Hawaii governor proclaims March 18, 2025, ‘Pacific Biodiesel Day’ in honor of industry pioneers
Pacific Biodiesel announced that March 18, 2025, has been proclaimed “Pacific Biodiesel Day” in Hawaii by Gov. Josh Green.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, Pacific Biodiesel created the first retail biodiesel pump in America on Maui where the company was founded in 1995 by Bob and Kelly King.
The longest-operating biodiesel producer in the U.S., Pacific Biodiesel has been the only commercial producer of liquid biofuels in the state for three decades and today annually produces nearly 6 million gallons of biodiesel at its refinery on Hawaii Island.
This 100 percent renewable fuel is sold entirely in Hawaii.
In his proclamation, the governor encouraged “the people of the Aloha State to join me in honoring this local company for their efforts in demonstrating a community-based model of regenerative agriculture and renewable fuel; helping to fight climate change; and supporting energy security and food sovereignty in our state.”
The proclamation was presented by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke to Bob King, president of Pacific Biodiesel, and Jenna Long, Pacific Biodiesel’s director of operations, at the State Capitol last week.
March 18 is National Biodiesel Day
Each year, National Biodiesel Day honors the visionary inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolph Diesel, on his birthday, March 18.
Invented in the 1890s and unveiled at the World’s Fair in 1900, his diesel engine was originally designed to run on peanut oil.
Rudolph Diesel pioneered an innovative engine technology and the recognition of plant oils as a renewable fuel source.
“And it was another pioneer—Pacific Biodiesel’s founder, Bob King—who saw the potential (and first developed the commercial-scale production technology) for recycling used cooking oil into biodiesel, a clean-burning biofuel that replaces petroleum diesel,” Pacific Biodiesel stated.
King created the first retail biodiesel pump in America at the Central Maui landfill back in 1995—the year he and Kelly King co-founded Pacific Biodiesel.
“That revolutionary first plant on Maui initiated the entire biodiesel industry, which has since scaled up to more than 2 billion gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. last year,” Pacific Biodiesel stated.
In addition to National Biodiesel Day, this March 18 also marks Global Recycling Day and National Agriculture Day—all reflective of Pacific Biodiesel’s community-based biodiesel production model that supports Hawaii’s circular economy, as stated in Green’s proclamation:
Whereas Pacific Biodiesel was founded on Maui in 1995 and is now the nation’s longest-operating biodiesel producer and the only commercial producer of liquid biofuels in Hawaii for three decades, marking 2025 as the company’s 30th anniversary.
Whereas March 18 is observed annually as National Biodiesel Day, and on behalf of this year’s anniversary milestone, we honor Pacific Biodiesel, a local company that created the first retail biodiesel pump in America.
Whereas today, Pacific Biodiesel employs nearly 100 Hawaii residents statewide and produces 6 million gallons of biodiesel annually at its world-class refinery on Hawaii Island, with all fuel sold entirely in the state of Hawaii.
Whereas local biodiesel production supports Hawaii’s mandate for 100 percent renewable electricity production by 2045, and biodiesel fuel is a renewable fuel that can be used in any diesel engine.
Whereas March 18 is also Global Recycling Day, and Pacific Biodiesel produces renewable fuel from used cooking oil recycled from Hawaii’s restaurants so that for each gallon of used cooking oil recycled, nearly 1 gallon of biodiesel is locally produced, keeping waste oil out of local landfills.
Whereas March 18 also marks National Agriculture Day, and Pacific Biodiesel produces fuel from locally grown crops like sunflowers, supporting diversified agriculture and food security in Hawaii.
Whereas in 2024, Pacific Biodiesel expanded its agriculture operations to Kauai as part of a federally funded project to develop regenerative agriculture-based biofuel from multiple locally grown oilseed cover crops in rotation with other food crops; this project includes expanded production of culinary oils and other value-added food products, meal for animal feed, biodiesel, and coproducts from biodiesel production such as glycerin and potassium sulfate, a fertilizer for agriculture.
Whereas scaling up local agriculture allows Pacific Biodiesel to source 100 percent local feedstock for its fuel production and keep agricultural lands active to increase food security and help mitigate wildfire risk.
Therefore I, Josh Green, governor of the state of Hawaii, do hereby proclaim March 18, 2025, as Pacific Biodiesel Day in Hawaii.
Pacific Biodiesel is headquartered on Maui, with nearly 100 employees statewide, including 50 working at its Keaau refinery on Hawaii Island. Learn more at Biodiesel.com.
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