Argus North American Biofuels, LCFS & Carbon Markets Summit

Morning Sessions

08:00 - 08:50

Breakfast and registration

08:50 - 09:00

Chair's Opening Remarks

Speakers Include:

Louise Burke

SVP Business Development

Argus

09:00 - 09:25

Keynote Address: State of the SAF Industry: From Policy Ambition to Commercial Reality

• The current state of the SAF market: What is working, what is stalling, and why?
• Translating policy signals into bankable, operational SAF projects
• The role of cross‑value‑chain collaboration in advancing SAF development
• Building partnerships with airport authorities and state‑level associations
• Commercial lessons from selling SAF into international markets
• What the next phase of SAF growth requires from industry, policymakers and investors

09:25 - 10:10

Keynote Panel Discussion: What Airlines Need from the US Regulatory Framework Post-2026

This leadership discussion brings together airline executives and SAF specialists to examine how airlines are planning for SAF scale-up beyond 2026.

 

• Regulatory durability beyond political cycles: How airlines assess the long-term credibility and stability of US SAF policies, and what is needed to support investment decisions beyond short-term policy horizons
• Aligning global and national frameworks: The role of international alignment in shaping airline SAF strategies and avoiding fragmented approaches across regions
• How high SAF production costs are impacting airline adoption and delaying the formation of bankable, long-term offtake agreements
• Avoiding market fragmentation: What airlines need from US regulatory systems to ensure coherence between compliance-driven and voluntary markets, and to prevent duplicative or conflicting frameworks
• Are US incentives, like the 45Z tax credit and Renewable Fuel Standard pathways, enough to boost US SAF production without a real mandate?
• Learning from Europe: What impact have EU mandates had on SAF supply, pricing, and availability — and what lessons can be applied to the US market?

Speakers Include:

Ryan Flamerich

Senior Manager, Environmental Sustainability

United Airlines

Sean Newsum

Managing Director, Environmental Affairs

Airlines for America

Angela Rosenwood

SAF & Sustainable Program Manager

Alaska Airlines

Jake Gentry

Director of Renewable Fuels, Fuel Transition

Earth Finance, Inc (Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator Project)

Steve Csonka

Executive Director

CAAFI (Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative)

10:10 - 10:45

Panel Discussion: SAF Book and Claim in the US: Building Credible Demand Signals Without Fragmentation

• Benefits and purpose of book and claim for SAF in the US
• The role of book‑and‑claim in enabling credible SAF adoption
• What are the primary drivers behind corporate demand for SAF certificates in the US, and how do these influence the long-term viability and growth of the book and claim system?
• The role of fuel suppliers, intermediaries and system operators in ensuring transparency, auditability and integrity in book‑and‑claim frameworks
• How book‑and‑claim systems align with CORSIA and airline reporting expectations, and where further harmonisation is still needed
• What are the specific economic incentives and regulatory frameworks that would need to be established to overcome the challenges in book-and claim system implementation

Speakers Include:

Elise B. Fox

Director of Sustainability – Aviation

World Fuel Services

Sean Newsum

Managing Director, Environmental Affairs

Airlines for America

10:45 - 11:15

Networking Break

11:15 - 11:45

Presentation and Fireside Talk: The Roadmap for the SAF supply Chain in Canada and its Impact in the US Market

• How regulatory design, incentives, and market mechanisms can be better aligned to support cross‑border SAF supply chains, and give industry the long‑term confidence needed to invest
• Canadian approaches to SAF: Update and progress
• What government policies and programmes are supporting scale‑up against global competition?
• What would true policy coherence mean for SAF scale, offtake certainty, and capital deployment across North America?

