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RNG Girls

Lisa Kitt

Renewable Natural Gas is scaling fast, but the real story sits behind the press releases.

On RNG Girls, we get into the people, projects, and politics shaping the RNG and biogas market, with honest conversations on what’s being built, what’s being funded, what’s being held up, and what’s coming next.

Hosted by Lisa Kitt - Managing Director of Dahlia Recruitment, alongside rotating female co-hosts from across the RNG market, the podcast brings together the voices driving the sector forward: from executives and investors to policy leaders, developers, and operators on the ground.

Expect practical, unfiltered insight on:
🔹 Policy shifts and what they really mean for delivery
🔹 Funding, growth, and where projects win or stall
🔹 Development, infrastructure, and the realities of scaling
🔹 The people behind the decisions shaping the industry

If you work in RNG, biogas, or the wider energy transition and you want to understand what’s actually happening in the market, this is for you.

New episodes released bi-weekly.

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August 25 · 45 min
Beyond RNG: Lessons from the Low-Carbon Economy with Brad Pleima
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Brad Pleima, President of EcoEngineers and Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council, for a conversation that looks beyond RNG, and into the wider low-carbon economy. Through EcoEngineers, Brad works across renewable natural gas, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, ethanol, hydrogen, carbon markets and emerging low-carbon technologies. That broader perspective gives him a unique view of what RNG is doing well, where the industry still has room to grow, and what lessons can be taken from the markets developing alongside it. Because renewable natural gas no longer exists in a vacuum. It is part of a much larger low-carbon economy where projects are competing for capital, customers, policy attention, talent, public trust and long-term demand. This episode explores what it will take for RNG to become stronger, more competitive, and more resilient as the market moves into its next phase. The conversation gets into: 🔹 Why RNG is becoming a more global market 🔹 Why execution and operational excellence are becoming major competitive advantages 🔹 What successful companies do differently as markets tighten 🔹 Why compliance, data and regulatory discipline matter more than ever 🔹 How RNG can learn from renewable diesel, ethanol, SAF, hydrogen and carbon markets 🔹 Why the industry needs more markets, more demand and stronger offtake 🔹 Why RNG needs to tell the full story — not just economics, climate, jobs or energy, but all of them together 🔹 Why the future of RNG depends on collaboration, trust and learning from projects already in the ground Brad also explains why RNG’s versatility is one of its biggest strengths: from pipeline-quality gas and electricity to hydrogen, SAF, bio-LNG, biomethanol and lowering the carbon intensity of other energy products. It’s a strong listen for developers, operators, investors, policymakers, technology providers, fuel market participants, and anyone thinking about what it really takes to build an industry that lasts. RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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August 13 · 1 hr 28 min
Beyond the ITC: Building the Next Generation of RNG Projects
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Corina Sheridan, Executive Vice President of Business Development at Viridi Energy, for a practical conversation on what the next generation of RNG development needs to look like. Corina brings more than 20 years of experience across energy and sustainability, with work spanning municipalities, utilities, private partners, landfills, digesters, organics diversion and agricultural waste sectors. Together, they explore what happens as the RNG market moves beyond incentive-driven growth and into a more disciplined, long-term phase of development. Because incentives can help projects pencil. They can help attract capital. They can move some projects from interesting to buildable. But they do not replace good projects. This episode gets into the real work behind renewable natural gas development, from deciding whether a project should be built, to understanding whether it can be built successfully. The conversation covers: 🔹 Why RNG development is about more than finding projects 🔹 How developers align municipalities, utilities, landfill owners, investors, operators and communities 🔹 Why trust, communication and relationship-building matter across long project timelines 🔹 What makes a project attractive — and what early warning signs developers need to watch for 🔹 Why saying no, or “not right now,” can sometimes be the best development decision 🔹 How longer timelines, changing economics and evolving incentives are reshaping project strategy 🔹 What has to replace incentive-driven development as the market matures 🔹 Why the future of RNG depends on stronger projects, stable demand, disciplined execution and long-term value Corina also shares why RNG is still one of the most versatile resources in the renewable energy transition, supporting methane reduction, waste management, agriculture, local economies, domestic energy security and reliable renewable energy. It’s a strong listen for developers, operators, municipalities, utilities, investors, policymakers, technology providers and anyone trying to understand what it really takes to move RNG projects from idea to operation. Guest: Corina Sheridan Executive Vice President of Business Development at Viridi Energy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinasheridan/ Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075 RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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July 29 · 57 min
