RNG Coalition hires new director of state regulatory affairs

The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition), Sacramento, California, announced Sam Wade has been hired as the organization’s director of state regulatory affairs. Wade is the former chief of the Transportation Fuel Branch at the California Air Resources Board (ARB).

“I'm very excited to join the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas and to help represent an industry that plays such a key role in achieving clean air and climate objectives,” Wade says. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to expand state-level regulations, programs and markets to support increased development, deployment and utilization of RNG.”

The RNG Coalition represents North America’s renewable natural gas (RNG or biomethane) industry. The RNG industry captures raw methane (biogas) emitted by organic waste streams such as those from landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, livestock and agricultural digesters, as well as commercial food waste facilities, and converts the biogas into RNG.  

RNG transportation fuel derived from livestock waste has received the lowest carbon intensity score under the ARB-administered Low Carbon Fuel Standard program in California. Due in large part to RNG’s environmental merits, its use as a transportation fuel under clean fuels programs has increased exponentially over the past seven years, helping grow the number of RNG production facilities in North America from 31 in 2011 to nearly 90 today.

“Sam’s prior regulatory leadership at the Air Resources Board will be an asset for our industry as we look to further mitigate methane and reduce or sequester carbon emissions through federal, state and provincial programs that support renewable natural gas across the U.S. and Canada,” RNG Coalition CEO Johannes Escudero says. 

Wade joins the RNG Coalition after spending the past four years leading the Transportation Fuel Branch of the Air Resources Board. He previously served as deputy director of legislative affairs and as an air resources engineer for the state agency. 

Wade holds a Master of Public Administration in environmental science and policy from Columbia University, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from University of Hawaii, and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from University of California, Davis.