RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Majority of Presidential Candidates Support Controversial Fuel Standards
By Andrew Clark, Shea Smith, and Page Jones, Huffington Post Politics.
Renewable fuels and the controversial standards surrounding them are repeat hot topics of debate during the Iowa caucuses, and the current crop of presidential candidates are not cowering away from the issue.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Tuesday at the 10th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels conference that he supports the notion to maintain the standard, a declaration that must have boded well with many citizens of a state with 41 corn ethanol plants in attendance.
"As president, I will encourage congress to be cautious in attempting to charge and change any part of the (Renewable Fuel Standard)," Trump said at the summit, closely accompanied by his script. "Energy independence is a requirement for America to become great again."
Tesoro working with partners to run crude in U.S. made from biomass
By Kristen Hays, Reuters.
On the heels of last month's Paris agreement to curb carbon emissions, independent refiner Tesoro Corp said it is working with several biofuel companies to run more crude made from renewable plants and waste at its California refineries, the company told Reuters on Tuesda.
Using so-called biocrude from Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc and other partners is intended to lower Tesoro's costs to comply with California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which requires refineries to run more environmentally friendly produced crude.
Rather than build or overhaul units to produce biofuels, Tesoro can blend biocrude into other crudes that feed existing refineries to generate LCFS credits, C.J. Warner, executive vice president of strategy and business development, said.
Renewables Could Prove Cheaper Than LNG in Overseas Power Markets, Report Finds
By Jeremiah Shelor, NGI's Daily Gas Price Index.
The slew of North American liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects currently in the works could face stiff competition from renewables in Asian and European power generation markets, according to a new report from economists with The Brattle Group.
The report, “LNG and Renewable Power: Risk and Opportunity in a Changing World,” notes, as other analysts have, the recent softening of LNG demand in key markets like Asia (see Daily GPI, Jan. 13). While many forecasters see demand growing beyond 2020, this isn’t a safe bet, according to Brattle.
“The analysis in our paper suggests that market participants should be very cautious in thinking that the LNG supply glut is necessarily a temporary problem, because another important dynamic in world energy markets is the declining cost of renewable power and the prospect of increased penetration of renewables in the global power generation mix and thus competing with LNG as a ‘fuel source’ for power generation.”
LNG Possible Cost-Saving Alternative for Hawaii Gas, Says Report
By Richard Nemec, NGI's Daily Gas Price Index.
Hawaii leaders have set a goal to use 100% renewables by 2045, but liquefied natural gas (LNG) may be a viable and cost-saving supplement to the use of synthetic natural gas (SNG) by Hawaii Gas as a primary fuel in the interim, according to the results of an 18-month bidding process by the state's only regulated gas utility.
Natural gas may be a lower-cost substitute for the company's SNG as well as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to the oil-based fuels used by electricity producers and ground/marine transportation operators, said a Hawaii Gas spokesperson said Tuesday when the report was released. "The Facts About LNG for Hawaii” follows five years of "discovery work" by the Macquarie Infrastructure Co. utility.
The only way to bring large quantities of LNG to the islands is for a third party to own and operate a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), Hawaii Gas said.
Napa welcomes Marin Clean Energy into city’s power market
By Howard Yune, Napa Valley Register.
The company that supplies electricity from renewable sources to Napa County customers will take its program into the city of Napa as well.
Marin Clean Energy is set to become Napa’s default power provider for local homes and businesses, after the City Council on Tuesday approved the first reading of an ordinance to partner with the San Rafael-based firm.
The city joins the unincorporated county in offering electricity based on solar, wind, hydroelectric, biogas and other sustainable sources, which the company is rolling out across the Bay Area.
Air Products secures PED certification for two new sizes of biogas membrane separators
From Chemicals-Technology.com.
International certification body DNV GL Business Assurance Italia has awarded Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) certification to Air products' two new sizes of membrane separators for biogas upgrading applications.
The new membrane separators have been developed by Air Products' PRISM Membranes division, located in Saint Louis, Missouri, US.
The certification has been granted after Air Products' new biogas separators were found to have fulfilled the requirements of European standards for design and manufacture, as well as safe operation of pressurised equipment.
Greens ask federal EPA to take over enforcement for air, water rules in Texas
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
- The Environmental Defense Fund and the Caddo Lake Institute have asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take over permitting in Texas under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act saying the state is not doing its duty to protect citizens from pollution.
- The groups say new laws in Texas are limiting who can participate in proceedings as "affected" parties, and the state's Council on Environmental Quality and local government agencies are not adequately funded to protect the environment.
- The environmental advocates also asked the EPA to "withdraw its delegation of permitting authority" under the CWA and find that Texas’s new source review permitting program under the Clean Air Act is deficient.
US Energy Department Announces $58 Million to Advance Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Technologies
WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced more than $58 million in funding for vehicle technology advancements and released a report highlighting the successes of DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program while touring the newest vehicle technologies at the Washington Auto Show today.
Continuing the Obama Administration’s commitment to supporting the domestic automobile industry, Secretary Moniz announced a $55 million funding opportunity that will solicit projects across vehicle technologies like energy storage, electric drive systems, materials, fuels and lubricants and advanced combustion. Secretary Moniz also announced that two innovative projects at CALSTART and the National Association of Regional Councils will receive $3 million to develop systems that help companies combine their purchasing of advanced vehicles, components, and infrastructure to reduce incremental cost and achieve economies of scale.
Waste Connections to buy Progressive Waste for $2.67B
By Kristin Musulin, Waste Dive.
- Texas-based Waste Connections announced Tuesday that it will purchase Canada's Progressive Waste Solutions for $2.67 billion as a way to expand throughout Canada.
- The companies will merge in an all-stock deal. Waste Connections shareholders will own about 70% of the company, while Progressive Waste shareholders will own about 30%.
- The merged company will have a pro-forma revenue of about $4.1 billion, as reported by Seeking Alpha, and will be domiciled in Canada after the deal closes in this year's second quarter.
Energy Bill Could Hit Senate Floor This Month, Aide Says
By Ari Natter, Bloomberg BNA.
Jan. 14 — A broad energy bill that includes language to expedite the federal approval process for liquefied natural gas exports could be brought to the Senate floor by month's end, a Republican leadership aide told Bloomberg BNA Jan. 14.
While it is “certainly possible” legislation could be on the floor this month, the aide cautioned in an e-mail that there is “nothing locked” in place yet.
Multiple lobbyists told Bloomberg BNA that the bill was could be brought to the floor after the Senate acts on legislation related to Syrian refugee policy, possibly the week of Jan. 25.
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