Wisconsin Soybean Association (WSA) Vice President Doug Rebout traveled to Washington, D.C., Nov. 6-8 to attend Clean Fuels Alliance America’s annual meeting. Supporting sustainable biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel industry growth, Clean Fuels serves as the industry’s primary coordinating entity for technical, environmental and quality assurance programs. In conjunction with the annual meeting, Clean Fuels coordinated Hill visits with national legislators for its members, continuing to be a strong voice for biofuels advocacy, communications and market development.

Top of mind for Clean Fuels was the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes for 2023, 2024 and 2025 that were set in June. The biomass-based diesel (BBD) and advanced biofuel volumes were set at roughly one-third of what industry advocates recommended to the federal agency. The Hill visits provided an opportunity to explain to legislators that biofuels is a critical component of renewable fuels conversations.

Overall, it was a great opportunity to educate Wisconsin’s elected officials about biodiesel and its place as a key player in the drive for renewable fuels. Wisconsin is a biodiesel powerhouse, currently producing 25 million gallons of biodiesel at two plants – REG Madison in DeForest and Walsh Bio Fuels in Mauston.

“We had good, quality conversations with our legislators about the importance of biodiesel,” said Doug Rebout, who farms in Janesville. “But biodiesel is a topic that was pretty new to most of them, so they asked a lot of questions, and we were happy to answer them.”

The push for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel becomes more important following CHS’s recent announcement that it plans to construct Wisconsin’s first soybean crush facility in Evansville.

“We produce a lot of soybeans in Wisconsin and the proposed crush facility is only going to enhance the current market,” Rebout said. “Biodiesel and clean fuels are a great use for the soybeans we grow, and we want our legislators to know that.”

Rebout was joined by Adam Kask, Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB) manager of strategic programs, for visits at the offices of Reps. Bryan Steil and Mark Pocan and Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson. As a member of the organization, WSMB supports Clean Fuels’ work in furthering the education, communication and market development of the renewable fuels industry.

All in all, the meeting was a great opportunity for Rebout to represent WSA, its members and the biofuels industry at the nation’s capital.