Speakers Include:

Louise Burke

SVP Business Development

Argus

Geoff Tauvette

Executive Director

Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF)

11:45 - 12:25

Panel Discussion: Integrating SAF into Airline Operations, Infrastructure and Fuel Supply Chains in the US

• Aligning expectations: SAF suppliers’ and offtakers’ perspectives
•  What suppliers can realistically deliver versus what airlines and offtakers expect in terms of volume, price, and reliability — and how those expectations are converging in practice
• Where SAF infrastructure exists today, where gaps remain, and how regional bottlenecks shape supplier strategies, airline uptake, and investment decisions
• What are key logistical considerations potential producers need when siting a SAF production facility?
• Blending, storage, and quality control: Operational challenges that determine scalability and cost

Speakers Include:

Phillip Garcia

Director, SAF Marketing & Commercial Development

Sumitomo Corporation of Americas

Geoff Tauvette

Executive Director

Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF)

12:25 - 13:00

Fireside Talk Session: Moving SAF Through Existing Fuel Systems and Delivering it Reliably to Aircraft

• How SAF is integrated into existing airport fuel infrastructure
• The realities of the “last‑mile” challenge in SAF delivery
• Blending locations vs. neat‑SAF production and distribution
• The role of fuel suppliers in enabling early airport adoption
• What airports, airlines and producers need to understand about SAF logistics as volumes scale
• Practical lessons from US airports already supplying SAF
• Fuel quality assurance, certification and operational risk management when introducing SAF into jet fuel systems

Speakers Include:

Keith Sawyer

Manager of Alternative Fuels

Avfuel Corporation

Matthew Wright

Vice President and General Manager

Monterey Fuel Company, LLC

Louise Burke

SVP Business Development

Argus

13:00 - 14:10

Networking Lunch

Afternoon Sessions

14:10 - 15:00

Presentation and Panel Discussion: Renewable Diesel vs SAF: What Determines Where Producers Invest Next

• What are the primary factors producers evaluate when deciding between Renewable Diesel and SAF production?
• How the ability to switch between renewable diesel and SAF helps producers manage uncertainty
• How do offtake structures, airline demand and price certainty compare between RD and SAF?
• What role do feedstock availability, processing flexibility and plant configuration play in these decisions?
• Key differences in market maturity, contracting and price certainty

Speakers Include:

Geoff Tauvette

Executive Director

Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF)

Paula Wagner

Head of Sales SAF, Renewable Products North America

Neste

15:00 - 15:45

Panel Discussion: Feedstocks for SAF – What Will Actually Scale?

A practical discussion on feedstock availability, competition and sustainability limits — and what these realities mean for SAF investment and growth in North America.

 

• What effect will 45Z have on domestic and international feedstocks, export trends, and business decision-making?
• Is there enough US feedstock to meet RVO 2026 and 2027?
• How are policy restrictions on eligible SAF feedstocks, together with market and economic factors, shaping which feedstocks are actually available at scale—and how does this influence pricing and long‑term supply security?
• How could energy crops and cover crops realistically support bio‑SAF pathways — and where do they fit best compared with existing feedstock strategies?
• Used cooking oil and tallow: Availability, competition, traceability challenges, and their long‑term role in SAF and renewable diesel markets

Speakers Include:

Chris Cooper

Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director

XCF Global, Inc

Louise Burke

SVP Business Development

Argus

15:45 - 16:15

Networking Break

16:15 - 16:55

Presentation and Panel Discussion: Technology Pathways for SAF: From Concept to Commercial Scale

This session provides a clear‑eyed assessment of the leading SAF technology pathways — HEFA, Alcohol‑to‑Jet (ATJ), and Power‑to‑Liquids (PtL) — examining what is commercially viable today, what may scale next, and what remains constrained by economics, feedstocks, or policy uncertainty

 

• Technology Pathways for SAF: HEFA, ATJ & Power‑to‑Liquids — What Will Scale, When, and Why?
• Understanding feedstock availability, competition, and constraints across pathways is essential for realistic scaling assumptions
• How incentives, mandates, and regulatory stability influence investment decisions across different SAF technologies

Speakers Include:

Steve Csonka

Executive Director

CAAFI (Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative)

16:55 - 17:00

Chair’s Closing Remarks

Speakers Include:

Louise Burke

SVP Business Development

Argus

17:00 - 18:00

Drinks Reception (Welcome to all attendees)**

08:10 - 09:00

Welcome & Registration

09:00 - 10:30

Part I - Federal Level Programs - RFS, RINs and the IRA

• The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): How RFS rules shape RINs and compliance costs | Recent updates to the RFS for 26-27 set rule.

• RINs Price Drivers: Biofuels markets and RINs cost drivers | Small Refinery Exemptions.

