The event, hosted by Clean Fuels Alliance America, takes place in vibrant Fort Worth, Texas February 5-8, 2024. The conference boasts an impressive speaker lineup and rich educational content addressing some of the top energy issues of our time. Attendees will learn the latest on the next generation of low-carbon fuel policies, feedstock development opportunities and decarbonization efforts from leading Fortune 500 companies, among other hot topics.

Distinguished speakers confirmed for the event include:

• Angela Caddell, Vice President, Agricultural Products, BNSF Railway
• David Allen, Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo Foods North America
• Colin Huwyler, CEO, Optimus Technologies
• Jill Blickstein, Vice President of Sustainability, American Airlines
• Helen Giles, Director of Environmental Sustainability, Southwest Airlines
• Randall Stuewe, Chairman & CEO, Darling Ingredients
• John Jansen, Vice President, Marketing, United Soybean Board

The event will also spotlight Original Equipment Manufacturers, facing a ticking clock on aggressive new vehicle emissions standards and climate policy goals. An all-star lineup of OEMs, fleets, and industry experts will share their strategies and how higher blends of high-quality biodiesel and renewable diesel fit into their plan of action.

“As the world heads full speed toward Net Zero, we look forward to welcoming our attendees to one of our most impactful conferences yet,” said Clean Fuels CEO Donnell Rehagen. “We have much to discuss as our fuels gain the recognition they deserve as the single, best way to decarbonize the liquid transportation industry with today’s technology. This conference is THE place where clean fuels business gets done.”

In addition to the event’s productive networking opportunities, planned educational sessions include:

• “Now That’s Refreshing! Biodiesel, RD and a New Generation in Decarbonization”
• “Bullish on Biodiesel, Soaring with SAF”
• “Chill Out: Winter’s Promising Oils, Cash Crops and Carbon Tools”
• “Extreme Carbon Makeover: Clean Fuels and the Next Generation of LCFS Policies”
• “The Low Score: Lowering Carbon Intensity with Climate-Smart Ag”
• “The Time Value of Carbon: OEMs and Fleets Tackle the GHG Challenge”
• “New Policy Priorities for the Clean Fuels Industry”
• “A Stand-Out Standard: Spec Evolutions Clear Path for Biodiesel’s Bright Future”

The deadline for early bird registration pricing is November 17. A limited number of booth spaces remain, and several sponsorship opportunities are still available. Visit CleanFuelsConference.org to learn more.

Materials supported by United Soybean Board, soybean farmers and their checkoffs.

Contact: Heather Buechter, hbuechter@cleanfuels.org, 479-651-7301.

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During the first quarter of 2023, the program solidified its role in the race to meet carbon reduction goals, joining California and Oregon in promoting the use of increasingly higher blends of biomass-based diesel. Preliminary data shows that biodiesel and renewable diesel contributed around 22% of the credits indicating an approximate 1.2% blend rate. In comparison, when California first implemented its Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the state saw a blend rate of 0.4% for biodiesel and renewable diesel in the first year.

Replicating California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard, Washington adopted their own Clean Fuel Standard in 2021 in an effort to reduce carbon intensity in the transportation sector, the state’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Implemented on January 1, 2023, by the Washington Department of Ecology, the program provides credits for a range of low-carbon fuel alternatives that improve air quality and stimulate economic growth while strengthening the state’s position as a leader in sustainable energy practices.

Jeff Earl, Director of State Governmental Affairs for Clean Fuels Alliance America, commented on the first-quarter results, saying, “We are thrilled to see the tangible impact of the Washington Clean Fuel Standard, a program which received tremendous support from our association. These results show that our fuels are the low-cost option for immediate decarbonization of the heavy-duty transportation sector in the state of Washington.”

Clean Fuels remains optimistic that as the year progresses, the program will continue to build on its first-quarter success supporting the transition to better, cleaner fuels and developing new market opportunities for the industry.

For more information about the Washington Clean Fuel Standard visit ecology.wa.gov.

Contact: Heather Buechter, hbuechter@cleanfuels.org, 479-651-7301.