Biomethane in Europe: Closing the Gap Between Ambition and Reality
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Jan De Clerck of Poul Schmith, Nichlas Rasmussen of Green Giraffe Advisory, and Line Lundbye of EIFO for a conversation on one of the biggest questions facing the European biomethane market: How do we close the gap between ambition and reality? The conversation originated at the Biogas Capital Forum in Copenhagen and looks at Europe’s goal of producing 35 billion cubic metres of biomethane, an ambitious target, but one that depends on more than policy ambition. Because targets don’t build projects. People do. Capital does. Execution does. Together, Jan, Nichlas and Line explore what it actually takes to move biomethane projects from idea to investment-ready infrastructure, and why the industry now needs stronger alignment between developers, financiers, lawyers, offtakers, regulators, farmers and technology providers. The conversation gets practical: 🔹 Why Europe’s biomethane market is attracting attention from investors, lenders and policymakers 🔹 Why capital is available, but not every project is structured in a way that capital can support 🔹 The gap between policy ambition, regulation, certification and projects reaching financial close 🔹 Why developers need to think about bankability from day one — not when the project is “ready” 🔹 How feedstock security, offtake, certificate pricing and cross-border regulation affect investor confidence 🔹 Why the industry needs to balance flexibility with the certainty lenders need 🔹 Why proven, repeatable and “boring” projects can often be more financeable than overly complex ones 🔹 How future value streams such as CO₂ liquefaction, CCS, SAF, e-methane and other pathways are shaping project design It’s a strong listen for developers, investors, lenders, lawyers, advisors, operators, policymakers and anyone trying to understand what needs to happen for Europe’s biomethane ambitions to become real, investable projects. Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075 Guest: Jan De Clerck Legal Counsel, Senior Director, MBA, Poul Schmith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/declerckjan/ Guest: Nichlas Rasmussen Senior Manager | Project Finance & M&A, Green Giraffe Advisory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichlasrasmussen/ Guest: Line Lundbye Director, EIFO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/line-lundbye-b041b71/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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July 13 · 1 hr 17 min
Art of Project Finance with Chris Negus and Andrew Rice
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Chris Negus and Andrew Rice for a practical conversation on one of the RNG industry’s most important, and often least understood areas: project finance. Chris Negus is Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer, with more than 10 years’ experience across banking, commercial lending, business development, M&A and biogas project finance. He has helped facilitate over £160m of debt and led ten M&A transactions worth £400m. Andrew Rice is Managing Partner & Chief Operating Officer, with more than 30 years’ experience in retail and commercial finance, including leadership roles at HSBC, NatWest, Citibank and BMW. He has refinanced over £175m and brings extensive relationship management and restructuring expertise. Together, they explain what makes an RNG project investable — and why even the strongest technical project cannot produce a molecule without funding. The conversation covers: 🔹 How project finance differs from corporate finance 🔹 Why lenders assess the team as closely as the project 🔹 The importance of feedstock security, offtake, contracts, operators, counterparties and sponsor experience 🔹 Why trust, transparency and relationships matter as much as spreadsheets 🔹 Why technically strong projects can still be unfinanceable 🔹 How weak assumptions are exposed in difficult markets 🔹 How developers should approach optionality, molecule value, SAF, marine fuel, bioCO2, carbon capture and future pathways This episode is for developers, operators, investors, lenders, farmers, technology providers and anyone interested in how RNG projects move from concept to infrastructure. Before the steel, concrete, compressors, membranes or pipelines arrive, someone must believe in the project enough to fund it. Chapters: 00:53 Introduction to RNG and Project Financing 06:01 Trust, Leadership and Building Lender Confidence 08:40 What Makes an RNG Project Fundable 14:12 Managing Risk in a Selective Lending Market 20:05 Common Project Finance Pitfalls 27:54 Project Design, CO₂ Capture and Value Maximization 43:46 Emerging Markets and Flexible Development Models 01:03:35 Capital Stacks, Market Shifts and the Lightning Round Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075 Guest: Chris Negus Managing Partner & CEO, Global NRG Advisory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-negus-global-nrg/ Guest: Andrew Rice Managing Partner & COO, Global NRG Advisory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-rice-246b53144/ Learn more about Global NRG Advisory here: https://globalnrgadvisory.co.uk/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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June 30 · 20 min
