperation.

Attendees will learn:
* What Big Oil says about Biofuels
* What Big Oil does about Biofuels
* Opportunities for Biofuels to minimize Big Oil
* Opportunities for Biofuels to maximize cooperation

Speaker Bio:
Todd is the lead shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron’s Renewable Energy practice area focusing on biofuels and biomass. He focuses much of his time on project and technology development related to the production of biofuels, bioenergy, and bioproducts from multiple feedstocks and processes. Todd leverages his legal and industry expertise to advise biofuels and biomass providers, investors, developers and researchers in connection with the development, financing, and acquisition of biofuels and biomass projects. Todd has worked with rural farmers, university researchers, and large regional and national companies in developing biofuels and biomass projects. Todd works closely with his clients on a variety of legal and business needs, including public and private financing options, entity formation and seed capital, critical contract negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, governance matters, and compliance with corporate and securities laws. Todd is a member of Fredrikson & Byron’s Energy, Securities, Corporate, and Emerging Business Groups.