July 7, 2025. Today marks the 14th anniversary of RNG Coalition, the trade association representing the North American renewable natural gas (RNG) industry. What began in 2011 with a few stakeholders in a nascent industry has become a cornerstone of the continent’s renewable energy foundation and future.
“Fourteen years ago, when we introduced upgraded biogas or biomethane in North America as RNG, few knew what we were talking about,” said Johannes Escudero, founder and CEO of RNG Coalition. “Today, RNG is a recognized commodity that is having a positive impact on our economy and environment — and influencing the future of energy in the United States and around the world.”
RNG Coalition was founded on the principle that methane produced from society’s waste streams — landfills, diverted food waste, farms, and wastewater facilities — should not be wasted (flared) or vented into the atmosphere, but should be turned into clean, renewable energy. That proposition has since been proven at scale. In June, the Coalition celebrated its most significant milestone to date: surpassing 500 operational RNG facilities across the U.S. and Canada, meeting its 2025 SMART initiative benchmark six months early.
SMART — short for Sustainable Methane Abatement & Recycling Timeline — outlines a clear vision to capture methane from more than 43,000 organic waste sites by 2050. The next benchmark: doubling the industry footprint to 1,000 facilities by the end of 2030. Already, 153 facilities are under construction and another 293 are in development, bringing the active project pipeline close to that targeted 1,000-facility figure.
“The markets that put our industry on the map are the work product of effective policy advocacy at federal, state and provincial levels of government,” said Sam Wade, VP of Public Policy for RNG Coalition. “We’ve laid the groundwork for RNG to meet rising energy demand from transportation, manufacturing, power generation, and emerging sectors like AI-driven data centers.”
RNG Coalition’s nearly 400 member companies span every link in the value chain and share a commitment to energy innovation and environmental responsibility. Together, they have helped establish RNG as one of the few climate solutions that is operational, scalable, and delivering sustainable results now — and for generations to come.
As RNG Coalition enters its 15th year, the organization remains committed to advancing its mission, achieving its 2030 SMART initiative benchmark, and influencing the future of energy through leadership, education, advocacy, development and sustainability.