Taking Biogas Global: 10 Years of the World Biogas Association with Charlotte Morton OBE
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Charlotte Morton OBE, Chief Executive of the World Biogas Association, for a special bonus episode celebrating 10 years of WBA and the upcoming World Biogas Expo / ADBA Conference. Charlotte has spent nearly two decades working in biogas and has helped build the World Biogas Association from its launch at COP22 in Marrakesh in 2016 into a global voice for the industry. This episode takes the conversation beyond local markets and looks at biogas through a global lens, as a climate solution, methane mitigation tool, renewable energy source, food production support system, waste management solution, and driver of circular economy policy. Charlotte shares how the conversation around biogas has changed over the last decade, from asking people to take the industry seriously, to a much more urgent question: how quickly can it scale? The conversation gets practical: 🔹 Why biogas has moved from a niche technology to a recognised global climate and energy solution 🔹 How WBA has helped raise the profile of biogas with governments, investors and international organisations 🔹 Why visibility and fragmentation were two of the biggest problems the industry needed to solve 🔹 What different countries and markets can learn from each other as the sector grows 🔹 Why policy certainty, permitting, skilled people, public understanding and digestate still matter everywhere 🔹 Why the next decade is not about proving biogas belongs in the conversation, but scaling it fast enough It’s a strong listen for anyone working in biogas, RNG, energy, policy, climate, waste, agriculture, or infrastructure and anyone who wants to understand why biogas is becoming part of the global conversation on methane, energy security and circular economy. Guest: Charlotte Morton OBE Chief Executive of the World Biogas Association LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-morton-obe-1a0a322/ Host: Lisa Kitt Managing Director at Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin RNG Sales Director at Stark Tech Board Member of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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June 22 · 47 min
After Biogas Americas: Where Biogas Goes Next with Bryan Sievers and Bernie Sheff
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Bryan Sievers and Bernie Sheff for a post-Biogas Americas conversation on where the biogas and RNG industry really is right now. Bryan is a farmer, RNG developer, policy advocate, and a leading voice in rural agriculture and DC. Bernie recently wrapped his time as Chair of the American Biogas Council after helping lead the organisation through 14 years of growth and industry evolution, and is now stepping into the Chair of the United Biogas Alliance. Together, they reflect on the energy coming out of Biogas Americas, why the event felt less like “gold rush” growth and more like operational maturity, and what the conversations on the floor revealed about the next phase of the market. The discussion gets into the harder, more practical questions now facing the industry: operational discipline, financing, offtake, PFAS, electricity, data centres, distributed energy, marine fuels, and the need to keep widening the “big tent” for biogas. Bernie also shares why the next phase is about expanding offtake and widening the opportunity, from small landfills, dairies, hog farms and poultry facilities to marine fuels, electricity, fertiliser, air quality and water protection. His view is clear: the industry is still building its foundation, but the demand is coming. Key takeaways 🔹 Why Biogas Americas felt like a pulse check for an industry moving into maturity 🔹 How operational discipline, financing, offtake and resilience are shaping the next phase 🔹 Why electricity is coming back into the conversation, especially around data centres, grid reliability and energy security 🔹 Why smaller opportunities, landfills, dairies, hog farms and poultry facilities could matter more than people realise 🔹 Why marine offtake and a global RNG price point could change the scale of the industry 🔹 What the American Biogas Council needs to become as the industry grows into a connected “big tent” It’s a strong listen for anyone tracking where biogas and renewable natural gas go next, beyond the headlines, beyond the hype and into the harder conversations that will shape long-term trust, delivery and scale. Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075 Guest: Bernie Sheff Associate Technical Consultant at Burns and McDonnell Chair of the United Biogas Alliance Partner at US Renewable Energy Development Capital Inc. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardsheff/ Guest: Bryan Sievers Director of Government Relations at Roeslein Renewables LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beefbiomassandenergy/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects and politics of Renewable Natural Gas.
