A fuel value over $7.00 per gallon, and everyone’s chasing it: The birth of USA Bioenergy and the surge in renewable diesel

In California, we are now seeing project flow projecting a sustainable $7.63 price for renewable diesel in the California market, where the Low Carbon Fuel Standard stacks on top of the RIN values from the federal Renewable Fuel Standard.

That’s market value, not subsidy. Though some die-hards might still insist that renewable fuels should only be sold based on energy value, not on market value, as in for example the markets which Californians freely established for themselves with the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and in which any fuel producer can avoid carbon taxes and no one is guaranteed a subsidy. Yes, Californians have different standards for fuels than other states. But then again, some people drink bottled water at $6 a gallon and some drink tap water for pennies. Up to you — that’s how markets work.