Argus North American Biofuels, LCFS & Carbon Markets Summit

Morning registration and networking

Chairperson’s opening remarks

Special guest keynote address: Achieving net-zero carbon pollution in California by 2045

• What is California’s clean fuels strategy and its role in the energy transition?
• Moving away from fossil fuels and strategies for the road and aviation sector
• Exploring the investment and development for the National Hydrogen (H2) Hub

CARB proposals: LCFS and Cap-and-Trade regulatory updates

• What are the key outstanding issues in the LCFS and Cap-and-Trade regulatory updates?
• What opportunities and challenges lay ahead for the programs?
• How does CCUS fit within CARB’s policies?
• How are the two programs responsive to environmental justice priorities?

Speakers Include:

Rajinder Sahota

Deputy Executive Officer, Climate Change and Research

California Air Resources Board

LCFS program panel: Exploring clean fuel programmes including Oregon, Washington and New Mexico

• What do current programmes look like and what is the impact on the renewables industry?
• What impact could the LCFS programme have on the price of credits?
• Will there be cap limit on the amount of crop-based biofuels?
• How will programmes expand the scope to cover marine and non-transportation uses of fossil fuel?

Speakers Include:

Claudia Borchert

Climate Change Bureau Chief

New Mexico Environment Department

Abbey Brown

Clean Fuel Standard Technical Lead

Washington Department of Ecology

Bill Peters

Clean Fuels Program Market Analyst

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Morning coffee and networking

Innovation zone: Take a trip to the innovation zone to explore new technologies and innovative products used to cut down carbon emissions and improve your businesses CI scores

Regulatory Q&A: How policy options are impacting market supply and the interplay between carbon reduction programmes

Hear from regulatory experts on the most recent updates on programmes including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), cap and trade. Pose your questions and understand how the interplay between proposals will impact market supply and trends

• What role could the IRA play, from an economics perspective, in scaling feedstocks?
• Where does cap and trade fit into the broader regulatory picture and how are carbon reduction programmes impacting this?
• How will the IRA tax guidance around qualification of biofuels treatment equipment work?
• What does the 45Z tax credit look like and how will it boost investments?

Speakers Include:

Kurt Kovarik

Vice President of Federal Affairs

Clean Fuels Alliance America

Spotlight on Canada: Assessing Clean Fuel Regulation (CFR) and how that fits on top of the British Columbia-LCFS program

• How is credit trading developing and what are the current challenges?
• How does British Colombia see its LCFS program fit into the federal program?
• Industry perspective: What is the outlook on Canadian supply – domestic versus imports from the US?

Speakers Include:

Paola Mellow

Executive Director of the Low Carbon Fuel Division

Environment and Climate Change Canada

EPA – what are the updates on finalising eRINs, CCS and carbon scoring?

• The biogas regulatory reform: biogas to power assets and M&A opportunities
• Carbon scoring for carbon sequestration projects and farm practices using low carbon fertilisers

Speakers Include:

Paul Machiele

Fuel Center Director

US Environmental Protection Agency

Networking lunch

Industry stakeholder keynote address: Not a bridging solution – keeping renewable fuels an essential part of the portfolio for a lower carbon energy future

• Unpacking the importance of policy support in increasing renewable fuels production
• Insight into supply chain optimizations – how to boost renewable fuels accessibility in the US
• From UCO to algae to e-fuels – what do the future feedstocks look like?

Speakers Include:

Carrie Song

Senior Vice President, Commercial, Global Renewable Products

Neste

Panel debate: Future movement of renewable fuels across jurisdictions - where are fuels going?

As standards are created across jurisdictions, this will have an impact on supply dynamics. Question our panel of experts on opening new trading routes, new refining capacity and more!

• Which refiners are increasing renewable diesel capacity and where will this fuel go?
• How is the stringency of standards impacting on where renewable diesel is going and how will volumes of flows be decided?
• How will price and the carbon index impact trading routes?
• How will companies compete for low carbon intensity fuels?

Afternoon coffee and networking

360˚ feedstock perspective: A global view on the feedstock landscape and shifting supply/demand dynamics

Explore supply demand dynamics of feedstocks including UCO and Tallow. How is the North American market changing due to new capacity coming online and which global feedstocks can help meet the needs of low carbon intensity fuels

• Reviewing the feedstock landscape in North America – where are feedstocks coming from?
• What has the impact of UCO been on the market and demand for the future?
• Projections for crushing operations and how this will adapt supply options
• How will less competition for low carbon intensity feedstock shift supply dynamics?

