Road, Rail, Air, Sea & Farming

As corporate America embraces decarbonization, Clean Fuels Alliance America stands ready to help achieve instant reductions in transportation emissions  

Our cover story for this issue features a conversation with Donnie Wahlberg and his involvement with, and increasing passion for, renewable fuels (specifically Bioheat® fuel). Donnie’s relationship with Bioheat® fuel came about when Clean Fuels Alliance America (Clean Fuels) was looking for the perfect spokesperson.  

We speak to Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels, to find out how it formed a relationship with Donnie, as well as the operations of the association and the important work it does for its members. 

“When looking for our ideal spokesperson, we did seek help from Talent Resources, but we had a gut instinct about Donnie being the right choice,” Donnell begins. “He possessed many of the characteristics that the Clean Fuels team knew would be of high value. Reaching new and different audiences was a priority and being able to reach his followers, who are a unique demographic, is a great opportunity for us and something that we’re very excited about. 

“He’s come to be a strong proponent and we were surprised by how much time he spent learning about the product. He has continued to remain involved with us to learn more. He does appreciate, especially in the heating oil industry, that these are small, local companies that need help with this kind of industry transformation. He’s excited to be a part of telling people about it. We’re very happy about that collaboration.” 

Sustainable solutions

But of course, there is more to the operations of Clean Fuels than just the Bioheat® fuel campaign. Acting as the national trade association

Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels
Donnell Rehagen, CEO of Clean Fuels

representing the biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industries, Clean Fuels now represents approximately 150 companies in nearly all 50 states, varying from Fortune 100 companies to small, family-owned producers. It also serves as the coordinating body for research and development in the US, comprised of state, national, and international feedstock and feedstock processor organizations, fuel suppliers, fuel marketers, distributors, and technology providers. 

“We represent everything from the farmer’s field to the retail sites for our fuels,” explains Donnell. “As a trade association, I measure our success via the success of our member companies, and if they are growing and profitable, then we are doing our job right. 

“We have a very diverse set of skills because our industry depends on policy, and we must interact with anyone from engine manufacturers and automotive companies to agricultural businesses and farmers. Our team includes engineers, environmental scientists, and lobbyists, and they are all doing a lot of work for our members.” 

While renewable fuels have finally reached the agendas of executives across North America, the trade association actually introduced biodiesel to the marketplace about 30 years ago. This gives it the experience needed to advise and educate this new audience about the benefits of decarbonization. “Using your readers as the perfect example, they are operating in corporate environments where sustainability and carbon reduction are becoming increasingly important. With so much of the movement of heavy goods being reliant on diesel-based solutions, our biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF options can provide an immediate impact on decarbonizing transportation. We are always looking for ways to work with different people and introduce new ways of adopting a sustainable approach.” 

Collaborative change 

A further part of what Clean Fuels offers is work on federal and state policy. “The energy industry is highly regulated, not just in the US, but globally. That introduces a lot of unique challenges, and rather than each company having to navigate their way through this legislation, we have our team sorting through the federal and state policies and helping guide the entire industry,” Donnell elaborates. 

Having access to this trusted voice is what makes being part of the trade association so valuable. “We also offer the chance for like-minded companies to put their time and resources together and flag up problems at a higher level, even all the way to Congress. Speaking for our industry, many of our members enjoy getting to know and working with their fellow companies, peers, and colleagues, and sometimes helping to solve problems or collaborate. Our conference is a brilliant forum for building these relationships.” 

Moving onto the fuels themselves, Donnell notes that SAF is taking center stage right now. “Globally there is increasing interest in SAF, which is really hitting its stride as governments are focusing on decarbonizing air transportation,” Donnell states. “SAF is made a little bit differently to either biodiesel or renewable diesel, and we are in the early stages here in the US, maybe a little bit behind our European counterparts, but not by much. There are only a couple of domestic SAF producers as we speak, but if we have another conversation two or three years from now, I expect there to be several new entrants into that space. 

“The industry must work out what the demand for fuels is going to be – transportation on the ground is not going away and the desire to decarbonize that remains. There is a finite supply of feedstocks, so we are watching how our industry evolves through this transition, and what the mix of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF will be. 

“The good news is that the finished SAF product is nearly scientifically identical to jet fuel. Airlines have done a lot of homework, and they are probably some of the biggest advocates for the SAF industry. Our biggest challenge right now is how quickly we can gear up and start making more of this product. Just in the US, the jet fuel industry requires about 24 billion gallons a year, and that far surpasses the current production capacity of all our fuels. It is an industry that needs a lot of growth and therefore a lot of help from a trade association like us to knock down barriers and create opportunities.” 

It was heartening to hear from Donnell that traditional oil and gas businesses are now also stepping up to be part of the renewable conversation. “Ten years ago, I would have said we were much more at odds with the US oil and gas refining industry than we are now. Over this last decade, there’s been quite a bit of transition, where we are seeing conversions of smaller oil and gas refineries into making sustainable or renewable diesel and potentially making SAF as well. While we’ve been making biodiesel for 30 years, this last decade has really seen a big change in our industry with the advancement of renewable diesel.  

“With oil and gas refiners, those projects are on a massive scale compared to our biodiesel plants. When those transformations happen it brings on a significant amount of new fuel immediately, and that has been a great transformation for our industry.” 

Fuel for a cleaner future 

Over the course of his career, Donnell has witnessed this steep change in attitudes firsthand – from producers and consumers. “I started in 2004 and at that time, we had about 75 million gallons of biodiesel production across this entire country. We’re now at about four and a half billion gallons! I’ve seen huge growth and a lot of that has been because consumers’ minds have been changed about the need for cleaner fuels. It’s a great story that’s finally catching on, helped by folks like Donnie who are reaching those broader audiences.” 

Another of the benefits that Donnie highlighted in his interview was that Bioheat® fuel can be bought and used immediately in most systems and doesn’t require investment in new technology, modifications, or infrastructure. “Our fuels are available today in the marketplace,” confirms Donnell. “If a corporation wants to make an immediate change that reduces emissions and helps reach decarbonization goals, a simple change is buying our fuels versus the fuels that they were using before. We use the tagline ‘Better. Cleaner. Now!’ and I think that speaks volumes to what opportunities our fuels offer.” 

Of course, this easy transition is only possible thanks to the years of work that Clean Fuels has put into ensuring these fuels are compatible with existing systems. “We’ve made multiple changes to the fuel quality specifications over the last 20 or 30 years; always with the mindset of ensuring compatibility and eliminating any concerns with end users that the fuel isn’t going to be fit for purpose. They don’t have to worry about our fuels. That’s just how good and how high quality they are.” 

As Clean Fuels continues to ensure its fuels meet quality and compatibility standards, form strong relationships with industry players, and help advance its members’ interests, it has come a long way since being founded. With a new audience on board thanks to Donnie Wahlberg, and decarbonization finally having made its way to boardrooms across the US, the association is ideally placed to help deliver better, cleaner fuels now for people and the planet.  

www.cleanfuels.org