Testimony of

Jason Pyle, Chief Executive Officer,

before the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

June 12, 2008

“Transcending Food vs. Fuel:

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 Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you very much

for inviting me to participate on this important panel, and on this critical

issue.

First, let me thank the Committee for its leadership on alternative,

renewable fuels. Your keen focus and vision have resulted in the first ever

Renewable Fuel Standard. Although there will inevitably be elements of RFS

that will improve over time, you’ve guided the country along on the right

path. Second, within the RFS debate, I want to thank this Committee for its

vision and support for technology neutrality in RFS legislation, even though

that vision did not survive final passage. As you predicted by supporting a

technology neutral position, we are now seeing the evolution of an entirely

new generation of renewable fuels. These fuels transcend the use of food as

fuel feedstock. The current dilemma that pits fuel against food is just the

first of many consequences of a technology-specific RFS. Without a

technology-neutral RFS, this nation will not meet its goals of providing 32

billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2022. Although last year’s Energy

Independence and Security Act has yet to foster such solutions, this

Committee should be applauded for anticipating an ever-expanding universe

of alternative and renewable fuels.

That’s why I am here. I’m Jason Pyle, Chief Executive Officer of

Sapphire Energy. Sapphire is one of several of this nation’s best technology

companies working to produce the next generation of renewable fuels. At

Sapphire, we focus on the production of current fuel products, such as

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gasoline, diesel and aircraft fuel, from completely renewable sources, such as

photosynthetic microorganisms, or algae. Our mission is to produce fuels for

today’s oil and gasoline infrastructure, and two weeks ago we announced

that Sapphire had produced the first ever renewable, ASTM-compliant, 91

octane gasoline from microorganisms. Please refer to the attached two

documents for more background on Sapphire Energy.

The Problem

One of the many reasons we have cheap food is the availability of

cheap energy. We cannot expect to turn large amounts of food back into

energy in an economic manner. In today’s debate between food and fuel, we

should not have to make a choice. Both are critical to the economy, the

environment and the world at large; we should not match one against the

other. But when price and demand rise for one, both suffer. Instead of a

Pyrrhic choice between food and fuel, I offer the opportunity to transcend the

debate and produce ample supplies of both, leading this nation toward

energy independence. Instead of a dispute between two basic necessities,

we need a dialogue that supports truly sustainable alternative fuel sources.

Over the past year we have all seen prices and demand rise for

commodities such as corn, sugar and vegetable oil. The entire world now

feels the pressure. Daily we are faced with reports of people who struggle to

afford essentials. A host of factors has contributed to price increases for

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food and fuel: weather, heightened demand, a weaker dollar, decreasing

supplies.

Just like energy, food is linked in a global market. Once we begin

fueling our cars with food crops, we witness international repercussions.

Riots occurred in Mexico earlier this year over expensive corn flour. This

price increase has been attributed to U.S. demand for corn-based ethanol

products, leaving less maize available for export. Protests over similar issues

have occurred around the world, contributing to inflation and political

instability.

Even at an increased rate of production, current domestic biofuel

processes will meet part, but not all, of U.S. demand. If the entire annual

domestic soybean crop of 3 billion bushels were converted to biodiesel at the

current efficiency of 1.4 gallons per bushel, it would provide about 6.5% of

U.S. diesel fuel production. Though certainly a valuable asset to our fuel

supply, it is clear that a spectrum of additional and diverse biofuels sources

will be necessary to fulfill demand.

Congress first adopted the Renewable Fuels Standard in 2005, but

wisely recognized that neither biodiesel nor ethanol would be the final

solution. It created the program as a bridge to a new generation of fuels,

and established a system of incentives to create a marketplace for new

technologies. Congress should consider whether the incentives are neutral

and fair. Ask whether these mechanisms will lead to the support and

development of fuels that will give America true energy independence.

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Congress should ensure that the next round of incentives can be applied to

advanced technologies such as Sapphire’s. American innovation is the heart

of our people and our economy; I urge you to support this with additional

legislation that promotes a technology-neutral RFS.

The Solution

Food for fuel concerns are real, but can be managed. Industries such

as ethanol from corn and biodiesel from vegetable oil can continue to play an

important role in the energy mix. However, if we intend to practically and

economically reach the goals of the RFS, we must be ready to rapidly

embrace new fuel technologies. We must call on American ingenuity and

entrepreneurialism for the solutions.

When Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, it put the

country on a path toward an energy future independent of imported

resources. As Americans, we must support this vision. We should strive to

maximize production, create fuel-efficient cars, reduce the amount of driving

we do and, finally, develop alternatives to fossil fuels. All these efforts

deserve increased support. But without a truly new source of fuel, the

system will remain in turmoil, prices will soar and the conflict between food

and fuel will persist.

Senators, my colleagues and I at Sapphire Energy have been thinking

about this for a long time. We knew that an energy source based on

agriculture would serve this country best as a stepping stone to a green

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energy future. We knew that energy requiring vast amounts of fresh water

resources was not a viable option. And, finally, if we wanted to make a

difference quickly, we knew we needed a fuel that could be transported and

refined just like petroleum. Two years ago we asked ourselves, “In a perfect

world, how should the next generation of fuel be produced and distributed?”