Short presentations & Q&A: Raising confidence in the low-carbon feedstock market – updates on certification and sustainability measures that meet North American standards

Hear from farmers, feedstock suppliers, biofuel producers and certification companies on feedstock supply and upcoming quality standards

• How is the verification sector changing to handle the growth in regulatory markets and fuel suppliers?
• What is CARBs approach to ISCC certification on feedstocks and how could guidelines look?
• How can certification standards be streamlined for farmers and feedstock producers?

Chairpersons closing remarks

Networking drinks reception

Morning coffee and networking

Chairperson’s opening remarks

Cap-and-trade panel discussion: Building a cohesive strategy to achieve reduction targets through cap-and-trade programs – what is the interplay with regulatory programmes and should markets be linked?

Improve transparency on the long term view on cap-and-trade programs and understand the role as a new financial mechanism moving forward

• What is the impact of regulatory programs on cap-and-trade?
• Understanding the linkage with California and Washington programs
• What will a New York and Oregon cap-and-trade program look like?

Speakers Include:

Derek Nixon

Cap-and-Invest Auctions and Market Section Supervisor

Washington State Department of Ecology

Matt Steele

Policy Analyst

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

CCS panel discussion: Building a new market for carbon utilisation: Carbon capture and sequestration

Take a deep dive into how companies are capturing CO2 emissions, how fast the market is taking off and explore the current challenges with carbon sequestration

• Exploring the options for utilisation of carbon including methane production
• Building CO2 pipelines and the challenges across states and with public acceptance
• The chicken and egg scenario: permits and accessing the ability to put equipment in
• Understanding the 45Q tax credit and how regulations are building a new market

Speakers Include:

Scott McDonald

Director

ADM

Q&A: How can offtake agreements can help with de-risking projects?

• Quantifying the benefits of offtake agreements and how they help to de-risk project
• What are the options with using brokers with environmental attributes?
• How are offtake agreements defined including raising capital and improving uncertainty?

Refinery Q&A: Creating low carbon fuels by improving refining efficiencies

• Ongoing innovation to drive down CI scores during biofuel production
• How are refineries reducing scope emissions and methods to reduce them?
• What investments are being made across the entire supply chain to reduce emissions?

Agricultural panel debate: Reaping carbon benefits through incentivising better agricultural practices

• The crop debate: how could the LCFS programme treat corn differently depending on farming practices?
• How can improvements in agricultural practices reduce the carbon intensity of biofuels?
• What practices are lowing the carbon intensity of crops and fuels?
• Using low carbon fertiliser – we should have a lower fuel carbon intensity

Speakers Include:

Dan Lieberman

Global Sustainability Strategy & Engagement Lead

Nuseed

Kristine Clark

Director of Clean Energy Technology

CF Industries

‘Out of the box’ approaches for decarbonising the grid – What’s the zero carbon solution for the growth of renewables in data centres?

• How are data centres moving towards a renewable grid for a consistent supply of energy?
• What are some of the limitations with these and planning around hurdles?
• What type of grid moving forward with facilitate a build out of data?

Afternoon coffee and networking

Panel discussion: Mobilising new technologies and overcoming financial hurdles

What can the biofuels industry do to make use of CO2, RNG, hydrogen and cellulosic feedstock? Is it technology or financing that is slowing down progression?

• What are the hurdles with financing new technologies?
• Where do we see new pilot projects and how to up-scale these into commercialisation
• Exploring new technologies with CCS

Speakers Include:

Krista Sutton

Principal Process Engineer

New Energy Risk

Case study: Commercialising agricultural technology to leverage tax incentives and lower carbon score

• Exploring the new Agri-Tech landscape and their vital role in decarbonisation
• Enabling a field-level assessment of carbon intensity of biofuels feedstock
• What are the advancements of “green fertilizers” and how do they reduce CI scores?

Chairpersons closing remarks

Close of conference

Argus RINs, RFS and LCFS Workshop

• Your introduction to the wider regulatory framework developments and market drivers
• Understanding RINs – feedstocks options and products
• Program updates including: California, Washington, New Mexico, Oregon, Illinois, Minnesota and New York
• A focus on Canada
• Credit stacking: how to value R&D and credits from the book and claim market

Speakers Include:

Jacqueline Reigle

Editor

Argus

Networking lunch

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

*Please note:

The SAF Focus Day, RINs, RFS, LCFS Workshop and Golf Experience are paid add-ons and cannot be purchased separately.

