RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Landfill deal is promising
By the Columbus Dispatch.
Over two decades, central Ohio’s landfill has partnered with an array of entrepreneurs, investing in ideas — some fantastical — to turn garbage into cash.
A few worked, including mulch operations. However, others — such as a plan to turn trashed Styrofoam into new construction materials for builders — were spectacular flops, tying up agency resources or prompting lawsuits.
So it’s good to see a success at the facility. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio is making money on a once-failed green-energy venture, raking in about $1 million in its first year.
EPA: 7.8 million cellulosic RINs generated in March
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for March, reporting that more than 1.44 billion RINs were generated during the month, including nearly 7.8 million cellulosic RINs.
According to the EPA, 7.8 million D3 cellulosic biofuel RINs were generated in March, bringing the net total for the first three months of the year to 19.73 million. Approximately 19.81 million D3 RINs were generated in total, with 76,942 RIN generation error corrections. EPA data indicates 286,237 D3 RINs were generated for ethanol, with 9.28 million generated for renewable compressed natural gas and 10.25 million for renewable liquefied natural gas. All 19.81 million D3 RINs generated during the first three months of 2015 were generated domestically. No D7 renewable diesel RINs have been generated so far in 2015.
SWACO profits from methane created by landfill
By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch.
The landfill’s flares are a little dimmer, but its coffers are getting a lot fuller.
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio made about $1 million in the first year of a new program that refines methane and carbon-dioxide gas generated at the landfill and sells it in California.
If it reaches its full potential, the program could help stabilize trash-collection rates while contributing to renewable energy, said Dave Bush, chairman of SWACO’s board, at a grand opening for the facility yesterday.
It’s the realization of a deal struck more than two years ago with Aria Energy, a renewable-energy company based in Novi, Mich., that spent $22.5 million to build a facility to refine the gas at the landfill and pump it into a Columbia Gas pipeline. Aria was responsible for construction and operating costs.
Canadian Gas Association Welcomes Federal Budget Support for Investment in LNG Facilities in Canada
By PR Newswire.
The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) says the federal budget includes a number of initiatives that will help improve the lives of Canadians and drive Canada's economic growth and prosperity.
A number of positive initiatives were outlined in the budget including:
- A commitment to move forward with the establishment of the new Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) rates to help support investment in liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Canada.
- An increase in funding starting in 2015–16 to the National Energy Board, some of which will be used to enhance engagement with Canadians related to energy transportation infrastructure.
- Providing $58 million over five years, starting in 2015–16, to further protect the Government of Canada's essential cyber systems and critical infrastructure against cyber attacks.
- Further investment in research and development and technology.
SWANA Names David Biderman Executive Director
By Waste Advantage.
After conducting a nationwide search, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), found its next leader only a few miles away. Today, SWANA’s board of directors confirmed the selection of David Biderman as its next executive director and chief executive officer. His official start date is May 1. “SWANA is pleased and excited to announce the hiring of David Biderman to lead the Association,” said President Brian Tippetts. “David’s energy, experience, and his long-standing emphasis on safety fit perfectly with the board’s expectations for SWANA and its efforts in coming years.”
Mr. Biderman has worked at the National Waste and Recycling Association and its predecessors for 18 years, most recently as Vice President of Government Affairs and General Counsel.
New Jersey Lawmakers Pitch Relief for Landfill Waste-to-Energy Projects
By Rachael Zimlich, Waste360.
The New Jersey legislature is considering a bill that would award renewable energy certificates to facilities that report losses related to gas-to-energy projects.
The proposal, Assembly Bill 3358, was introduced in February and echoes the sentiments of its companion bill, Senate Bill 2076, which was introduced in 2014 and earned approval from the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. The bill’s goal is to offset the costs of meeting New Jersey’s stringent environmental standards, which Fred DeSanti, a lobbyist representing stakeholders behind the bill, says are four times tougher than federal standards.
US report urges power, gas infrastructure updates
By Argus Media.
he US will need to invest billions of dollars in its aging electric and natural gas infrastructure because of significant changes in how and where energy is being produced and consumed, President Barack Obama's administration said in a major energy report.
The Quadrennial Energy Review, released today, found the US power sector is at a "strategic inflection point" because of shifts in the generating fuel mix, increased vulnerability to extreme weather and growth in new technologies. The report expects efforts to cut CO2 emissions would likely accelerate those changes and drive investment in new transmission infrastructure.
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report: 1990-2013
By US EPA.
EPA develops an annual report called the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (Inventory). This report tracks total annual U.S. emissions and removals by source, economic sector, and greenhouse gas going back to 1990. EPA uses national energy data, data on national agricultural activities, and other national statistics to provide a comprehensive accounting of total greenhouse gas emissions for all man-made sources in the United States. EPA also collects greenhouse gas emissions data from individual facilities and suppliers of certain fossil fuels and industrial gases through the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program.
The national greenhouse gas inventory is submitted to the United Nations in accordance with the Framework Convention on Climate Change . In preparing the annual emissions inventory report, EPA collaborates with hundreds of experts representing more than a dozen U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, industry associations, consultants and environmental organizations.
Bill aims to alter RVO process, definition for cellulosic biofuel
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
Sen. Jeff Flake, R, Ariz., has introduced legislation that aims to amend the renewable fuel standard (RFS) to require the cellulosic requirement to be based on actual production and alter the statutory definition of cellulosic biofuels to exclude biogas-based fuels.
Flake introduced the bill, S. 934, or the Phantom Fuel Reform Act, on April 14 and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. To date, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has signed on to cosponsor the measure.
A copy of the bill provided by Flake’s office indicates the measure would require the U.S. EPA to base the annual volume obligation (RVO) for cellulosic biofuel on actual production.
Trash-to-biofuel takes new turn in Mario
By Rick Smith, The Gazette.
No one has claimed that making biofuel out of garbage is as simple as tossing leftovers into the trash.
So it is that Craig Stuart-Paul, president and chief executive officer of the Maryland-based Fiberight LLC, said this week that his company is shifting gears again on its two-year-old plan to build a trash sorting and shredding operation in Marion.
The idea now is to make the Marion facility more than it was expected to be a year ago.
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