These were our founding principles:

1. Fuel production must not use farmland. Period.

2. Fuel production must be carbon neutral.

3. Fuel production and delivery must use the existing petroleum

infrastructure.

4. Fuel production must scale domestically to reach tens of billions

of gallons per year.

5. The next generation of fuels must be compatible with today’s

vehicles.

That sounded like a tall order. But Americans have dreamed big and

delivered in the past – atomic energy, highways and railroads that crisscross

our nation, a man on the moon, mapping the human genome. Now, a similar

ingenuity has developed a completely renewable and homegrown source of

gasoline. I offer that we do not have to sacrifice food production for fuel

production. We do not have to choose between powering our industries and

feeding the hungry.

The Sapphire processes and technologies are so revolutionary that the

company is at the forefront of an entirely new industrial category called

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“Green Crude Production”. Products and processes in this category differ

significantly from other biofuels because they are made solely from

photosynthetic microorganisms, sunlight and CO2; do not result in biodiesel

or ethanol; enhance and replace petroleum-based products; are carbon

neutral and renewable; and don’t require any food crop or agricultural land.

The Sapphire process produces a replica of light sweet crude, green crude

that can be used in traditional refining to make real gasoline, diesel, and

aircraft fuel. Our feedstocks produce 10 to 100 times more energy per acre

than cropland biofuels. A side benefit of our process is that the

microorganisms consume pollutants and convert them to fuel. Using the

Sapphire process, we have dramatically altered the domestic energy and

petrochemical landscape and avoided the food versus fuel debate.

Please allow me to reiterate, the Sapphire process does not create

ethanol; it does not produce biodiesel; it does not use crops or valuable

farmland. Sapphire fuel is the fuel we use today, the kind that is in your car

or truck or airplane right now. It’s gasoline, diesel and aircraft fuel.

Senators, this is a solution. This is a truly renewable, truly sustainable,

alternative fuel— “Sapphire’s green crude oil”.

This fuel, Sapphire fuel, is the world’s first truly renewable

petrochemical product, produced by converting sunlight and CO2 into a

renewable, carbon-neutral alternative to conventional fossil fuels, without

the drawbacks of current biofuels.

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 This fuel is compatible with the current energy infrastructure—cars,

refineries, and pipelines.

Sapphire’s scalable production facilities will produce this fuel

economically because production will be modular, transportable, fueled by

sunlight, and not constrained by arable land, crops, or other natural

resources. Sapphire has turned sunlight into gasoline.

The Government’s Role

Governments often offer subsidies in areas in which they hope to

create incentives for certain economic behaviors. Naturally, governments

must act as arbiters to separate those who qualify from those who do not

qualify for the subsidies. Unfortunately, sometimes those separations create

an artificial division that prevents the subsidies from achieving their goal.

The nation has asked for energy independence and cleaner fuel products.

Thankfully, our lawmakers have responded and given us a Renewable Fuel

Standard. Unfortunately, the artificial division of technology within that

standard is hindering the most promising fuel technologies from developing

alongside existing renewable industries. The nation asked for energy

independence and cleaner fuel products, not a specific subsidy for a specific

fuel process. If we want to have 32 billion gallons of renewable fuel in 2022,

we are going to need every source of technology and development possible

to deliver it. Please take the handcuffs off of innovation and allow all forms

of renewable technology to participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard.

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 We at Sapphire are fortunate in that we receive financial support from

top venture capital firms such as ARCH Venture Partners and Venrock, and

from one of the world’s largest and most visionary foundations, the Wellcome

Trust. Not all emerging producers of green crude or renewable gasoline,

however, will be so fortunate. By continuing to subsidize mostly the existing

technologies instead of emerging alternatives, the government runs the risk

of discouraging a real future of renewable energy.

I support technology neutrality when it comes to subsidies for

renewable fuels. In other words, none of the technologies and products that

would help achieve the RFS should receive favorable treatment—not

biodiesel, not cellulosic ethanol, and not fuels from algae. A growing

competitive market should separate winners from losers. A subsidy system

should support a constantly changing landscape of fuel and fuel technology.

I recommend a technology-neutral platform that supports criteria rather than

specific feedstocks, fuels or fuel processes. I am offering a future that relies

on non-arable, non-agricultural land; a future based on domestic fuel

production and a supply of fuel we use today within 5 years time. I believe

this will be an essential part of the renewable fuel landscape and I urge you

to assist me and other innovative companies with technology-neutral

legislation.

Conclusion

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 The unfortunate phrase “food vs. fuel” suggests a conflict, a dilemma.

We have faced this dilemma because there have been virtually no viable

alternatives to existing sources of fossil fuel. Until now. At Sapphire Energy,

we can change all that. This is the fuel that can address the food versus fuel

dilemma by enabling ample production of both.

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to appear before

you. I will gladly take questions from you and the Committee at the

appropriate time.

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