Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX), a diversified renewable natural gas and biofuels company, announced that its CEO, Eric McAfee, has been awarded the 2026 William C. Holmberg Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy. The award was presented on March 19, 2026, during the annual Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., hosted by Biofuels Digest, the most widely read biofuels daily with 6.4 million readers worldwide. McAfee delivered the Holmberg Memorial Address acceptance speech, which is available for viewing on the Aemetis website homepage at www.aemetis.com.
“I am accepting this award not just for myself, but on behalf of the team at Aemetis and my industry colleagues who have worked to make a difference in renewable fuels policy, financing, feedstocks and production,” McAfee said. “I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition, named to recognize the legacy of William Holmberg, an impactful bioeconomy leader.” The award memorializes William C. Holmberg, who advocated tirelessly for energy security and renewable fuels in his roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as a long-term advisor to the American Council on Renewable Energy, and as Chairman of the Biomass Coordinating Council.
Jim Lane, Editor and Publisher of Biofuels Digest, praised McAfee's persistence: “As the CEO of Aemetis and co-founder of Pacific Ethanol, Eric has spent more than two decades building in this space—not in straight lines, but through the real conditions of this industry: volatility, uncertainty, and constant change. And through all of that, he’s continued to build—projects that run, systems that scale, and companies that endure. That kind of persistence is rare—and it’s what makes this industry possible.”
The recognition underscores Aemetis's role in advancing renewable fuels. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Aemetis is a diversified renewable natural gas and biofuels company focused on lowering energy costs and reducing emissions. Founded in 2006, Aemetis operates and expands a California biogas digester network and pipeline system to convert dairy waste gas into Renewable Natural Gas. The company also owns and operates a 65 million gallon per year ethanol production facility in California’s Central Valley near Modesto, which supplies about 80 dairies with animal feed. Additionally, Aemetis owns and operates an 80 million gallon per year production facility on the East Coast of India producing high quality biodiesel and refined glycerin. To utilize byproducts from ethanol production, Aemetis is developing a sustainable aviation fuel plant and a CO2 sequestration project in California.
This lifetime achievement award highlights McAfee's influence on the bioeconomy, an industry critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing energy security. As the United States and global economies seek alternatives to fossil fuels, leaders like McAfee are pivotal in scaling renewable fuel technologies. The award signifies not only personal accomplishment but also the collective progress of the renewable fuels sector, which faces challenges such as policy uncertainty and commodity price volatility. Aemetis continues to innovate with projects like the sustainable aviation fuel plant and carbon capture, positioning itself at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon economy.
