Argus North American Biofuels, LCFS & Carbon Markets Summit

An opportunity for the biofuels industry to meet, network, share, and learn about experiences with their peers. 
8.30 Doors Open/Breakfast is served! 
9.10 Opening remarks from Jessica Dell 
9.20 A short conversation with Rajinder Sahota on her journey to Deputy Executive Officer at CARB
10.00 Free networking time 
12.00 Breakfast concludes

Speakers:

Rajinder Sahota, Deputy Executive Officer, Climate Change & Research, California Air Resources Board

Moderator:

• CARB has just undergone some significant changes under the 2022 scoping plan, one of major changes being increased stringency to ensure the 2030 emission goals are met, how will this impact market participants? What are CARB’s plans for the cap-and-trade program for 2030 and beyond? 
• In 2022 the California Legislature passed SB 905 which requires CARB to create a Carbon Capture, Removal, Utilization, and Storage Program, what is the nexus with the Cap-and Trade Program?
• What is the role of compliance offsets moving forward?

Speaker:

Rajinder Sahota, Deputy Executive Officer - Climate Change & Research, California Air Resources Board 

Michael Ball, Editor—Air Daily, Argus

• Updates on the Washington and Oregon cap and trade. What are some major takeaways from each program first year? 
• Is linkage the ultimate goal for both states? If so, what do Washington and Oregon need to do in terms of policy reform to be able to link with California? 
• Market participants claim that the Washington Cap and Investment program has caused a significant increase in petrol prices, from the perspective of the state is the correlation between petrol prices and the cap and invest strong? If so, what is the department of ecology do to mitigate this issue? 

Speakers:

Nicole Singh, Senior Climate Policy Advisor, Office of Greenhouse Gas Programs, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Moderator:

Katie Sullivan, Managing Director, IETA

• Overview of RGGI’s development over the past 10+ years
• RGGI has just completed the third of its four annual auctions.   What are some of the highlights/observations from the auctions this year so far?
• What are the potential consequences of having key states, like Virginia, come and go from RGGI? What progress has RGGI made in getting other states, like North Carolina for example, on board?  

Andrew McKeon, Executive Director, RGGI  

Moderator:

Michael Ball, Editor—Air Daily, Argus

• Overview of current carbon credit prices across all North American cap and trade programs
• How are market participants preparing for higher carbon prices? What technologies are companies investing in to mitigate concerns around high carbon pricing? 
• The European market has shown us that as climate goals get more ambitions and caps begin to lower the price of carbon begins to increase. What can market participants in North America learn from their European counterparts? 

Bo Qin, Lead Carbon Analyst, Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) 

Ian Thomson, President, Advanced Biofuels Canada 

Mike Kierstead, Head of Environmental Products, ICE  

Moderator: 

Michael Ball, Editor—Air Daily, Argus

• Overview of North American based CCUS project, where is the future of CCUS in North America heading? 
• How does CCUS fit into corporate sustainability strategies today? Is there reputational risk attached to investment in CCUS? If so what are corporates and project developers doing to mitigate this risk? 
• CCUS has played a huge role in the E-Fuels space, but as states like California began to push for EVs and hydrogen power  will demand for CCUS in this sector be impacted? 

Moderator:

Adam Nye, Business Development--Voluntary Carbon Markets, Argus

•  Is liquid hydrogen ready to be integrated into the mix as readily available decarbonization technology? If not, why?
• As carbon prices across North America continue to increase, how do market participants plan to utilize hydrogen power in their sustainability strategies moving forward?
• If market participants had to rank the viability of the available decarbonization technology where would hydrogen place?

Roxana Bekemohammadi, Founder & Executive Director, United States Hydrogen Alliance 

Simon Zhang, President and CEO, Clean Hydrogen Works  

Moderator:

Adam Nye, Business Development—Voluntary Carbon Markets, Argus

• Updates and overview of this year’s LCFS rulemaking. How does CARB see the LCFs developing over the next decade or so?  
• What role will RNG play in decarbonizing California this decade? 
• Now that CARB’s Advanced Clean Fleets has been agreed upon, what can the market expect next? 50% of work vehicles going electric is quite high, how does CARB plan to implement this in real time?

Dr. Steven Cliff, Executive Director, California Air Resources Board

Moderator:

Jessica Dell, Editor, Argus 

• What has Washington learned in its inaugural year? 
• Are there concerns surrounding feedstocks? From the perspective of regulators how do they plan to support and incentivize in state feedstock projects?
• From your perspective as regulators and based on market participant feedback, what are some of the challenges that these clean fuel programs need overcome? In other words, what are some areas that need improvement?  

