RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.California's cap-and-trade program faces daunting hurdles to avoid collapse
By Chris Megerian and Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times.
The linchpin of California’s climate change agenda, a program known as cap and trade, has become mired in legal, financial and political troubles that threaten to derail the state’s plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The program has been a symbol of the state’s leadership in the fight against global warming and a key source of funding, most notably for the high-speed rail project connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.
But the legality of cap and trade is being challenged in court by a business group, and questions are growing about whether state law allows it to operate past 2020. With the end of the legislative session in August, Gov. Jerry Brown, lawmakers and interest groups of all stripes are laying the groundwork for what could become a battle royal over the future of California’s climate change programs.
The tax reform task force looms
By Bernie Becker, Politico
START GETTING READY: House Republican tax writers are starting to talk a big game about their tax reform framework expected later this month.
“It’s going to be bold,” said Rep. Pat Tiberi of Ohio. How bold? Rep. Kenny Marchant of Texas said he hoped not to “alarm people” by how “radically you lower the rate, and change the revenue side of it — how many deductions have to go away to get to that result.”
One of the big questions that’s always loomed over the GOP’s effort to set the 2017 agenda on taxes was just how many details to expect. The anti-poverty framework that House Republicans released last week, for instance, didn’t break a ton of new ground. And Republicans have circulated a lot of tax reform particulars in the past — former Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp’s plan, the framework in now-Speaker Paul Ryan’s budget — even if those details weren’t always universally embraced.
Energy tax extenders may get redux in House FAA bill
By Martine Powers, with help from Lauren Gardner and Jennifer Scholtes, Politico.
HERE WE GO AGAIN: As the countdown continues on how — and if — the House and the Senate will be able to agree on a strategy for a long-term FAA reauthorization before the July 15 deadline, POLITICO’s Esther Whieldon touched base with Reps. Tom Reed and Pat Meehan, who both told her that they’re interested in seeing those energy tax extenders — remember that kerfuffle a couple months ago? — tacked on to the House’s FAA reauthorization bill … whatever form that bill ends up taking.
Energy Bill Supporters Getting Nervous as Progress Stalls
By Jack Fitzpatrick, Morning Consult.
Outside observers are getting antsy waiting for the House and Senate to convene a conference committee to reconcile the differences between their wide-ranging energy bills.
Lobbyists and advocates offered mixed responses when asked by Morning Consult if they were confident lawmakers could hash out the differences between the bills. In a rare move, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a “key vote letter” on Monday, urging senators to support an eventual vote on whether to go to conference.
The House has already voted to go to conference on the Senate’s energy bill, but before doing so, it amended the bipartisan Senate bill to include language from its own bill, which had little support among Democrats. It then added several smaller Republican bills to the package that had prompted complaints and veto threats from the White House.
Santa Monica Bus Fleet Chooses Renewable Natural Gas
Via NGV Global News.
The City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus (BBB), a municipal bus operator in the Westside region of Los Angeles, has become one of the USA’s first municipal transit authorities to convert its fleet to biomethane, which fuel supplier Clean Energy Fuels Corp (Clean Energy) refers to as renewable natural gas (RNG), rated 90% cleaner than diesel. Earlier this year, BBB modified its original agreement with Clean Energy to transition the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for its fleet to renewable LNG (Redeem™), which is non-fracked methane harvested from organic waste in landfills.
With the announcement, BBB unveiled a new Bus ad campaign called “Bigger, Bluer, Skies” to emphasize the lower emissions and sustainability of this type of fuel. The process of harvesting and processing Redeem™ provides a product that has fewer impurities than conventional natural gas and is a cleaner burning fuel source.
California Proposes Methane Emission Rule
By Richard Nemec, NGI Daily Gas Price Index.
California air pollution regulators on Tuesday issued proposed regulations for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for all oil and natural gas facilities, including methane emission requirements for gas storage facilities.
A public hearing is scheduled July 21 in Sacramento.
"The proposed regulation covers GHG emissions, predominantly methane, from oil and natural gas production, natural gas gathering and boosting stations, and natural gas processing, as well as from natural gas storage and transmission compressor stations," said the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
NY Assembly passes clean-energy bill as advocates rally
By David Klepper, Associated Press.
ALBANY — Several labor unions and environmental groups teamed up Wednesday to urge New York lawmakers to do more to address climate change.
The coalition, called NY Renews, rallied outside the state Capitol before the Assembly voted late Wednesday to codify some of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s clean-energy goals.
Environmental groups have long lobbied for more aggressive action on climate change, but the participation of the state’s powerful organized labor movement could give the effort more muscle in Albany.
World leaders expand clean energy research push
By Devin Henry, The Hill.
World leaders have agreed to double the clean energy research funding they pledged in December as part of an international push to reduce carbon emissions, the White House announced on Thursday.
During the first meeting of the 21 countries involved in the Mission Innovation project this week, international members said they would increase the clean energy research and development funding the project is designed to facilitate.
According to the White House, member countries will now spend $30 billion per year by 2021 on clean energy research.
Canada's natural gas utilities propose target for renewable natural gas content
Via Montreal Gazette.
OTTAWA, May 25, 2016 /CNW/ - The natural gas delivered to Canadian homes, transportation markets, businesses, and industry will soon include more renewable energy in it thanks to a new national renewable natural gas (RNG) target announced today by the Canadian Gas Association.
Canada's natural gas utilities have set a target of 5 per cent RNG-blended natural gas in the pipeline distribution system by 2025 and 10 per cent by 2030. Nationally, the increased RNG content would result in 14 megatonnes (MT) of greenhouse gas emission reductions per year by 2030, equivalent to removing 3 million passenger cars from the road.
RNG, a 100 per cent renewable energy source, is natural gas currently produced from organic waste from farms, forests, landfills, and water treatment plants. The gas is captured, cleaned, and blended into natural gas distribution pipelines and used in the same way as traditionally delivered natural gas by homes, businesses, transportation fleets, and industry. There are no special upgrades to furnaces, water heaters and other equipment needed to use RNG. This is one example of how natural gas utilities and the natural gas distribution system have an important role in Canada's innovative energy delivery system of the future.
Maryland Gov. Hogan vetoes increase to state's renewable energy standard
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
Dive Brief:
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has vetoed legislation to raise the state's renewable portfolio standard from 20% to 25% by 2020, citing tax increases of up to $196 million under the plan.
Hogan had been expected to sign the bill, and a recent poll found more than 70% of the state's voters across both parties supported the increased standard.
According to Hogan, Maryland consumers in 2014 paid more than $104 million for renewable energy credits and the higher standard would impose "an additional burden on ratepayers."
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