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Under the direction of Clean Fuels and NREL, revisions to the guide are provided by leading industry researchers and subject matter experts and approved by independent reviewers and the U.S. Department of Energy. The last revision was published in November 2016.

The latest edition captures the most recent studies and standardized use for on- and off-road applications, railroad, marine, home heating oil systems and power generation applications. New data on storage stability, manufacturer approvals, and the increasing level of quality across the industry will provide greater benefits including higher expectations of performance.

“Our goal is to provide our member organizations, stakeholders and each end-user with the most accurate and up-to-date data related to blending or using biomass-based diesel fuels to ensure proper use and handling,” said Scott Fenwick, Technical Director for Clean Fuels. “We encourage anyone who is considering distributing biodiesel and biodiesel blends, to promote this free guide to their customers.”

The official guide resides on the NREL website and can be downloaded free of charge. Users can also access Clean Fuels’ Biodiesel Toolkit to learn more.

Contact: Heather Buechter, hbuechter@cleanfuels.org, 479-651-7301.

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The annual event serves attendees snacks of chicken and french fries to illustrate that soybeans are used in animal feed and food preparation while used cooking oil, surplus oil, and animal fats are recycled to make clean fuels. It provides an opportunity to educate the community about the benefits of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF – which include adding value to the soybean and rendering industries.

Attendees were interested to learn that many DC work truck fleets use high biodiesel blends – including B100. Other attendees were more familiar with Clean Fuels, having participated in previous Clean Fuels Foundation education tours. The event created an opportunity to ncrease coordination among the industries, unify messaging, and build relationships with interested audiences.

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“U.S. producers of SAF and their partners in farming and oilseed processing should be able to rely on the GREET model to calculate the value of SAF credits. Without this, our combined members and others in the industry may not be able to follow through on investments in SAF production,” the groups state in the letter.

The letter asks the administration to consider the billions of dollars that members of the associations have made to build new or optimize existing production facilities and expand availability of sustainable, homegrown, low-carbon feedstocks like soybean oil and canola. The letter further points out that the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap recognizes that the goal to produce three billion gallons of SAF by 2030 will rely on expanded use of soybean oil and canola.

The letter is available on cleanfuels.org.

“It’s inconceivable that Congress would create, or Treasury would implement, a clean energy incentive that discourages use of sustainable, homegrown feedstocks. We are asking the administration to follow through on its goals and enable the aviation sector to access better, cleaner fuels in the near term,” added Kurt Kovarik, Clean Fuels’ Vice President of Federal Affairs. “Our industry has consistently contributed real-world data to Argonne to ensure that the GREET model is the most accurate, up-to-date lifecycle carbon emission assessment tool.”

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“Growing demand for better, cleaner fuels like biodiesel, renewable diesel and SAF is creating a tremendous opportunity to develop additional supplies of low-carbon fats and oils, including used cooking oil and surplus crop oils,” said Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels Alliance America. “Our industry envisions sustainably producing 6 billion gallons of clean fuels by 2030, and this report identifies crucial additional feedstocks. Our vision supports national goals to decarbonize aviation and other heavy-duty transportation sectors.”

Access the report on cleanfuels.org/sustainable-impact/.

Forecast global UCO supplies to 2030

The report indicates that the United States has the most well-developed UCO collection system, due to long-standing practices for its use and disposal. In 2022, the U.S. supply reached 850 million gallons. Increasing biodiesel and renewable diesel production is incentivizing domestic use of that supply – curbing recent export trends. The report identifies additional room for growth in U.S. collection to 1.1 billion gallons.

Global UCO trade reached 1.3 billion gallons in 2022. The majority of collected UCO supplies moved from Asia to Europe. The report identifies the potential to increase UCO collection in Asia, South America and Europe to meet global demand for biodiesel, renewable diesel and SAF. Additional collection could be achieved in those countries with U.S.-style collection practices.

Contact: Paul Winters, 202-737-8803, pwinters@cleanfuels.org.

Materials supported by United Soybean Board, soybean farmers and their checkoffs.