Speakers:

Abbey Brown, Clean Fuel Standard Technical and Policy Lead, Washington Department of Ecology 

Jordan Ramalingam, Industrial Strategies Division, California Air Resources Board 

Bill Peters, CFP Markets Analyst, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 

Elliot Blackburn, Senior Reporter, Argus

• Overview of the EPA’s new set rule (due to be released June 14th, 2023. What does this new set rule mean for the landscape of the RFS? 
• Will biogas and EV be split to a second rulemaking? 
• What can market participants expect the EPA to address in their set rule for 2026? 

Speaker:

Paul Machiele, Center Director for Fuel Programs in the Assessment and Standards Division, EPA 

Moderator:

Elliot Blackburn, Senior Reporter, Argus

• An overview of pricing and policy trends in Europe and Asia, is Asia the new global frontier for feedstocks?
• What could increase international trade flows mean for the future of biofuels globally? Should this form of collaboration be incentivized or is it defeating the purpose of a cleaner and greener future? 
• How are these three major markets – North America, Europe, and Asia—interacting with one an other? 

Speakers:

John Brown, Editor—Biofuels, Argus
Fabricio Cardoso, Senior Research Manager, Consulting, Argus 

• How have your expectations for the first year of obligations changed since the rulemaking was passed last year? 
• BC recently announced that JET would be incorporated into their LCFs program, what does this mean for the future of SAF in Canada? Will the Canadian aviation sector be incentivized to utilize it even more than they are now?  
• How do you expect credit trading to develop in this first year of obligations? 

Speaker:

Paola Mellow, Executive Director of the Low Carbon Fuel Division, Government of Canada   

Moderator:

Elliot Blackburn, Senior Reporter, Argus

• It’s clear that Alberta is leading the way in terms of CCUS, what projects are currently being developed? What legislative incentives are in the works in terms of CCUS?  
• How does the BC see its LCFS fitting with the federal program? What does the spread of LCFS on the US west coast and through Canada mean for BC’s access to low-carbon fuels? 
• Will the aviation sector be integrated into the BC LCFs? If so, what’s the timeline?  
• What is the likely hood of international linkage with the American programs, specifically on the West Coast?  

Speaker:

Dianne McGuire, Senior Economist, Low Carbon Fuels Branch, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation British Columbia  

John Storey-Bishoff, Executive Director, Climate Regulation and Carbon Markets Branch, Alberta Department of Environment and Protected Areas 

Moderator:

Ian Thomson, President, Advanced Biofuels Canada 

• Where do you see the North American biofuels, markets heading over the next 10-20 years?  
• In terms of regulatory updates and reforms, what would you like to see at both the federal and state level? 
• What kinds of technologies or production adaptations do producers need to invest in to ensure that the biofuels market continues to decarbonize?

Speakers:

Jolie Rhinehart, General Manager, Phillips 66

Michael Vomund, Vice President of Fuels Sales, Chevron

Bruce Heine, Vice President Government and Media Affairs, Magellan Midstream Partners 

Moderator:

Matt Oatway, SVP North America, Argus 

• What different roles can financial intermediaries play in both compliance and voluntary carbon markets? 
• From the perspective of a financial institution what do you make of the voluntary carbon market today?  
• One of the many roles that a financial intermediary can take on is that of an advisor. From this perspective, what are some of the biggest concerns your clients have in terms of decarbonization strategies? Is off setting an integral piece of that strategy? If not, why?

Philippe Cantin, Vice President of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations, Enerkem

David Livingstone, Managing Director, CITI 

Mark Horowitz, Managing Director – Global Sales & Business Development, Incubex

Moderator:

Adam Nye, Business Development—Voluntary Carbon Markets, Argus 

• What kinds of projects are corporates investing in now? Are nature based VCOs still seen as a reliable resource given the recent media surround RED+ credits? 
• What steps or who are, corporates relying on to ensure that the projects they invest or credits they used are trustworthy? 
• How are standards evolving their practices to ensure integrity and increased transparency? 

Yuhau Lin, Vice President, Environmental Commodities, Morgan Stanley 

Brad Schallert, Director of Net Zero, Winrock 

Moderator:

Adam Nye, Business Development—Voluntary Carbon Markets, Argus 

• Detail the process of developing a voluntary carbon off-set project from start to finish  
• What are some of the lessons learned while developing projects in Asia versus South America? How do you as project developers ensure environmental integrity on the ground? 
• Take the audience through the accreditation process as a project developer. From your perspective how do standards need to develop to create more transparency and trust in voluntary carbon markets?  

Leslie L. Durschinger, Founder, CEO, Terra Global

Moderator:

Adam Nye, Business Development—Voluntary Carbon Markets, Argus 

• How are different airlines approaching the SAF versus off-set questions? What are the benefits of relying on SAF versus the VCM?
• From the producer perspective, what is the main concern around the production of SAF? Is there enough feedstock to go around? 
• Is SAF accessible and easy to use? What do end users need from producers?