• Inflation Reduction Act: Blending and production tax credits |Recent Updates to the 45Z | Impact on biofuel margins.

Speakers Include:

Leah Kennon

Principal, Analytics & Consulting

Argus

Zander Capozzola

Principal, Analytics & Consulting

Argus

10:30 - 10:50

10:50 - 11:15

Part II - LCFS, Credit Stacking, and The Road Ahead

• LCFS Framework and Market Basics: How CARB rules impact supply and demand of credits in the LCFS market | New and existing LCFS markets outside of California | Canada CFR Program.

Speakers Include:

Leah Kennon

Principal, Analytics & Consulting

Argus

Zander Capozzola

Principal, Analytics & Consulting

Argus

11:15 - 11:40

Short Break

11:40 - 12:15

Part III & Wrap Up

• Biofuel Product Valuations: Credit Stacking

• The Road Ahead

Leah Kennon

Principal, Analytics & Consulting

Argus

Zander Capozzola

Principal, Analytics & Consulting

Argus

12:15 - 13:00

Networking Lunch

Join the main conference welcome lunch with your main conference pass.

Optional add-ons - RINs Workshop, SAF Focus Day, Golf Experience

Explore the tabs above for additional details on optional add-ons designed to enhance your event experience on September 15

12:00 - 13:00

Welcome and Networking Lunch

13:00 - 13:10

Chair’s Opening Remarks

Speakers Include:

Jessica Dell

Editorial Manager, Environmental Markets

Argus

13:10 - 13:50

Regulators’ Keynote Panel: State of the States - Where Cap and Trade and Carbon Regulation Go Next

This session focuses on how US state carbon markets are evolving in practice, where alignment is emerging, and where fragmentation continues to shape price signals and investment decisions.

 

• What lessons from existing state programmes matter most for jurisdictions considering reforms, expansion, or new market design — and where expectations still exceed policy reality
• How are new sources of allowance demand (data centers, rising electricity loads) affecting cap-and-trade markets and broader discussions of energy affordability?

13:50 - 14:30

Carbon Markets and Road Fuels: What Is Actually Investable Today

• Why biofuels remain the most consistently supported end use under existing carbon market rules
• Where and why SAF, marine fuels and RNG still face eligibility, cost or implementation gaps compared with road transport
• How LCFS-style programmes, blending mandates and credit structures continue to anchor demand and capital deployment in road fuels

14:30 - 15:10

Carbon Markets Under Pressure: Are Carbon Markets Delivering Credible Signals for Investment and Compliance?

• Market impact and trade‑offs: How potential linkage could amplify or dampen liquidity, volatility and long‑term confidence in the WCI and Washington markets.
• Carbon market liquidity and volatility: What past linkage and fragmentation experiences tell us about whether carbon markets can support stable price signals.
• What do changes in California’s regulations mean for the market?
• Compliance and VCM interaction: How are current trends in the compliance markets affecting the availability of voluntary offsets, and vice versa? 
• RGGI market rally: What’s driving the market?What has changed with Virginia returning?

Speakers Include:

Mike Taylor

President

Emissions Experts

Jon Constantino

Founding Principal

Tradesman Advisors

Arjun Patney

Low Carbon Originator

bp

Caroline Gentry

Director, Environmental Markets

Nodal Exchange

15:10 - 16:10

Networking Break

Three weeks before the conference, delegates will receive an email which will allow them to sign up for 10-minute slots with regulators. 

16:10 - 16:55

Presentation and Panel Discussion: How Biofuels, RNG & Credits Actually Clear the Market

This panel focus on how biofuels and environmental credits are actually traded, monetised and delivered in today’s markets —Focus: Trading, execution, and market dynamics

• How RINs and Biofuels markets convert supply–demand dynamics and investment
• How biofuels, RNG and environmental credits move from producer to end user — and why delivery, scheduling and counterparties matter
• How traders manage and optimise fuels and credits across overlapping compliance, voluntary and export systems
• What producers want traders and policymakers to better understand
• How policy, physical fundamentals, and cross-commodities dynamics affect price behavior of RINs
• In such complex market, how can traders think about the price direction, timing, and volatility in their trading decisions

