RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Renewable Portfolio Standards Drive 60% of US Clean Energy Boom
By Katherine Tweed, GreenTech Media.
The renewable portfolio standards that many states have enacted are responsible for 60 percent of the growth in non-hydro renewable energy generation, according to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Most of the additional capacity to meet RPS requirements has come from wind, but in recent years, solar energy is gaining traction. Renewable portfolio standards call for a certain percentage of power generation to come from renewable resources, although what qualifies as renewable and which power generators have to meet the obligations varies by state.
The U.S. has been emitting a lot more methane than we thought, says EPA
By Chris Mooney, The Washington Post.
The Environmental Protection Agency has released a major upward revision to its estimates of total emissions of methane, a hard-hitting if short-lived greenhouse gas, in an annual inventory that the agency submits to the United Nations. The revisions will further up the stakes in a political battle over regulations that the agency is preparing to issue that could affect operations at thousands of oil and gas wells.
“Data on oil and gas show that methane emissions from the sector are higher than previously estimated,” said the agency in a news release upon the report’s release. “The oil and gas sector is the largest emitting-sector for methane and accounts for a third of total U.S. methane emissions.”
Biodigesters benefit ag communities
By Whitney Beadle, For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Sit back and think of cow products for just a moment … visions of gooey cheese curds, dripping ice cream and mouthwatering hamburgers cooked just right. But does renewable energy come to mind? It should.
Agricultural operations have long provided a base for our nation’s economy and stomachs; however, they also serve as a vastly-untapped resource for continuous clean energy production, contribute to nutrient management plans, create organic products and overall further the sustainability of rural communities, when paired with anaerobic digestion systems.
Similar to a cow’s stomach breaking down feed into energy to produce dairy and beef products, anaerobic digestion systems break down organic materials into energy products.
Obama's signature climate change initiative is completely consistent with past EPA regulations
By Richard L. Revesz, U.S. News & World Report.
The legal showdown over the Obama administration's signature climate change initiative is heating up, as the last of the briefs for the lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan were submitted Friday. Now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will begin to assess the legality of these carbon dioxide emissions restrictions for the power sector.
The coal companies and states challenging the plan have crafted a legal argument that essentially focuses on one core assertion: that the rule is "unprecedented." But history suggests otherwise. Every major element of the Clean Power Plan that opponents say is unprecedented has in fact been used by the EPA before, under administrations of both parties.
Courts tend to defer to federal agencies on regulations that involve longstanding statutory interpretations. And an analysis of prior EPA rules and relevant court decisions – some dating back to the Reagan administration – reveals that the structure of this rule is consistent with decades of Clean Air Act practice. The Clean Power Plan is novel and historic in that it finally regulates carbon emissions from the nation's highest-polluting sector. But nothing about the legal structure of the rule is unprecedented.
Republic Services Expands CNG-Powered Fleet on Earth Day
By Zacks Equity Research.
Republic Services, Inc., the second largest domestic non-hazardous solid waste company in the U.S., expanded its fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) solid waste collection trucks with the addition of 62 such trucks in Broward and Dade counties.
These new CNG trucks will replace the previously used diesel-powered collection trucks. This initiative by the company will accelerate the total number of natural gas vehicles operating in South Florida to 127.
Pollution is a growing concern in today’s world, and keeping that in mind, the company has been taking initiatives to reduce carbon emission. Being one of the renowned operators of a large vocational fleet in South Florida, Republic Services strives to make a positive impact on the environment. The expansion of its CNG truck fleet on Earth Day is symbolic of the company’s efforts.
The Burgeoning Trend of Corporate Climate Policy Support
By Tom Murray, Forbes.
As the Environmental Protection Agency’s new rules limiting carbon emissions from power plants come under a final attack before moving to a crucial legal test in the U.S. Court of Appeals in June, a stark pattern has emerged among companies lining up to support or oppose these reasonable, urgently-needed standards.
Signing on to briefs in favor of the plan are some of the most innovative and fast growing businesses in the world, from high tech leaders Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft to leading consumer facing businesses such as IKEA , Adobe and Mars .
On the other side, opposing the new rules, are corporations that so far aren’t keeping up with the advent of clean energy.
Senators Reach Deal to Act on Comprehensive Energy Bill
By Coral Davenport, New York Times.
WASHINGTON — Senators on Wednesday reached a deal to act on a comprehensive energy bill as soon as this week, breaking a three-month partisan standoff over the tainted water scandal in Flint, Mich.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska and chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee, and Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the panel’s ranking Democrat, has broad bipartisan support and is expected to easily pass the Senate.
It represents the first major energy bill to come to the Senate floor since the Bush administration. A similar measure has passed in the House, and President Obama has signaled his support for it. The bill is designed to address major changes in the ways that power is produced in the United States by updating the nation’s power grid and oil and gas transportation systems.
Vermont Gas Systems to offer renewable natural gas to customers in 2016
By Vermont Business Magazine.
Vermont Gas Systems announced today plans to offer renewable natural gas (RNG) to customers this year. Renewable natural gas from agriculture and landfills will be offered to participating customers who sign up for the program.
“This is an environmental win-win for our customers. Natural gas is a cleaner and more affordable home heating option for almost 50,000 Vermont families and businesses. Beginning this fall, our customers can further reduce their carbon footprint by choosing to heat their homes and businesses with renewable natural gas,” said Vermont Gas CEO Don Rendall.
Capturing methane from farms and landfills provides dual environmental benefits by preventing an intense greenhouse gas pollutant from entering the atmosphere (allowing the constructive use of a waste product as energy) and displacing other higher-emitting fuels such as heating oil and propane.
The Suit Against the Clean Power Plan, Explained
By Bobby Magill, Climate Central.
The Clean Power Plan, the Obama administration’s most sweeping climate change policy, is being challenged in federal appeals court and its future is expected to hinge on the outcome of at least one court decision — and possibly two — over the next year.
The merits of the lawsuit are set to be argued June 2 before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Groups on both sides of the issue filed “friend of the court” briefs at the end of March. The documents provide a telling glimpse into each side's arguments and whether the Obama administration has the authority to enforce the plan.
Here are seven things to know about the Clean Power Plan as it winds its way through the courts:
Energy tax breaks dropped from FAA bill
By Melanie Zanona, The Hill.
The Senate is dropping plans to include energy tax breaks in legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration after lawmakers were unable to reach a final deal.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, told reporters on Tuesday that the FAA measure will now only contain standard revenue provisions.
Democrats had been pressing leadership to attach renewable energy tax breaks they claim were unintentionally left out of a tax extenders package Congress passed in December. They said last week they had a general agreement to add the energy tax breaks to the FAA bill, but had yet to unveil final details.
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