The 2020 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo kicked off Tuesday in Tampa with a new industry vision for a new decade.
National Biodiesel Board CEO Donnell Rehagen unveiled the new industry vision statement in his state of the industry remarks to attendees.
Biodiesel, renewable diesel, and renewable jet fuel will be recognized as mainstream low-carbon fuel options with superior performance and emission characteristics. In on road, off road, air transportation, electricity generation, and home heating applications, use will exceed six billion gallons by 2030, eliminating over 35 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions annually. With advancements in feedstock, use will reach 15 billion gallons by 2050.
“Without a clear vision of the future – what we want to be, where we want to go, and how we’ll get there – we’ll never be more than we are today,” said Rehagen. “While the volumes in our new industry vision may seem ambitious, there is a very clear path to meeting this vision as long as we stay committed to working together and continuing to collaborate.”
The association’s plan includes a new tagline to go with the long-used biodiesel logo that emphasizes the benefits of the fuel in a succinct way – Better. Cleaner. Now!
Listen to Rehagen’s remarks:
NBB2020 Opening session - NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen (18:52)
Rehagen met with members of the media at the National Biodiesel Conference after his state of the industry address on Tuesday. Many of the questions dealt with the biodiesel tax credit extension and when it will provide some relief for the industry.
“Producers should be working on it as we speak to get those forms into the IRS,” said Rehagen. “Our understanding is 60 to 90 days they should be seeing refund checks. So hopefully that will start putting them back in a good position to make forward looking decisions.”
Rehagen also talked about the new biodiesel industry vision and working on increasing biodiesel’s space in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
NBB2020 NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen press gaggle (14:23)