The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), in conjunction with numerous Clean Cities coalitions, is hosting a series of ethanol safety seminars at locations throughout the U.S. The free events are primarily aimed at first responders, hazardous materials response teams, safety managers and local emergency planning committees. They are also open to the general public. The sponsoring groups, as part of the Alternative Fuels Trade Alliance, are staging the seminars with the help of a $1.6m grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal, RFA said, is to provide a full ethanol emergency response training experience that attendees can immediately put to use in the field, as well as pass along to other first-response teams. Most of the training is based on the Complete Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response, a package created by the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition. The safety seminar has already been held in Harrisburg, Penn.; other locations scheduled for 2011 include the Boston, Mass. metropolitan area; Charlotte, N.C.; Houston and Beaumont, TX; Portland, Ore.; Stockton, Calif.; Indianapolis, Ind. and Northeastern, OH. At each location there will be a morning and afternoon session, RFA said.

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