The Voice of the Northwest Biofuels Industry

The Northwest biofuels industry has matured to the point that a formal trade association is needed to represent the business interests of industry participants. This need is accentuated by the rapidly growing interest in biofuels among both end-users and public agency supporters, which has lead to increasing demands on individual companies. These requests for information and representation, along with the biofuel industry’s need to speed market development, can best be met through the coordinated and collective effort provided by a trade association. In response, industry leaders have come together to form the Northwest Biofuels Association.

 Scope. The Northwest Biofuels Association (NWBA) is a non-profit trade association structured to represent the business interests of its members while supporting the development of the biofuels industry as a whole. The geographic range of the organization is Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Industry members consist of the producers, brokers, distributors, and retailers of biodiesel and ethanol, along with the firms providing services to these entities (engineers, consultants, contractors, law firms, financers, etc.). Associate members include governmental and non-profit entities plus biofuels users and other supporters.
 
Member Services. NWBA’s initial services address priority industry objectives. The services will expand in both breadth and depth as the organization and its capabilities grow. NWBA will:

- Promote the growth of the biofuels market by working to reduce market and technical barriers through information and quality standards, and by conducting joint marketing activities directed at commercial customers.
- Provide a centralized, credible information source producing technical and educational materials and a web portal to respond to customer and media queries, and to provide informational support for regulatory and legislative activities.
- Serve as the voice of the industry providing representation on committees, discussion forums, and in dialogue with other organizations and agencies; and providing a point of contact for the media and other interested parties.
- Build the industry network by providing information sharing and networking opportunities, tracking and communicating industry developments, establishing task forces for problem solving and policy development, and providing other member services.
 
To begin delivering services as quickly as possible, NWBA is starting out as a separately managed project of the Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC), a 10-year old trade association serving the environmental industry. NEBC is playing an “incubator” role, providing infrastructure and support until NWBA can operate independently. The NWBA Advisory Board sets the policies and priorities for NWBA staff and activities.

Join us. Get in on the ground floor as an NWBA member. Download an application. If you have questions, or for information about NWBA, contact us at info@nwbiofuels.org.