I had the chance to present at a couple industry events this month. It felt like old home week, in the best possible way.
First up was the Future of Low Carbon Fuel Standards panel at the Transportation Energy Institute (TEI) annual conference. Back to when it was called Fuels Institute, it’s been one of my favorite events.
A lot of old friends and allies were in the room. There were also many new faces, broader attendance than ever, and some unexpected new alliances.
TEI is a nonprofit research arm of the National Association of Convenience Stores. They produce top-notch research and surveys on a host of topics relevant to the fueling industry, from incorporating equity into fuel policy to the role of liquid fuels in ensuring a smooth transition to the transportation system of the future. Electrification has also become a central theme. (Seriously, it’s worth checking out their interesting work at those links!)
The other event was the Ag-Auto-Ethanol Alliance annual confab. This one also goes back a long way for me. It’s a great group, informally collaborating on strategies to maximize the value and decarbonization potential of liquid fuels.
Attending these gatherings back to back after a few years away revealed how much has stayed the same (a lot of us are still plugging away!), AND where some things have fundamentally shifted.
There is a lot more attention on the role of states to drive policy, due to a combination of increasing state opportunities and sluggish progress at the Federal level on key issues. Another notable shift is growing industry consensus for clean fuel standards. Not long ago, you wouldn’t have seen the American Petroleum Institute and the Renewable Fuels Association not only sharing a stage but advocating for the same thing: an all-of-the-above approach to reducing carbon emissions in transportation. It continues the trend we’ve seen in New Mexico and elsewhere. With an eye on the long game and global trends in a single direction, big oil companies seem to be warming to incentive-based policies that boost ROI on investments to decrease carbon emissions and diversify assets.
No surprise. The market-based design of clean fuel standards has proven to be good for climate AND for business.