RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Energy crisis solution could be to use human waste
By Tim Sandle, Digital Journal.
Researchers in Canada are considering the feasibility of using biogas, derived from human waste, to produce energy. They argue that each year people produce waste that could be converted to energy worth $9.5 billion, at current prices.
The thought of taking human fecal material and creating a "biogas" may seem a little disgusting, but it provides a potential energy source that is self-renewing and one that does not involve messing up Antarctica in search of oil. In addition to biogas, the residue from the process — the dried and charred remains (called fecal sludge) — could be used to produce 2 million tonnes of charcoal-equivalent fuel. This would reduce the need to use trees.The key technical factor is safety: processing human waste safely (since it will contain pathogenic, enteric microorganisms) and generating and collecting gas in a way that will not result in explosions. The idea has come from the United Nations University's Canadian-based water institute.
Kasich energy plan has critics hot
By Jack Torry & Jessica Wehrman, The Columbus Dispatch.
John Kasich's energy plan is aimed at sparking the economy by expanding production, but environmentalists say the Republican presidential candidate's idea would increase pollution and the carbon emissions blamed for climate change.
In an economic speech last month in New Hampshire, the Ohio governor outlined an approach likely to resonate with American industry, including abandoning a plan by the Obama administration that would force electrical utility plants to slash their carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030.
In addition, Kasich called for a one-year freeze on new federal nonsafety regulations, including those that affect the environment, while insisting that federal agencies study whether the financial costs of future rules imposed on industries would outweigh the environmental benefits.
New CNG refueling station for heavy trucks in Salt Lake Valley
By USGasVehicles.com.
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and County Fleet Management Director Greg Nuzman unveiled the county’s new CNG fueling station just in time for the start of the winter inversion season in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah.
McAdams said that Fleet Management maintains large diesel trucks that until now have contributed significantly to both CO2 and NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions—two tailpipe sources of both winter and summer air pollution.
“Switching to cleaner natural gas as a fuel shows that Salt Lake County is doing whatever we can to help lower the number of bad air days in the valley,” said McAdams. “Replacing diesel fuel with CNG is a significant step towards less air pollution and more cost-savings on fuel.”
Energy Vision Honors Companies Leading Adoption of Renewable Natural Gas
By Energy Vision.
The sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision presented its leadership awards last night to leading companies developing new markets for renewable natural gas (RNG). The winners are UPS, Newlight Technologies, American Organic Energy, MOVE Systems and American Organic Energy.
A powerful decarbonization and climate protection strategy, RNG is made from biogases generated as wastewater, agricultural waste, and food and yard waste decompose. It has a fraction of fossil natural gas's carbon footprint. When made from food waste in anaerobic digesters and used as vehicle fuel, RNG is net carbon-negative over its lifecycle.
"Our award winners are displacing petroleum with waste biogases that cut greenhouse gases by 90% or more," said Joanna Underwood, president of Energy Vision. "Their work is commercially viable today, part of an emerging new energy economy being born right now."
Bloomberg to run ads against state AGs suing EPA
By Timothy Cama, The Hill.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is paying to run negative advertisements targeting four state attorneys general for their legal actions against a key climate change rule.
Bloomberg’s advisers told The New York Times that the campaigns would cost more than $10 million, to defend President Obama’s regulation to slash carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
The ads, through Bloomberg’s Independence USA PAC, target Pam Bondi of Florida, Bill Schuette of Michigan, Brad Schimel of Wisconsin and Chris Koster of Missouri. Koster is running for governor.
Tax extenders talks starting
By Bernie Becker, Politico.
Extenders Clock is Ticking: The top tax writers on Capitol Hill are starting to get down to business on dealing with the raft of expired tax breaks, now that the music has stopped not he musical chairs game for House speaker and Ways and Means chairman.
No one really believes there’s a chance that the 50 or so extenders, now expired 10 months, won’t get reupped in some manner before the end of the year. But the how — and, more important, the how long — still remains to be seen.
Both Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch and Sen. Ron Wyden, the Finance panel’s top Democrat, confirmed that the two parties had started discussing a way forward. Hatch and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady both said Thursday that they hope to permanently restore at least some of the extenders before Dec. 31. The two chairmen didn’t waste any time getting together, sitting down on Thursday just hours after Brady officially took over the gavel.
Weltec and Aquatec Maxcon to build Australia’s first AD plant
By Bioenergy Insight.
Weltec Biopower, a German bioenergy producer, and Aquatec Maxcon are building a 1MW anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas plant in Melbourne, Australia.
Construction of the plant, first of its kind in Australia, began in October and will be finished by the end of 2016.
The plant was ordered by water supply and sewage services company Yarra Valley Water, which with the construction is set to become energy self-sufficient at the location.
And surplus electricity will be fed into the national grid.
Illinois Joins Coalition Of States, Cities Backing Clean Power Plan
Progress Illinois Press Release.
Illinois is among a coalition of 25 states and cities, including Chicago, that is backing the federal Clean Power Plan in the legal battle over the new environmental regulations, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office announced Wednesday.
The coalition has filed a motion to intervene in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which is facing a legal challenge from 23 states.
The states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington plus the District of Columbia and the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boulder, South Miami, and Broward County, Florida are part of the coalition backing the Clean Power Plan, according to Madigan's office.
California's Paris delegation: Who's going and who's paying?
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times.
California may not be a member of the United Nations, but it will have a heavy footprint in December at the world summit on climate change in Paris.
Lawmakers attending the summit
Eight Democratic state lawmakers are expected to accompany Gov. Jerry Brown to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:
Senate leader Kevin de León of Los Angeles
He has made climate-change legislation a priority. In October, Brown signed his measure to boost renewable energy and energy efficiency. Three years ago, the governor signed De León's bill to invest in low-income communities with revenue from the cap-and-trade program, which imposes state fees on polluters.
Brady to Take Over as Head of House Tax-Writing Panel
By James Rowley, Bloomberg Business.
In his first big personnel decision, House Speaker Paul Ryan put the committee that writes U.S. tax law in the hands of Texan Kevin Brady, who agreed to stand aside last year when Ryan wanted that chairmanship.
Brady, who’s finishing his 19th year in Congress, will be in charge of guiding the Ways and Means Committee as it considers whether to revive dozens of tax incentives that lapsed at the end of 2014.
“He’s a proven leader on a lot of our issues,” said Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Republican Conference chairwoman.
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