Speakers Include:

Jennifer Aurandt Pilgrim

VP of R&D

Marquis Energy

Viola Zhu

Sr. Trade Analyst

Sunoco LP

16:55 - 17:00

Chair’s Closing Remarks

Speakers Include:

Jessica Dell

Editorial Manager, Environmental Markets

Argus

17:00 - 18:00

Drinks Reception

Morning Sessions

07:50 - 08:50

Breakfast & registration

08:50 - 08:55

Argus Welcome

Speakers Include:

Matt Oatway

SVP North America

Argus

08:55 - 09:00

Host Sponsor Remarks

09:00 - 09:45

Keynote Address: California’s Cap-and-Trade, LCFS and legislative updates

09:45 - 10:15

Low Carbon Fuel Standards: Changes to Existing Programs and Expansions to New States

• Where the current programmes stand today, and how they have tangibly impacted the renewables industry
• How regulators are navigating the new supply environment to guide the future of their programs

10:15 - 11:00

Networking coffee break

Optional: Meet with the regulators

Three weeks before the conference, delegates will receive an email which will allow them to sign up for 10-minute slots with regulators.

11:00 - 11:40

Panel Discussion: Panel Discussion: Expansion of Renewable Diesel in North America - Is the California the Template?

• What the loss of in‑state refining capacity means for diesel, and low‑carbon fuel availability — and where replacement supply is realistically coming from
• The growing role of imports and logistics optionality in meeting demand, and how this is changing competitive dynamics
• How shifts in sourcing and refining are influencing average fuel CI and compliance outcomes — intentionally or otherwise
• Where opportunities are emerging for traders, suppliers, and producers able to deliver compliant barrels, batches, or credits into a tighter system
• How supply disruption feeds through into credit demand, pricing expectations, and decisions around in‑state production versus imports

Speakers Include:

Heidi Herzog

Director of Sales & Trading, Renewable Diesel, Americas

Neste

Josh Bledsoe

Partner

Latham & Watkins LLP

11:40 - 12:10

45Z in Practice: Incentive Design vs Market Reality

A practical discussion on how the new 45Z tax credit is influencing real production, investment, and pathway decisions in the US — and where gaps remain between policy intent and market execution.

 

• How are the North American feedstock restrictions affecting who can claim 45Z
• How is lower credit for SAF this year impacting RD/SAF producers
• Has 45Z tax guidance answered industry questions, or do uncertainties remain
• How eligibility rules, feedstock treatment, and co‑processing exclusions are shaping commercial viability and deployment timelines in practice
• How 45Z sits alongside established frameworks such as LCFS and CFR, and what this means for multi‑market operators
• Who is capturing value from 45Z today — and where structural or regulatory frictions continue to limit scale

12:10 - 12:40

Renewable Diesel: Changing Policies Impact Trade Flows

• How the latest biofuel quotas in the RVO are impacting the market
• How are new 45Z feedstock eligibility rules – including heftier subsidies this year for crop-based fuels and potential for crediting climate-smart ag practices – affecting buyer decisions?
• How producers are adjusting sourcing strategies in response to credit certainty
• Where incremental demand may come from: LCFS vs non‑LCFS states, export markets, and integrated refinery strategies
• How RD competes with SAF for capital, feedstocks, and policy attention
• What conditions would unlock the next phase of RD growth — and what could stall it?

Speakers Include:

Dani Charles

Co-Founder

Veriflux

12:40 - 13:10

Feedstocks Panel: Mandates, Trade Flows, Investment Realities, and what’s Next

• Policy‑driven allocation: How LCFS, RFS, 45Z, and state‑level programs influence feedstock direction
  
  
• Sustainability and feedstock constraints: Whether stricter sustainability and feedstock rules will limit availability, raise costs, or accelerate shifts toward new fuel pathways
  
  
• How European mandates (ReFuelEU, FuelEU Maritime) and global SAF targets are reshaping feedstock trade flows
  
  
• How producers and traders are managing feedstock risk amid policy uncertainty
  
  
• Role of novel oilseeds, intermediate and cover crops in relieving pressure on waste oils and enabling scalable growth post‑2030
  