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Vergara has an accomplished career in the clean fuels industry with nearly four decades of experience. He currently manages the West Coast office in Sacramento, California, and leads the team responsible for government affairs in all 50 states.

Prior to joining Clean Fuels in 2019, Vergara served as Chief and Assistant Chief in the Industrial Strategies Division and Research Division at the California Air Resources Board (CARB). During his career at CARB, he oversaw key climate change and air quality programs, including the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). He continued that decarbonization strategy with Clean Fuels both as Director of State Regulatory Affairs and then Director of State Governmental Affairs.

Throughout Vergara’s tenure, the state affairs team helped establish and strengthen policies such as California’s LCFS, Oregon’s similar Clean Fuels Program and Washington’s new Clean Fuels Standard.

Highlights include:

• In California, the biodiesel and renewable diesel market has grown from 855M gallons in 2020 to 1.67B gallons in 2022 (on track to reach nearly 1.9B gallons in 2023), a 95% increase; in Oregon, clean fuels have experienced a 30% growth in the same span.
  
• After years of hard work, the state affairs team assisted in establishing the Clean Fuel Standard in Washington state in 2021, which is expected to grow the market for alternative fuels like biodiesel and renewable diesel similar to California and Oregon.
  
• There has been tremendous growth in all feedstocks used to produce clean fuels. For example, soy-based biodiesel and renewable diesel grew in California from 3M gallons in 2020 to 247M gallons in 2022 (on track to reach 324M gallons in 2023). Fuels made from used cooking oil, tallow and inedible corn oil have experienced similar growth.

“The talented state affairs team at Clean Fuels continues to work hard to establish similar programs in New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Colorado and other states pursuing transportation decarbonization strategies,” said Vergara. “But it’s not just about low carbon fuel programs; our efforts are multi-pronged, and we continue working hard to deploy/expand Bioheat® fuel use in the Northeast and incentive programs for our fuels in the Midwest.”

Under the direction of Vergara, Trinity Consultants conducted the landmark Health Benefits Study. The research quantified health impacts associated with switching to B100, or 100% biodiesel, from petroleum diesel and confirmed what our industry has known for years – biodiesel has proven positive health benefits.

“Floyd’s leadership and experience has made a tremendous impact on the acceptance and growth of our fuels,” said Clean Fuels CEO Donnell Rehagen. “We are fortunate to have had Floyd’s level of commitment to helping states pursue aggressive decarbonization goals and are pleased that he will continue to contribute to our efforts going forward in a senior advisory capacity.”

Vergara said the clean fuels industry has a positive narrative that is unmatched by any other fuel. “I’m proud of and very thankful to Clean Fuels, its members and partner soy associations for what we’ve been able to accomplish with their support at the state level to further that narrative,” he said. “I look forward to seeing even more success as I head into retirement after a long career in the low-carbon fuels space.”

Clean Fuels is pleased to announce that Jeff Earl, Director of State Regulatory Affairs, will assume the position of Director of State Governmental Affairs upon Vergara’s departure. Earl will continue to serve the industry from Clean Fuels Alliance America’s headquarters in Jefferson City, Missouri.

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Scientists across the world agree that to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, we must peak annual global greenhouse gas emissions before 2025 and reduce them by 43% by 2030. We also know that until net-zero emissions can be achieved, every ton of CO2 emitted to our atmosphere adds to the global warming potential, contributing to the severe weather events we’ve experienced in recent years. If a company delays reducing its annual emissions by just one ton of carbon for five years, it will need to reduce annual emissions by over 13 tons to make up for lost time.

The fundamental science underlying this time value of carbon concept is well understood. That’s one reason major transportation sector players, including commercial airlines and air freight and logistics companies, have publicly committed to reducing their annual emissions or even to achieving net-zero corporate emissions. The clean fuels industry stands ready to support these corporate commitments.

However, carbon accounting methods are still being developed for companies to inventory the impacts of carbon reduction measures like fuel switching, and track their progress to their net-zero goals. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol began revising its Corporate Standard in 2022, but recently pushed back the release of its Land Sector and Removals Guidance to mid-2024. The Science-Based Targets Initiative correspondingly changed the finalization of its Forest, Land and Agriculture Guidance.

