IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BFRE), a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of ethanol from non-food cellulosic wastes, has been ranked number 19 on the Biofuels Digest list of the "50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy;" the company's second consecutive year in the top 20.

"Having voters rank BlueFire Ethanol among the top 20 bioenergy companies for two straight years is a testament to the credibility of our technology and our proven ability to produce ethanol from presorted municipal waste," says Arnold R. Klann, President and CEO of BlueFire Ethanol. "BlueFire Ethanol remains focused on leading the way to energy independence and providing the Unites States with necessary alternatives to imported petroleum use."

"BlueFire remains on fire," said Biofuels Digest editor Jim Lane. "For the second year in a row, voters saw a unique blend of visibility and credibility in BlueFire Ethanol that makes the company one of the elite few to make the top 20 two years running, out of more than 1400 eligible companies."

Among BlueFire's many 2009 accomplishments are:

    --  Completion of a 20 month licensing process for its shovel-ready, fully
        permitted ethanol biorefinery in Lancaster, CA. The Lancaster facility,
        BlueFire's first U.S. commercial plant, will use post-sorted cellulosic
        wastes diverted from Southern California's landfills to produce
        approximately 3.9 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol per year;


    --  BlueFire is also moving forward with its internal project schedule for a
        second planned commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, which will be
        relocated to Fulton, Mississippi;


    --  The Department of Energy has determined that BlueFire Ethanol has met
        the requirements of Part One of the application process for a Loan
        Guarantee to finance its Lancaster, CA project and invited the company
        to continue onto Part Two of the process;


    --  Solazyme, Inc., the market leading algal synthetic biology company
        ranked number one on Biofuels Digest's "50 Hottest Companies in
        Bioenergy" list, began testing sugars produced through BlueFire's
        patented process for compatibility with Solazyme's renewable oil process
        to effectively produce oil at scale.

"BlueFire's work with Solazyme demonstrates emerging synergies among bioenergy companies that will further the industry as a whole. Industry innovation, together with a policy framework that sends clear and strong market signals to attract capital into the sector, would enable cellulosic fuels to achieve its full market potential," added Klann.

Winners of Biofuels Digest's "50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy" award will be honored at a presentation in Washington DC on April 27, 2010, in conjunction with the Advanced Biofuels Development Summit. Rankings were based on the votes of the Biofuels Digest award panel and reflected the importance of news announcements made in 2009. Votes were weighted by industry and region to ensure a fair and broad representation of companies and technologies.

About BlueFire Ethanol Fuels

BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc. was established to deploy a commercially ready, patented and proven Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Technology Process for the profitable conversion of cellulosic waste materials ("Green Waste") to ethanol, a viable alternative to gasoline. BlueFire is the only cellulose-to-ethanol company worldwide with demonstrated production of ethanol from urban trash (post-sorted MSW), rice and wheat straws, wood waste and other agricultural residues.

BlueFire is one of four companies awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to construct cellulosic biorefinery production facilities. BlueFire's biorefineries will be located near markets with high demand for ethanol and will use locally available biomass. This should dramatically reduce delivery costs and increase biofuel supplies, while providing a unique waste processing technology to help America's cities better manage the increasing problem of overflowing landfills. For more information, please visit www.BlueFireEthanol.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

Statements about BlueFire Ethanol, Inc.'s expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as the term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. BlueFire's actual results could differ materially from expected results. BlueFire undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Should events occur which materially affect any comments made within this press release; BlueFire will appropriately inform the public.

This press release includes statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Reform Act"). BlueFire Ethanol, Inc. claims the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the terms "may," "believes," "projects," "expects," or "anticipates," and do not reflect historical facts. Specific forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to: our successful development and deployment of ethanol production facility or facilities, impact of the company's expansion plan, and new business development success, future financial results, the impact of competitive products or pricing from technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and other uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations contained in any such forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to: failure to manage operating expenses or integrate new facilities and/or technologies, each of which could have a material impact on our business, our financial results, and the company's stock price. These risks and other factors are detailed in the Company's regular filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Most of these factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made and BlueFire Ethanol, Inc. does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

SOURCE BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc.