This is the latest installment in Waste Dive’s Biogas Monthly series.

A new administration brings new officials in charge of federal policies affecting the biofuels space, and early signs point to a mostly positive environment for the industry.

U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin was asked during his confirmation hearing if he would set timely renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the policy controlling federal incentives for renewable natural gas. Zeldin said he would, and also said he would be open to conversations about favorable policies for developing sustainable aviation fuels as well, Biomass Magazine first reported.

On Monday, the Senate also voted to confirm Chris Wright, former chairman and CEO of Liberty Energy, to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. Liberty Energy is an oil and gas company based in Colorado, though it did acquire a company in 2023 that delivers compressed natural gas, RNG or hydrogen to remote customers.

Wright will be tasked with implementing President Donald Trump’s energy policy, which is focused on boosting oil and gas production. In his “Unleashing American Energy” memo, issued on Jan. 20, Trump included biofuels among the kinds of energy production he’d like to see increase.

There could also be cuts to programs that have previously supported the biofuels industry with the new administration.

Experts said Wright could pause funding from the Loan Programs Office, which ramped up its investments considerably during the Biden administration. And the Rural Energy for America Program office, which has financed projects like dairy manure digesters, is on a list of programs whose funding was affected by Trump’s attempt to freeze large swathes of federal funding. Judges in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., have issued temporary restraining orders against the administration to allow funds to continue flowing for now.

Despite the changes in Washington, projects continue to develop throughout the country. Read on for some RNG highlights from January.

WM sets 2025 RNG projections

On the company’s earnings call on Jan. 30, WM Chief Sustainability Officer Tara Hemmer said the company was planning to commission eight RNG projects in 2025. 

The company commissioned four facilities in the fourth quarter of the last year, and expects RNG production to double from 2024 to 2025, according to its latest earnings report. The company now has seven out of its goal of 20 new RNG facilities built. The company spent $507 million in capital expenditures on its RNG projects last year, and expects to spend about $420 million to $450 million on such projects this year.

WM does have additional landfill sites where it could build new biogas projects, though the company is still evaluating those, Hemmer said on the earnings call. 

BerQ RNG secures $110M in Michigan bond financing

Private equity-backed BerQ RNG announced the closing of $110 million in Solid Waste Facilities Limited Obligation Revenue Bonds from the Michigan Strategic Fund on Jan. 27. The company said it would use the funds to build four dairy manure-to-RNG projects in Michigan. 

BerQ has previously commissioned a dairy project in Western, Michigan, and announced an agreement with Bright Renewables for four projects across Michigan and New York last year. 

BerQ operates in Canada and the United States, with offices in Ontario and Pennsylvania. It’s backed by Lotus Infrastructure Partners. Lotus is the investment platform that succeeded Starwood Energy, which first invested in BerQ in 2021. 

Waga, University of California collaborate on RNG

Waga Energy will design, build and operate an RNG production facility at the Bena Landfill in Bakersfield, California, through a contract with Kern County. The University of California system plans to purchase the RNG through a 20-year agreement, the company announced.

This is Waga’s third project in California and 13th in the U.S., the French company reported. It predicts the facility will produce at least 550,000 mmBtus of RNG annually.

Brightmark, Chevron collaboration achieves milestone

A joint venture between Chevron and Brightmark has achieved gas delivery at 10 RNG projects across the Midwest, the entity announced this month. Brightmark RNG Holdings owns and operates 15 RNG projects in the region, according to a release.

The JV was first announced in October 2020 to build dairy RNG projects. The partnership has expanded in the years since, building a series of projects in Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa and elsewhere.