The CEO of renewable fuels company Aemetis, Inc., Eric McAfee, was awarded the 2026 William C. Holmberg Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy. McAfee accepted the honor during a ceremony at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. on March 19, 2026. The event was hosted by Biofuels Digest, a publication with a global readership of 6.4 million. His acceptance speech is available on the Aemetis website.
This recognition matters because it underscores the persistence required to advance the bioeconomy through challenging market conditions. In presenting the award, Biofuels Digest Editor and Publisher Jim Lane noted McAfee has spent more than two decades building in the renewable fuels space "through the real conditions of this industry: volatility, uncertainty, and constant change." Lane emphasized that McAfee's work has resulted in "projects that run, systems that scale, and companies that endure," which he described as rare persistence that makes the industry possible.
The award memorializes William C. Holmberg, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official and long-term advisor to the American Council on Renewable Energy, who advocated for energy security and renewable fuels. McAfee stated he accepted the award not just for himself, but on behalf of the Aemetis team and industry colleagues working on renewable fuels policy, financing, feedstocks, and production. He called the recognition, named for Holmberg's legacy, an honor.
The implications of this award extend beyond individual recognition to signal the maturation and resilience of the biofuels sector. Aemetis, headquartered in Cupertino, California, operates a diversified portfolio including a California biogas digester network converting dairy waste into Renewable Natural Gas, a 65 million gallon per year ethanol plant in California, and an 80 million gallon per year biodiesel facility in India. The company is also developing a sustainable aviation fuel plant and a carbon sequestration project in California. For additional information, visit www.aemetis.com.
For investors and stakeholders, the latest news and updates relating to Aemetis (NASDAQ: AMTX) are available in the company's newsroom at https://tinyurl.com/amtxnewsroom. This award highlights leadership that navigates financial market risks, commodity price volatility, regulatory changes, and other challenges detailed in the company's SEC filings. The recognition comes as the industry works to lower energy costs and reduce emissions through innovative technologies.