These standards and guidance documents are part of a larger package of corporate greenhouse gas quantification principles companies are meant to rely on to prove to stakeholders they are on track to decarbonize and mitigate climate risks. But some draft versions and proposed changes are untenable for the corporate world, especially in consideration of our urgent need to increasingly remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Clean fuel producers, including producers of sustainable aviation fuel, know their fuels are less carbon intensive than their petroleum-derived counterparts, helping to avoid that extra ton of carbon. But, quantifying that carbon intensity, and capturing all the carbon in the results, depends on the programmatic framework, whether it is California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or something else.

SAF producers aim to provide their customers with the right data on the well-to-wheels emissions of their fuels. But SAF producer knowledge is framed around their product, while their customers’ ledgers are focused on their actions and account for the element of time.

Clean Fuels Alliance America has begun the process of reconciling these corporate standards and guidances, including the sustainability certification schemes for CORSIA-eligible fuels and important market-based mechanisms like book-and-claim that socialize SAF premiums while attributing environmental benefits to supply chain partners. Our hope is to guide this clean fuel-focused community to a more streamlined process of quantifying and accurately accounting for the high-quality carbon emissions benefits that SAF offers. As a trade association, we represent the entire supply chain from feedstock production to fuel production and distribution. We are particularly well-positioned to support our fuel producers as they work with their customers to mitigate climate change.

We are one pellet in a silver buckshot to decarbonize aviation as well as other transportation sectors, but we aim to do so in a scientifically robust and practically implementable fashion. And we hope you’ll join us in counting and tracking all the carbon to eke out every incremental benefit SAF has to offer.

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Biodiesel isn’t a substitute for diesel fuel; it’s an upgrade. Biodiesel adds lubricity to an engine, eliminating the need for a fuel additive. It lowers particulate matter, hydrocarbons, CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases. It’s non-hazardous, biodegradable and non-toxic. It’s helping fleets quickly meet carbon reduction goals in hard-to-electrify, heavy-duty vehicles. The benefits are apparent, but newcomers often want to know whether it works. Changing fuels in your most expensive vehicles is a high-stakes decision. However, mounds of data show that in today’s diesel engines, biodiesel works at B20 (a blend of 20%
biodiesel with 80% diesel), and even higher blends. It’s even been tested and works in engines that won’t be on the market until five to ten years from now.

At Clean Fuels Alliance America (formerly the National Biodiesel Board), we’re constantly putting biodiesel to the test because we want people to know what we know: that biodiesel is a high-quality fuel. Throughout its 30-year history, the biodiesel industry and Clean Fuels have proactively led cooperative research projects with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and leading research institutions to determine if the ASTM specifications for B100 needed to be modified to ensure that biodiesel blends will perform reliably and effectively when diesel fuel or diesel engine regulations change.

Based on compelling new biodiesel fuel quality data from some of the nation’s top research institutions, ASTM International has published a new Low Metals (LM) grade of biodiesel in D6751, the ASTM specification for low-carbon B100 biodiesel used as a blendstock with middle distillate fuels such as diesel
fuel.

The latest round of research tested the impacts of B20 on the long-term durability of diesel particulate filters in New Technology Diesel Engines (NTDEs) outfitted with modern Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) aftertreatment.

This study was conducted with Southwest Research Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in a large, multi-year cooperative program with diesel engine and exhaust aftertreatment manufacturers. The testing compared long-term (over 1,000 hours of accelerated aging) impacts of NTDEs running on B20 with a lower level of metals – equivalent to B100 containing a total of 4 parts per million (ppm) for sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) – to the impacts of conventional ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD).

The results indicated that biodiesel containing a maximum of 4 ppm total metals resulted in ash that was similar to that deposited by the ULSD, exhibited a similar ash cleaning removal efficiency, did not have a negative effect on DPF pressure drop or regeneration rates, and did not appear to have any deleterious physical effects on the DPF substrate. These studies were presented at the SAE Congress in Detroit in April 2023 and published as SAE Papers 2023-01-0297 and 2023-01-0296. The work was instrumental in the passage of a successful ballot by the ASTM D02 Fuels Committee to approve a new LM grade of ASTM D6751 biodiesel with a maximum of 4 ppm total metals (Na+K+Ca+Mg), down from the existing grades which allow up to 10 ppm total metals.

