February 17, 2023. Aemetis, Inc. hosted California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross for a discussion and site tours of the company’s renewable biofuel and dairy-based renewable natural gas (RNG) facilities on February 9, 2023. Former CDFA and USDA Secretary Ann Veneman, Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, and other dignitaries joined the tour and discussion of the company’s vision and leadership regarding the creation of a Circular Bioeconomy in California’s Central Valley that couples the production of low or below zero carbon intensity (CI) renewable fuels with the region’s abundant agricultural waste and by-products.
The visit was organized in conjunction with the Stanislaus 2030 regional economic development initiative and BEAM Circular, a new hub for the circular bioeconomy in the North San Joaquin Valley, which seeks to align the region’s strengths in agriculture and manufacturing with a growing worldwide demand for bio-based products to increase local economic opportunity and address the urgent need for climate action. Aemetis is supporting this community initiative through engagement in the North San Joaquin Valley Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Engine, a coalition of state and local partners that aims to advance high-impact solutions for manufacturing sustainable bio-based products at scale.
“Aemetis offers a very compelling circular bioeconomy vision that can serve as an effective template for companies and organizations in the Northern San Joaquin Valley,” said Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “From operating dairy digesters to produce RNG or utilizing renewable feedstocks for the production of biofuels, Aemetis is demonstrating opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spur economic development by leveraging the region’s strong agricultural and manufacturing assets,” Ross added.
“We strongly support the outstanding work that Secretary Ross has done at CDFA to promote agriculture’s central role in addressing global warming, coupled with the advancement of policies and programs that private sector companies such as Aemetis can utilize to meet California’s aggressive decarbonization goals,” said Eric McAfee, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis, Inc.