LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Jessica Graham Phillips
Editor-in-Chief
Dear Readers,
November is my favorite month. You may be thinking it’s because of the autumn hues of the trees or the changing temperatures or giving thanks with family. You wouldn’t be wrong about those, but the truth is it’s my birthday month! I’m biased, but I do consider it the best birthday month.
We’re talking about renewable propane in this issue, so what would be considered the birthday of the fuel? According to The Guardian, a team of scientists at Imperial College in London discovered in 2014 that propane could be made from glucose using a genetically engineered version of the bacterium E. coli. The lead author of the study noted it was chemically identical to and would work “exactly the same as normal propane.” Today, it’s most commonly produced as a byproduct of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
Perhaps you can also consider anniversaries, such as when the Western Propane Gas Association established a strategic plan in 2015 for the development of renewable propane, resulting four years later in California becoming the first state to market it. Or when Ray Energy brought the first railcar of renewable propane to the Northeast in April 2022, and similarly when Propane Levac received the first railcar of 100% renewable propane to be broadly marketed in Canada in January 2025.
Renewable propane may be a young fuel compared to the long history of traditional propane, but it has growing potential in the years ahead. Starting on page 14, our feature section includes a discussion from Suburban Propane’s M. Douglas Dagan on how the industry can seize on expansion opportunities for renewable fuel. On page 18, the Propane Education & Research Council’s Dr. Gokul Vishwanathan explores how capitalizing on heating and power demand can be a viable path for the renewable propane market.
You should also check out our annual Corporate Capabilities special advertising section, which begins on page 22. All the companies featured in these pages can help marketers seize those opportunities — for smoother operations, potential growth and much more. You don’t want to miss it.
Until next time,
