Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX), a diversified renewable natural gas and biofuels company, announced that its CEO, Eric McAfee, was awarded the 2026 William C. Holmberg Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Bioeconomy. McAfee received the award and delivered the Holmberg Memorial Address during a ceremony on March 19, 2026, at the annual Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., hosted by Biofuels Digest, a leading biofuels publication with 6.4 million readers worldwide.
“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 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, highlighted McAfee’s perseverance: “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.”
This recognition comes at a pivotal time for Aemetis, which is expanding its renewable natural gas operations and advancing sustainable aviation fuel and carbon sequestration projects. The company operates a California biogas digester network and pipeline system 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 award underscores the growing importance of the bioeconomy in addressing climate change and energy security, and highlights the role of industry leaders like McAfee in driving progress. The full speech is available on the Aemetis website.
