Attorney Graham Noyes had already decided he wanted to move away from the field of criminal law, which he had worked in for eight years as a public defender in Sacramento and in his own private practice in San Francisco, when some friends gave him Josh Tickell's book From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank. Based on a long-term interest in renewable energy, he became particularly fascinated with biofuels. Then after discovering Randall von Wedel of Cytoculture and reading about his biodiesel work in California, Graham realized he had found a field he could be enthusiastic about and that he believed was going to take off.

Inspired by the dot-com boom, Graham spent a year looking at possibilities, including starting his own biodiesel business, but decided in favor of a regular paycheck and reached out to World Energy in Boston. Despite his initial skepticism about hiring an attorney to do sales, World Energy founder Gene Gebolys brought Graham on, giving him all the territory west of the Mississippi. Beginning in 2000, Graham established the early infrastructure and the networks for this region, which initially involved totes, then truckloads, then rail cars. Leveraging his legal background, Graham also participated actively in regulatory proceedings, drafted sales contracts, and familiarized himself with the well-established petroleum distribution network and quality control system.

From his first office in downtown Half Moon Bay, he began meeting with Randall, and in 2001 the two of them teamed up with the Bluewater Network and Olympian to open the first B100 station in the United States. The opening press conference at the station on 3rd Street in San Francisco was attended by then California Energy Commission official Peter Ward and Shaine Tyson of NREL, who announced to the world on CNN that "now people have a choice at the fuel pump." This seminal event was a turning point for biodiesel in California. It didn't just provide access to the fuel, it inspired and empowered many who became industry leaders in the state, including Eric Bowen, who went on to co-found the California Biodiesel Alliance (CBA) and serve as its chairman for the first six years.

Realizing that he could do his work from anywhere with airport access, Graham and his family moved to Nevada City in 2002. He was promoted to Vice President of Sales at World Energy and worked to develop the company's nation-wide distribution system. In 2006 Graham was recruited by Imperium Renewables to serve as VP of Sales and Business Development as the company was building the first of four planned 100 million gallon biodiesel plants. Graham relocated to Bainbridge Island, Washington to join the company. But in 2007, according to Graham, Imperium's long-term plans got caught up in the "front end of the recession" when the IPO window essentially closed. To the company's credit, original founder, John Plaza, core investors, and sales team leaders like Todd Ellis were determined to succeed with the Gray's Harbor Plant and have since proven successful.

But having experienced seven years of rapid growth and dramatic volatility in the biodiesel industry, Graham decided he could best contribute by returning to the practice of law. He was particularly drawn to Stoel Rives, a law firm with a national practice in renewable energy that was willing to bring a biodiesel industry insider on board, even one who had never before practiced at a law firm other than his own. Graham joined the Seattle office of Stoel Rives and successfully built out his practice to represent clients involved in the wider bioenergy industry, including biomethane, waste to energy, and related advanced technologies. In 2012 Graham received accolades from the readers of Biofuels Digest who named him one of the "Top 100 People in Bioenergy." The Digest also awarded Graham a Book of the Year award for his work The Carbon Rush: America's Path to Fire and Gold. Continuing Graham's life-long fascination with energy, The Carbon Rush reconstructs the history and growth of America's energy sources, infrastructure, and technologies.

Today, Graham is back in California. Early this summer he moved his practice with Stoel Rives to the company's office in Sacramento where he is assisting clients who want to tap into the growing market for biofuels and bioenergy in the state. And he is continuing his focus on helping clients with AB 32 and California Air Resources Board (CARB) obligations and with enforcement proceedings. Graham brings with him extensive experience with the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and an impressive list of publications and presentations. His clients have included large firms such as Solazyme, Tetra Tech, and the Southern California Gas Company.  

"Because biodiesel has always been an important part of my practice, I know it best and have a deep appreciation for the biodiesel industry and the people who work in the industry," says Graham, who has served as Secretary of the National Biodiesel Board's Governing Board. He adds that, although biodiesel in California has had some hard times and faced serious challenges in recent years -- including lapses in the Blenders Credit, long-term skepticism from CARB, serious set-backs due to RIN fraud, and threats to LCFS, which he believes will continue to make it a controversial area for the foreseeable future -- he believes that LCFS and RFS are proving their value by successfully incentivizing innovations in plant efficiency, achieving emissions reductions goals, and contributing to energy security. He emphasizes that under RFS biodiesel has a special place as an advanced biofuel that is supplying the hundreds of millions of gallons that cellulosic ethanol has not yet delivered and because all future growth under that program will be in the advanced biofuel space.

Glad to be back, Graham says, "California, with its special status in air quality regulations and its large, diverse economy, has always had an important position in the fuel world and is the leading state on clean energy issues." He is impressed with the sheer volume of activity on bioenergy in Sacramento these days and excited about "looping in" with California's biodiesel industry and those working to achieve the goals of the LCFS. At CBA's annual conference this January, Graham encouraged attendees to work with the larger biofuel and petroleum communities toward finding common ground and harmonizing state and federal regulations to achieve energy security and GHG reduction goals.

Graham points out that he has been pleased to reconnect with and learn about the biodiesel industry members who have endured the tough times and succeeded in the state. CBA is similarly pleased to note Graham's success. We heartily welcome back this valued California biodiesel pioneer and look forward to working with him toward shared goals.