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. The award recognizes McAfee's more than two decades of work in building companies and projects within the volatile renewable fuels industry. He accepted the honor and delivered the Holmberg Memorial Address at the annual 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. The acceptance speech is available for viewing on the Aemetis website.
In his remarks, McAfee framed the recognition as a collective achievement. "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. He expressed being honored and humbled to receive an award named for William Holmberg, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official and longtime advocate for energy security and renewable fuels who also served as an advisor to the American Council on Renewable Energy and Chairman of the Biomass Coordinating Council.
The significance of the award lies in its acknowledgment of sustained leadership through the industry's challenges. Jim Lane, Editor and Publisher of Biofuels Digest, highlighted 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," Lane said. "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 award underscores the maturation of the bioeconomy sector and the critical role of long-term, adaptable leadership in navigating its complex landscape of policy, finance, and technology. Aemetis, which McAfee leads, operates renewable natural gas and biofuels projects in California and India, including a biogas network converting dairy waste and facilities producing ethanol and biodiesel. The company is also developing a sustainable aviation fuel plant and a carbon sequestration project in California. The recognition of McAfee's career comes at a time when the industry's focus on lowering energy costs and reducing emissions is increasingly central to global energy and climate discussions. For ongoing updates on the company, information is available in its newsroom.
