WASHINGTON - The Advanced BioFuels Association has elected Lee Edwards, CEO of Virent Energy Systems, as chairman of its board and Robert M. Ames, vice president and general manager of Tyson Foods, as board vice chairman. 

"Our member companies have great confidence in these two leaders and their abilities to help strengthen and grow the ABFA as it quickly positions itself as the voice for the advanced biofuels industry," said ABFA President Michael McAdams. The Advanced BioFuels Association is an industry lobbying group. 

"It is a great honor to serve the members of the ABFA as they represent the leading edge of the next great technology revolution," said Edwards. "We are proof that American ingenuity and entrepreneurship will prove to be the real winners in a green economy as we create new clean energy jobs and open up new economic markets." 

Wisconsin-based Virent is engaged in converting a variety of biomass feedstocks into fungible premium green gasoline, jet fuel and diesel. Virent counts Cargill and Honda among its leading investors and Royal Dutch Shell as a strategic partner to commercialize the production of advanced renewable fuels. 

Ames is responsible for commercializing Tyson Foods' portfolio of renewable energy initiatives. These include an alliance with ConocoPhillips and a joint venture with Syntroleum Corp. called Dynamic Fuels, which is constructing a commercial-scale advanced biofuels plant in North America.