Policy experts share 2025 outlook at American Biogas Council conference

Veteran policy experts shared their predictions for the 2025 biogas policy landscape at the American Biogas Council’s (ABC) BUSINESS OF BIOGAS conference, an annual education and networking event held October 22-24, 2024 in St. Louis, Mo.

Led by the ABC’s vice president of policy, Heather Dziedzic, Chris Hessler, founding partner at AJW, Inc. and Anthony Reed, partner at FGS Global, the panel shared their inside-the-beltway insights of both presidential campaigns and their respective transition teams, to debate what would happen under either administration for eight of the major policy areas most impacting the biogas industry.

The discussion covered the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) tax credit provisions, updates to the Renewable Fuel Standard and the Farm Bill, among other federal programmes, as well as international energy markets and state-level policies.

The ABC designed BUSINESS OF BIOGAS specifically for biogas project developers and investors, who are interested in leveraging key policies and financial incentives to capture methane emissions from organic waste, such as food scraps, manure and wastewater sludge.

Doing so will reduce the impact of climate change and also create renewable energy and natural fertilisers.

The renewable fuel produced from these waste streams can serve as a drop-in replacement for conventional natural gas, or be used to generate renewable electricity and heat, reducing carbon emissions from 50% to 700% compared to fossil fuels.

The conference featured a half-day training session on the ins and outs of biogas development, a sector-by-sector update on industry growth, as well as guidance from key stakeholders, such as armers, for developing projects successfully.
Other popular sessions included an outlook on the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) demand in the transportation sector, tips on controlling project costs, current financing and insurance strategies, and more.

“BUSINESS OF BIOGAS helps biogas developers and investors shape and build their businesses by providing deeper knowledge of the present, and a look into the future, of the industries the biogas industry serves, from farming operations to landfills to food waste,” said Patrick Serfass, executive director of ABC.

“Attendees get a fire hose of information and awareness they need to make solid decisions as they move their businesses forward.”

“We were very impressed by the caliber and experience of the speakers at this conference,” said Chris Skinner, Controller at LF Bioenergy. The insights on policy, tax, and best business practices were very beneficial, and we cannot wait for next year’s conference.”