The Pan American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy convened in M�rida, Mexico, June 22 to 25, 2008. The program was organized by Steve Long (University of Illinois) and Nick Carpita (Purdue University), along with co-organizers Marcos Buckeridge (University of S�o Paulo, Brazil) and Federico S�nchez (Universidad Nacional Aut�noma de M�xico). More than 200 scientists from over a dozen nations around the world gathered to discuss key issues surrounding the development of biofuel feedstocks and to report on their research in this area. This three day conference had invited speakers surrounding developing renewable and sustainable energy resources which are typically propelled by three important drivers ? security, cost and environmental impact.