The 2025 New York City Clean Fuels Congressional Tour delivered participants a first-hand look at adoption of biodiesel and renewable diesel in fleets, heating, and marine applications. It highlighted the importance of drop-in alternatives to maintain performance in existing equipment while delivering environmental benefits.
The tour began with presentations by Paula Hanebach, Supply Chain Fleet Manager with PepsiCo, and Keith Kerman, NYC Deputy Commissioner, Fleet Management and Chief Fleet Officer with New York City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Each described their organization’s sustainability goals and explained that biodiesel and renewable diesel are widely accessible drop-in fuels that can provide immediate sustainability progress for their existing fleets.
The tour next visited the Staten Island Ferry’s Whitehall Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan, where Captain John
Garvey, Deputy Commissioner & COO of NYCDOT Ferry Division, led a tour of the training facility. Garvey led
participants through the training simulator to emphasize the performance requirements for the ferry fleet’s fuels. Garvey hosted participants on the ferry crossing to Staten Island, providing a full tour of the ship. He then led the tour through the St. George Ferry Terminal Fueling Facility, to give participants a first-hand look at the storage and fuel handling requirements for renewable diesel and again emphasize the message that renewable diesel is a drop-in solution for the fleet’s sustainability goals.
Participants next visited Curtis High School to see the 100-year-old facility’s heating and hot water system for this, which was originally designed to run on #6 oil and recently converted to B20. DCAS staff and school maintenance workers gave tour participants a first-hand look and description of the performance concerns of the equipment, which must provide year-round heating for the pool and for laundry, among other things.
The school also provided an auditorium for presentations by Colleen Klein of the New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association and an industry roundtable with Kent Hartwig, GEVO; Nate Nolte, AGP; Jerod Wolf, Minnesota Soybean Processors; and Charlie White, Innovative Ag Services. Speakers actively discussed the industry’s primary business concerns and the need for policy stability.
The final stop on the tour was the Groundwork Elizabeth Micro Farm in New Jersey, where Deputy Director Jackie Park Albaum described the education resources provided to the local community through partnership with United Soybean Board. Groundwork provides community garden space to Union County urban residents who experience the highest impacts from transportation emissions.
The congressional staffers who participated in the tour included two who had been on previous trips and wanted to learn more. Four others were new to the tours but work for members of House and Senate energy and transportation committees. A district staƯer from the oƯice of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) – who represents Staten Island – joined the tour of the Ferry facilities. Throughout the trip, the group engaged with sponsors and each other to share observations and questions about the industry.
The next tour will take congressional staff to California in September. Stay tuned to learn more.
A special thank you to our New York City tour sponsors:
ADM, Clean Fuels Alliance America, GEVO, Chevron, AGP, Minnesota Soybean Processors, Innovative Ag Services, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Clean Fuels Alliance Foundation and Western Iowa Energy
Contact: Tom Verry, tverry@cleanfuels.org