Argus welcome address

Chairperson’s opening address

Set your biofuels business goals - objective setting activity

Cast your vote on the most important industry issues and compare answers with attendees. Exploring key questions throughout the focus day will ensure impactful takeaways that you can embed into your own business strategy

Keynote address: Creating a new commercial environment and making SAF an economical product

• Building a new market and investing in SAF production to meet growing demand
• Diversifying feedstocks and varying commercial co-processing pathways
• Overcoming supply chain issues and collaborating across the value chain

Speakers Include:

Bruce Fleming

Chief Executive Officer

Montana Renewables

Airline perspectives: Ambitions on SAF consumption to create greener skies and securing supply

• What are airlines views on the SAF market and new developments?
• How are airlines securing supply and setting up supply chains?
• Who pays the price – how to get prices to come down in an unincentivized industry?

Speakers Include:

Sean Newsum

Managing Director, Environmental Affairs

Airlines for America

Rob Speld

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manager

KLM

Speed networking

Morning coffee and networking

Regulatory panel: An incentives ecosystem: The need for multiple layers to boost supply of SAF across North America

Hear from regulatory experts as they explore programmes including LCFS, IRA and tax incentives. Explore the connection between CORSIA and the voluntary carbon market

• How can incentives create an economic environment that boosts SAF production?
• Understanding how the LCFS programme will apply to aviation
• How could 40B tax credits help close the price differential gap between jet fuel and SAF?

Speakers Include:

Geoff Tauvette

Executive Director

Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF)

A short presentation: How book and claim is serving the SAF industry

• Understanding SAF carbon accounting and how to apply for “SAF credits”
• How is book and claim providing a valuable role in transferring sustainability credits and certification?

Speakers Include:

Laura Hutchinson

Manager

RMI

Networking lunch

Panel discussion: Filling the SAF supply gap: Creating an environment for increased capacity and consistent supply

Pose your burning questions on SAF supply to a panel of experts and explore how to scale up production for offtake agreements

• When will projects be fully operational and how will that boost supply?
• What are the main hurdles with permitting, finance and STEM approved technologies?
• Understanding pricing of SAF compared to renewable diesel – how to lower the price

Speakers Include:

Scott Lewis

President

World Energy

Earl Holle

Renewable Fuels Commercial Optimization Manager

Phillips 66

Keith Sawyer

Manager of Alternative Fuels

Avfuel Corporation

Steve Csonka

Executive Director

CAAFI (Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative)

Reviewing the feedstock landscape and alternative routes towards SAF

• What does the current feedstock landscape look like and opening a new US corn market?
• How are regional perspectives on sustainable feedstock impacting the industry?
• What technologies are available that can widen feedstock bases including cellulosic power to liquid pathways?

Speakers Include:

Chris Hairel

Vice President, Consulting

Argus

Technical and financial panel discussion: Commercialising technologies and de-risking projects for capital funding

• Developing technologies to commercialise cellulosic waste streams – what are the financial hurdles?
• What financial methods are companies looking at for their production facilities?
• How can governments help with de-risking investments to attract private capital holders?

Afternoon coffee and networking

Aviation interactive roundtables and in-flight coffee service

Join this interactive discussion with 10-15 attendees. Get your pressing questions answered around a specific topic and collaborate with industry experts who have the same business strategies as you

Roundtable 1: A focus on supply: How can the industry create a stable supply of SAF
Roundtable 2: New developments with novel technologies including cellulosic power to liquid
Roundtable 3: Unravelling a layer cake of regulations
Roundtable 4: SAF economics

Chairperson’s closing remarks and end of roundtables

Networking drinks reception

Join the main conference welcome drinks reception with your main conference pass.

*Please note:

The SAF Focus Day, RINs, RFS, LCFS Workshop and Golf Experience are paid add-ons and cannot be purchased separately.

*Please note:

The SAF Focus Day, RINs, RFS, LCFS Workshop and Golf Experience are paid add-ons and cannot be purchased separately.

Golf

Add golf to your main conference pass for an extra networking boost and some friendly competition with your colleagues and peers ahead of the main event!

Networking lunch

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