Mela Buzzetta, Senior Sustainable Fuels Consultant, Southwest 

Jason Hazen, Director of Fuels & Logistics, LanzaJet 

Sean Newsum, Managing Director, Environmental Affairs, Airlines for America 

Moderator:

Louise Burke, Business Development, Argus

• What are some of the biggest logistical challenges that the SAF must overcome to become a more accessible sustainability tool? 
• How are questions around feedstock availability and scalability impacting SAF production? 
• Is electrification available within the aviation sector? Could this sector potentially see short haul flights turning to EVs and would it be a cheaper and more sustainable option than SAF?

Speakers:

Nishal Patel, Manager Trading – Biofuels, Valero

Keith R. Sawyer, Manager of Alternative Fuels, Avfuel

Dale Smith, Regional Director, SAF Procurement, Supply and Policy Strategies, Boeing 

Moderator: 

Louise Burke, Business Development, Argus

• Overview of the Inflation Reduction Act and the requirements for SAF as well as clean fuel credits  
• What role could the IRA play, from an economics perspective, in scaling feedstocks?    
• Each renewable fuel feedstock has its own costs and availability, what categories are easily accessible to the market now? In -terms of scalability will they be able to keep up with increasing demand?  
• Biomass is quickly becoming a more intriguing feedstock alternative but is it feasible and cost effective for RNG and green fuel producers?   

Speakers: 

Lindsay Fitzgerald, VP of Government Relations, Gevo 

Donna Warndof, Head of Public Affairs, Americas, Neste 

Brian McDonald, Regulatory Affairs, Marathon 

Janie Kilgore, Associate Regulatory Counsel, POET 

Moderator:

Kevin Lee, Consulting, Argus 

• Feedstocks are a time old issue when it comes to biofuels, but as the market continues to scale up there is more concern than ever. Yet, some speculate that it isn’t and will never be a big issue. What is the reality of feedstock availability and accessibility in North America today? 
• From an agricultural perspective, how has increased feedstock demand impacted the food market in the US? Is this more of an issue for the future or is it impacting food supply now? 
• In terms of feedstock for RNG, there seems to be concern surrounding dairy projects and air quality. From agricultural perspective are these sorts of feedstock projects essential for RNG production? 

Chris Vervaet, Executive Director, Canadian Oilseed Processors Association

Jonathan Martin, Director of Economics and Market Analytics, Clean Fuels Alliance 

America 

David Hovermale, Executive Vice President, Government Relations, National Oilseed Producers 

Moderator: 

 Jacqueline Reigle, Editorial, Argus 

• What are the biggest competitive concerns for feedstock in the US? In North America? 
• Waste oils are the dominating feedstock in terms of renewable diesel, but does North American feedstock market have the capacity for the rapidly increasing demand and impending market explosion? What alternative feedstocks are producers exploring in terms of RD? 
• Which region is the best next location to develop renewable diesel and SAF production, either greenfield or conversion?  

Speaker:

Marie LaRiviere, Senior Industry Specialist, Amazon Worldwide Operations Sustainability, Amazon

Shailesh Sahay, Partner, Baker Botts LLP 

Daniel Kim, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, NXT Clean Fuels   

Moderator:

Jacqueline Reigle, Editorial, Argus

• California regulators argue that biogas and RNG should be reserved for power generation while the transport sector should be focusing their efforts on electrification, is there enough room for both parties in terms of feedstocks and biogas availability?  
• If biogas where to “pick a side”, would that allow one sector to make significant strides in terms of reaching sustainability goals and emission reduction?  
• In terms of getting the product from feedstock to ready to use biomass (i.e., logistics) is it easier to use it for power generation rather than transport fuel? 

Speakers:

Ernie Pollitzer, PE Senior Engineer, First Environment 

Patrick Serfass, Executive Director, American Biogas Council 

Sean Wine, Vice President, Renewables Distribution, Clean Energy Fuels 

Sam Wade, Director of Public Policy, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas 

Moderator:

Jessica Dell, Editor, Argus

• Are zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) real? For example, is the market considering the Co2 emissions that go into making something as basic as the battery for an EV? 
• In-terms of E-RINs, to whom should the credit be awarded? The biogas or LNG producer, the manufacturer? 
• Right now, the EPA assumes it would be all obliged parties but what does that mean in terms of double counting? Could this inflate the data the supports a push for an entirely EV focused transportation sector? 

Dave Meyer, Director, Transportation Markets,3Degrees  

Andy Meislin, Sustainability Manager, UPS 

Moderator:

Kevin Lee, Consulting, Argus