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June 9 · 31 min
Women in Biogas & RNG: Grit, Discipline, and Real Support (Live at Biogas Americas)
Bold voices with real impact are powering the future of biogas and women are leading the charge. In this special live episode recorded at the Women in Biogas & RNG Luncheon (presented by DTE Energy), RNG Girls hosts Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Cyn S. French, MacKenzie Bernhard, and Christie Ings, P. Eng. for an honest conversation about what it takes to build a career and stay in it, in a fast-moving, often male-dominated industry. The room was full of connection and community, but the discussion stayed grounded: discipline, resilience, self-care, real support, and the leadership habits that matter when the market feels uncertain. Key takeaways 🔹 Why “mental strength and discipline” are leadership strategies, not optional extras 🔹 The role of team, time-management, and showing up for others (especially when you’re on the road) 🔹 Why emotional self-care matters, and why being human doesn’t make you less credible 🔹 What real support looks like (and the behaviours that build trust when someone isn’t in the room) Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075 Guest: Cyn S. French Co-Founder, LF Bioenergy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynsfrench/ Guest: MacKenzie Bernhard Senior Technical Sales Engineer, AB Energy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-bernhard/ Guest: Christie Ings, P. Eng. VP RNG Operations, Clean Energy https://www.linkedin.com/in/christie-ings-p-eng-65716088/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects, and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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May 26 · 41 min
Biogas 101: Turning Waste Into Energy with Paul Greene
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin sit down with Paul Greene, an advisor to the biogas and RNG industry with a robust 30-year career across the water, wastewater, energy, and environmental industries, for a true “Biogas 101” conversation (no background required). Paul shares how he found his way into biogas through water and wastewater, project delivery, development, and project finance, before becoming a founding member of the American Biogas Council and building a national view of what makes projects succeed (and what makes them struggle). We also talk about Biogas TV and why video storytelling has become such a powerful way to make the industry more understandable, not just in the US, but globally. From there, the episode gets practical: what biogas actually is, why digesters are “living systems,” how landfill gas differs from digester gas, and why the industry still has work to do around perception, safety, and project timelines. Key takeaways 🔹 Biogas explained simply: waste in → methane + CO₂ out, with energy and fertiliser benefits 🔹 Why digesters behave like living systems (and why overfeeding/underfeeding matters) 🔹 Digesters vs landfill gas: efficiency, methane concentration, and why cleanup differs 🔹 The biggest misconception: the “odor/ick factor” and what being a “good neighbour” really means 🔹 Giants of Biogas: why the industry should celebrate the people driving it forward Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Co-Vice Chair of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075 Guest: Paul Greene Advisor to the Biogas RNG Industry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-greene-2531764/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects, and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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May 11 · 39 min
How Raft Energy Is Transforming Biogas Operations
This week on RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by the team at RAFT Energy: Ben Pruke, CEO & Co-Founder, and Alex Van Klaveren, Co-Founder & CRO. This episode takes the conversation global, exploring what’s happening across the UK and European biogas markets, where many “waste to energy” standards were built and refined, and what those markets can teach the US as RNG continues to scale. Ben and Alex break down what operators are prioritising right now, why “volatile” feedstocks can quietly undermine digester performance, and how a growing focus on biology, optimisation, and real-time monitoring is changing day-to-day decision making on site. It’s a practical conversation for anyone thinking about plant stability, performance uplift, and how the next wave of RNG