U.S. Renewable Diesel Production Hits Milestone

U.S. production of renewable diesel hit 5 million gallons a day for the first time in January, the Wall Street Journal reports, extending a two-year biofuel business boom and offering a potential cleaner alternative to the petroleum product that fuels industrial operations. Annual production tripled between 2019 and 2022, and the Energy Information Administration forecasts it will reach 3.34 billion gallons next year. That pales next to the more than 46 billion gallons of diesel the U.S. transportation sector consumed in 2021. But for the trucking industry, the fuel may offer help in reducing carbon emissions while electrification of long-haul, heavy-duty vehicles remains a long way off. Renewable diesel is made in a way similar to that for conventional fuel powering trucks and trains. Experts say it is similar enough to its petroleum-based cousin to serve as a drop-in replacement.