The 2025 Clean Fuels Conference is being held this week in a very important market for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel – California.
“Biodiesel and renewable diesel have displaced 75% of all diesel sold in the state,” said Clean Fuels CEO Donnell Rehagen in his opening remarks Tuesday. “It’s now harder to find diesel fuel in California than our fuels. Our industry is responsible for 45% of California’s progress under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard so far.”
However, Rehagen says the accelerating growth in the industry has created a unique challenge, the need for more feedstock.
“Our industry’s rapid growth, more than doubling production capacity in the last four years, has outpaced domestic feedstock availability – at least for now. By our calculations, current volumes of domestic feedstocks would support about 3.3 billion gallons of fuel production,” said Rehagen. “As we’ve seen growing amounts of imported feedstocks coming in to fill the demand, it has generated angst with domestic feedstock growers and processors.”
Rehagen says it will be an active and challenging year for the clean fuels industry. “We must remain unified…We will need engagement from this industry as the impacts of 45z begin to take effect, and RVOs are set…all under a new administration. We’re going to need everybody to participate. If we win on these two things, 2025 and 2026 could be among our finest years yet.”
Listen to Rehagen’s comments:
Clean Fuels opening remarks Donnell Rehagen, CEO (27:21)