The biodiesel fuel quality report published by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is a final contributing factor to the persuasive technical data required to tighten ASTM specifications. Now in its sixth year, this annual report documents the quality of biodiesel produced in the United States and Canada by BQ-9000 certified producers, which represent over 90% of North American production. According to the most recent NREL report from June 2023, the current average of B100 total metals in the marketplace today registers below 1 ppm total, well below the 4 ppm specification recently adopted in the new LM grade of biodiesel at ASTM.

The rigor of these cooperative research efforts and the positive results, along with the already low level of metals in commercial production in the field, bode well for biodiesel use in the new Ultra-Low Emissions Diesel Engines (ULEDE) coming to market in 2027-2031.

As ASTM International celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, it has chosen the ASTM D6751 specification for biodiesel as one of the Top 10 most influential standards that ASTM has ever produced. This specification has ensured that biodiesel is held to a higher standard than petroleum diesel, meaning that as long as fuel meets the specs, it will perform throughout an engine’s full life.

The new standard will continue to bolster confidence in the fuel for OEMs and fleets, providing further evidence that biodiesel is a high-quality fuel, continually improving, and meeting robust quality standards.

That confidence is essential because as emissions standards tighten and corporations increase pledges to reduce their carbon footprint, fleets require immediate solutions. Consumers and regulators are demanding greener practices, and biodiesel is rising to meet that demand.

The pressure is on. There may be a day when companies have traded their diesel semi-trucks for expensive electric models and figured out how to keep them charged as they ship goods across the country, but these companies can’t wait a decade or longer for heavy-duty electrification to be optimized and tested—they need solutions today.

Biodiesel is available as a high-quality drop-in fuel. It is becoming the obvious or, in many cases, the only choice. Biodiesel is shifting from a luxury item for a few environmentally conscious fleets to a necessity for corporations to compete in the modern world.

New research and tighter specifications are important pieces in making fleets feel comfortable with that choice. Clean Fuels will continue to work closely with ASTM International, OEMs, and leading research institutions to ensure that B20 and higher biodiesel blends continue to offer fleets an easy, reliable, and sustainable decarbonization solution now and for decades to come.

We have rigorous data to ensure that B20 can perform in any diesel engine and any application, whether that be highway, ag, marine, rail, heating oil, or power generation. Engine manufacturers and fleets should be confident that biodiesel is fit for purpose in the diesel engines of yesterday, today, and tomorrow and will have only positive impacts on performance and durability.

The data shows time and time again that fleets can have it all. They can meet emissions goals while filling up with reliable, high-quality fuel. Biodiesel has become a premium product that solves the challenges of today’s fleets. Clean Fuels Alliance America will continue to work with OEMs and biodiesel producers to ensure our fuel continually improves and exceeds the demands of heavy-duty engines.

This article was funded by the United Soybean Board and state checkoff organizations.

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Participants provided monthly data on critical quality parameters to a team of experts who anonymized the data to NREL for statistical analysis. The data collected for 2022 suggests a higher level of quality of BQ-9000 biodiesel for users that blend with petroleum diesel across the U.S., meaning biodiesel production well exceeds the current ASTM specification limits.

Clean Fuels Technical Director Scott Fenwick said the annual assessment is used by entities such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to validate biodiesel quality while supporting the clean fuels industry.

“The results of this assessment have led to the improvement of biodiesel spec ASTM D6751-23,” said Fenwick. “These improvements have allowed major fleets to switch to biodiesel to meet carbon reduction goals and will likely lead to higher blend approvals for some OEMs in the future.”

You can access the full assessment by visiting www.NREL.gov or by clicking here.

Materials supported by United Soybean Board, soybean farmers and their checkoffs.

Contact: Heather Buechter, hbuechter@cleanfuels.org, 479-651-7301.

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