  
• How policy must evolve—agronomically, commercially, and from a carbon‑intensity perspective—for cover crops to move from pilot projects to an investable feedstock supply

Speakers Include:

Veronica Bradley

Director of Environmental Science

Clean Fuels Alliance

Chelsey Robinson

Director, Bioeconomy & Sustainable Ag Systems

Bayer

Dani Charles

Co-Founder

Veriflux

13:10 - 14:00

Networking Lunch

Afternoon Sessions

Breakout Sessions - STREAM A | NEW MARKETS: Global Demand Shifts & Scale

14:00 - 14:45

Biogas & RNG: Transport, Power or Heat — Where Is the Most Durable, Bankable Demand?

This panel examines how biogas and RNG compete across transport, power and heating, and which end‑use markets offer durable, financeable demand rather than short‑term upside.

 

• Where biogas and RNG deliver stronger economics than liquid fuels — including stationary heating — and where they do not
• Which end‑use markets genuinely provide long‑term, bankable demand across transport, power and heat
• How limited RNG supply is being allocated today — and how developers, traders, utilities and offtakers expect priorities to shift toward 2030
• Where future demand could realistically emerge — and whether renewable heating becomes a stabilising outlet as transport credit markets mature

14:45 - 15:30

SAF from Feedstock to Flight: What It Really Takes to Deliver at Scale

Feedstock → Production → Distribution → Airline use (SAF supply reality)

A value‑chain‑wide discussion on what is genuinely constraining — and enabling — SAF scale‑up in North America, from feedstock origination and pricing through to production decisions, logistics and airline offtake.

 

• Can ethanol unlock SAF scale in the US?
• How US incentive structures across California, Washington and non‑LCFS states are influencing feedstock allocation and production decisions between SAF, renewable diesel and exports
• Where renewable diesel competes directly with SAF — and how this competition is shaping feedstock availability, pricing and contracting strategies
• Whether current feedstock sourcing approaches are sufficient to support SAF scale‑up, or already under pressure from competing fuel markets
• How feedstock competition, logistics constraints and price volatility are feeding through into SAF investment decisions and run‑rate optimization
• What producers, feedstock suppliers and airlines need from policy stability, offtake structures and pricing certainty to move beyond first‑of‑a‑kind SAF projects
• How international demand, particularly from Europe, is influencing US feedstock flows, SAF availability and pricing — and what lessons can be drawn from more mature SAF markets

 

Speakers Include:

Chelsey Robinson

Director, Bioeconomy & Sustainable Ag Systems

Bayer

Breakout Sessions - STREAM B | MARITIME SECTOR

14:00 - 14:45

Panel Discussion: Marine Fuels Policy at a Turning Point: US Mandates, Global Rules & Market Certainty

• IMO developments, timelines, and the impact of regulatory delays on market confidence
• US federal versus state positioning on marine fuels and low‑carbon shipping
• RIN eligibility debates: where marine fuels stand today and what could change
• How international rules (IMO, FuelEU Maritime) may affect US production, exports, and competitiveness
• What policy alignment is needed to support investment, offtake agreements, and vessel adoption

Speakers Include:

Geoff Cooper

President & CEO

Renewable Fuels Association

Alycia Tolman

Director of Carbon Markets

American Biogas Council

Jessica Johnson Bennett

Partner

AJW, Inc

14:45 - 15:30

Marine Fuels in Practice: Where Does Real Demand Come From?

Short presentation on global scene setting context following the Q&A

• Marine Fuels Beyond Policy: Who Will Actually Buy — and Why?
• Can marine shipping absorb meaningful volumes of biofuels or bio‑LNG at current price levels?
• What are the top 3 renewable bunker fuel that will enable maritime industry to transition to a greener space?
• Biomethane and bio‑LNG as scalable decarbonisation solutions
• How do marine fuels compete with: Road transport (RIN‑generating markets); SAF; renewable diesel
• What would actually make marine fuels bankable in North America?
• Who is turning marine decarbonisation into real demand — and which buyer
• How MEPC and FuelEU influence buying behaviour today, not in theory

 

Speakers Include:

William Tyndall

Partner

AJW, Inc

15:30 - 16:15

Networking Break

16:15 - 17:00

Panel Discussion: Canada’s Biofuels Policy Shift

• How Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations are reshaping demand for ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel—and the knock‑on effects for US producers and exporters
• What proposed CFR amendments mean for cross‑border imports, domestic Canadian production, and evolving trading strategies
• The growing influence of provincial policies, particularly British Columbia’s LCFS, on pricing signals, arbitrage opportunities, and fuel flows into and out of the US
• How recent and upcoming US policy shifts are altering competitiveness, trade patterns, and compliance strategies across North American markets
• What traders need to understand about credit market interactions, compliance risk, liquidity, and price volatility on both sides of the border
• Implications for feedstock sourcing, logistics, and integrated US‑Canada supply‑chain planning

Speakers Include:

Fred Ghatala

President

Advanced Biofuels Canada

17:00 - 17:10

Chair’s Closing Remarks

17:10 - 18:10

Drinks Reception

Morning Sessions

08:00 - 09:00

Breakfast and Registration

09:00 - 09:05

Chair’s Opening Remarks

09:05 - 10:20

Argus Presentation: Global Market Outlook- Middle East Disruption, Asian Mandates & the New Biofuels Trade Map

Geopolitical disruption in the Middle East and accelerating clean‑fuel mandates across Asia are reshaping global energy markets — with direct consequences for biofuels pricing, trade flows, and feedstock competition.

 

• How are geopolitical disruptions and Asian mandates reshaping global trade flows, pricing signals, and demand competition — and what does that mean for US producers, traders, and investors?
• How Middle East disruption and freight volatility are influencing oil, gas, and refined product markets — and the knock‑on effects for biofuels competitiveness
• Asia’s emerging mandates and blending requirements: how real demand is forming and where it is competing with Europe and North America
• Shifting global trade flows for biofuels and feedstocks — who is winning and losing on delivered economics
• Pricing implications for soybean oil, ethanol, UCO, and tallow in a more globally contested market
• What these dynamics mean for US export strategy, margin risk, and near‑term production decisions

10:20 - 11:15

Networking Coffee Break

11:15 - 12:00

Canada Supply-Demand Panel Session

As Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations tighten and provincial policies evolve, biofuels suppliers and traders are facing harder choices on feedstock sourcing, cross‑border trade and compliance strategy. This panel examines how the Canadian biofuels market is functioning in practice today — and what will become critical as policy ambition translates into real supply‑demand pressure toward 2026 and beyond.

 

• Feedstock selection under pressure: when to prioritise domestic inputs such as canola, and when out‑of‑favour or discounted global feedstocks (e.g. imported UCO) still make commercial sense
  
  
• The practical realities of supplying biofuels into Canada, including federal vs provincial requirements, verification, and evolving compliance complexity
  
  
• Managing imports versus domestic production as policy signals sharpen and sustainability criteria tighten
  
  
• Cross‑border challenges and opportunities between Canada and the US, including trade frictions, arbitrage and unintended policy spill‑overs
  
  
• What fuel suppliers and traders need to prepare for as CFR amendments and provincial policies alter demand signals, credit value and supply chains
  
  
• Where bottlenecks, risks and opportunities are emerging across the Canadian biofuels market as programmes mature and enforcement increases
  
  
• What the market needs today — and what becomes non‑negotiable as Canada’s policy framework enters its next phase

Speakers Include:

Fred Ghatala

President

Advanced Biofuels Canada

12:00 - 12:45

Rethinking Ethanol Growth: Domestic Incentives and Global Pathways

• More generous federal production tax credits this year — and the removal of ILUC penalties: How is this actually influencing production decisions, run rates, and investment appetite?
  
  
• Federal and state treatment of E15, including California’s position
  
  
• How US ethanol competes internationally on carbon intensity, price and sustainability criteria
  
  
• The ethanol industry saw carbon pipelines as necessary for growth – what happens if those struggle to get permitted?
  
  
• What overseas mandates and blending policies (Latin America, parts of Asia) mean for US export strategy

Speakers Include:

Martin Croft

Head of Low Carbon Fuels Trading Americas

Shell

12:45 - 12:50

Chair’s Closing Remarks

12:50 - 13:50

Networking Lunch and End of the Conference