efficiency will be driven, not just by new builds, but by getting more out of the assets already in the ground. Key takeaways 🔹 How the UK/European biogas markets compare to the US — and what the US can learn from past challenges 🔹 What operators actually prioritise today: better ROI, lower costs, and smarter tech adoption 🔹 Why volatile feedstocks (especially food waste) can destabilise biology and reduce performance 🔹 How real-time monitoring can act as an early-warning system before costly failures and shutdowns 🔹 Why biology-led optimisation is becoming a major lever for efficiency, safety, and output Host: Lisa Kitt Founder, RNG Girls | Managing Director, Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin Sales Director (RNG & Compression), Stark Tech | Board Member, American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075/ Guests: Ben Pruke CEO & Co-Founder, RAFT Energy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-pluke-6148b899/ Alex Van Klaveren Co-Founder & CRO, RAFT Energy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexvanklav/ RNG Girls is a podcast on the people, projects, and politics of Renewable Natural Gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry. #RNG #Biogas #RenewableNaturalGas #EnergyTransition #WasteToEnergy #AnaerobicDigestion #Biomethane #CleanEnergy #Decarbonization #MethaneReduction #CircularEconomy #SustainableEnergy #EnergySecurity #RealTimeMonitoring #BiogasAmericas
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April 23 · 1 hr 2 min
Why Biogas, Why Now; Inside the Momentum and Engagement with Bernie Sheff
In the very first episode of RNG Girls, Lisa Kitt and Skye Austin are joined by Bernie Sheff, Chair of the American Biogas Council and a long-standing leader in the biogas industry. Bernie reflects on how his journey into biogas began with an environmental justice issue in Michigan and how that early experience shaped a career dedicated to turning waste into energy, improving communities, and helping build the industry from the ground up. The conversation explores why this current moment feels so important for biogas, the global opportunity emerging around maritime fuel and low-CI energy, and why BIOGAS AMERICAS matters more than ever in a market that is being tested. Bernie also shares what makes the biogas sector different: its grit, its openness, and the strength of the community behind it. This first episode sets the tone for RNG Girls: conversations about the people, projects, and momentum shaping the future of biogas and renewable natural gas. Key takeaways 🔹 How Bernie’s first digester project solved a real environmental justice problem and changed the course of his career 🔹 Why the maritime opportunity is creating major momentum for the biogas industry globally 🔹 Why biogas is not just about energy, but also fertilizer, resilience, and food security 🔹 What makes BIOGAS AMERICAS such an important event for operators, developers, policymakers, and newcomers 🔹 Why American Biogas Council membership matters, especially in a challenging market 🔹 How community, collaboration, and “doers” continue to drive the industry forward BIOGAS AMERICAS If you’re heading to BIOGAS AMERICAS, come and find us at Stark Tech booth 213, this will be the RNG Girls home base during the event. Official website: https://biogasamericas.com/ Host: Lisa Kitt Managing Director at Dahlia Recruitment LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-kitt-0ab28521/ Co-host: Skye Austin RNG Sales Director at Stark Tech Board Member of the American Biogas Council LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-austin-506b1075/ Guest: Bernie Sheff Associate Technical Consultant at Burns and McDonnell Chairman of the American Biogas Council Partner at US Renewable Energy Development Capital Inc. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardsheff/ Key chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Biogas and RNG 02:23 Bernie’s Journey into Biogas 06:45 Why Biogas Has Momentum Now 10:43 Why BIOGAS AMERICAS Matters 14:10 Policy, Advocacy and Industry Progress 19:44 What Makes BIOGAS AMERICAS Different 25:35 The Future of Biogas Growth 32:37 Community, Transparency and Engagement 43:00 ABC Membership Benefits and Industry Collaboration 48:10 Why You Should Attend BIOGAS AMERICAS RNG Girls is a podcast about the people shaping the future of biogas and renewable natural gas. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations from across the RNG industry.
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