BIOGAS AMERICAS LIVE 2021, beginning Tuesday will start with two excellent keynote speakers: Washington State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon and Doug McKalip, Senior Advisor to the United States Secretary of Agriculture. The event will run Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in May: May 4-27, 1-4pm ET.
Rep. Fitzgibbon was elected to represent Washington State’s 34th District in 2010 and chairs the House Environment & Energy Committee. Fighting climate change is his top legislative priority, and he has sponsored many bills including a low carbon fuel standard in Washington state. HB1091 incentivizes the growth of production of sustainable transportation fuels, including biogas/RNG and electricity, to decarbonize Washington’s most polluting sector, the transportation sector. Just a few days ago, in a major victory for the biogas and RNG industry and other clean energy proponents, the Clean Fuel Standard/HB0191 passed the legislature and is headed to Governor and key supporter, Jay Inslee’s desk for the bill’s final signature into law! Rep. Fitzgibbon will speak about the impacts we expect to see from this new program, what led up to the creation of Washington’s Clean Fuel Standard, and give attendees the very first chance to hear what will come next for this newly passed bill. We also expect discussion on how does this Washington program differs from California’s and Oregon’s existing LCFS programs, especially given that many amendments considered to get the bill passed.
Doug McKalip is in his 28th year of service with the United States Department of Agriculture and serves as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary. In this capacity he helps to develop and shape the policy and regulatory agenda of the Department with a focus on International Trade, National Security, Biotechnology, Research, and Renewable Energy. Previously, McKalip has served as Senior Policy Advisor for Rural Affairs at the White House Domestic Policy Council and senior roles at USDA in Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The US has an incredible opportunity right now to address carbon, climate smart agriculture, and renewable energy—together. We expect Mr. McKalip to speak about the Biden-Harris Administration’s message and policy priorities in these areas and offer guidance to industry to implement these priorities on the ground. More >>