KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 20, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Kansas City-based Alternative Energy Sources Inc. (OTCBB:AENS) today announced the appointment of Mike Espy, former secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture and former U.S. congressman, to its board of directors.
As the USDA secretary from 1993 through 1994, Espy was the first African-American to serve in that capacity. He is credited with reorganizing the $65 billion agency, negotiating multilateral treaties for trading agricultural commodities and reforming the national food-inspection system to eradicate food-borne illnesses. He gained recognition as an expert in rural business, economic development and infrastructure policy.
Currently Espy maintains offices in Jackson, Miss., and Washington, D.C., working as a private sector attorney, counselor and agricultural adviser through his law firm, Mike Espy PLLC, and his consulting firm, AE Agritrade Inc. He has extensive experience in international commercial transactions, and now serves as an investment adviser for public/private projects in Africa.
In his legal practice Espy focuses on government relations, public finance, agribusiness transactions and commercial and international law. As a consultant he advises agribusiness companies, government entities and food charities on agricultural and business concerns. He is in demand as a speaker and lecturer, and has appeared on network news, Nightline, the Today Show and other television news programs.
"We consider it a great accomplishment to have an individual of Mike Espy's caliber join our board," stated Mark Beemer, AENS president and chief executive officer. "As agriculture secretary, he became acutely aware of the role of ethanol and its development benefits in rural America."
Espy added, "As our country continues to move toward energy independence, it's clear that ethanol will play an important role. The industry's evolution suggests that companies like AENS will enjoy success, using approaches designed to maximize efficiencies along each stage of the ethanol market chain. I'm glad to be a part of the team, and will do my best to help AENS become the 'go to' company in the ethanol space."
Before President Bill Clinton appointed him to the USDA post in 1993, Espy served as Mississippi's Second District representative to the United States Congress. During his tenure he was a member of the Agriculture and Budget Committees.
Espy is a 1975 graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., and received his law degree from the University of Santa Clara (Calif.) in 1978. He also holds numerous honorary degrees, citations and awards.
AENS also recently appointed W. Gordon Snyder and Douglas D. Wilner to its board. Since mid-August AENS has announced plans to build ethanol plants in Central Iowa and in Kankakee and Greenville, Ill.
About Alternative Energy Sources Inc.: The company is developing "greenfield" sites, including constructing, owning and operating fuel-grade ethanol plants. The management team has extensive experience in agricultural processing, grain trading, railroad negotiations, logistical economics, construction, acquisitions and operating as a public company. The founders have extensive management and leadership experience, including serving in executive management positions with agri-processing giant Archer Daniels Midland Co., the largest producer of ethanol. For more information go to http://www.aensi.com.
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Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including without limitation those statements regarding the company's ability to exploit ethanol development and production opportunities. These statements are expressed in good faith and based upon a reasonable basis when made, but there can be no assurance that these expectations will be achieved or accomplished. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historic or current facts. They use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "target," "forecast" and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Although the forward-looking statements in this release reflect the good faith judgment of management, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, our inability to secure or generate sufficient operating cash flow to adequately maintain our generating facilities and service our debt, commodity pricing, intense competition for undervalued generating assets, environmental risks and general economic conditions and other financial, operational and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release, other than as may be required by applicable law or regulation.