RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.San Francisco struggling to meet zero waste goal as 2020 quickly approaches
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
Dive Brief:
- San Francisco is looking for new ways to increase diversion rates with the goal of "zero waste by 2020" fast approaching, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
- According to Recology, the city's hauler, San Francisco generated an average 1,463 tons of waste per workday over the past year. Officials estimate that about 50% of this material could be recycled or composted if separated properly.
- A $12 million upgrade at Recology's recycling facility is expected to be done in November. This will accommodate more material types and potentially help boost diversion rates.
General Motors Commits To 100% Renewable Energy By 2050
By Joshua S. Hill, Clean Technica.
American multinational General Motors, or GM, has committed to generating or sourcing 100% of the electricity for its operations across 59 countries from 100% renewable energy by 2050.
GM made the announcement on Wednesday, revealing that it planned to generate or source all its electrical power needs for its 350 operations in 59 countries with 100% renewable energy such as wind, solar, and landfill gas, by 2050. In turn, the company has joined the 100% renewable energy campaign RE100, lending its considerable global business weight to an already important and successful campaign.
“Establishing a 100% renewable energy goal helps us better serve society by reducing environmental impact,” said Mary Barra, GM Chairman and CEO. “This pursuit of renewable energy benefits our customers and communities through cleaner air while strengthening our business through lower and more stable energy costs.”
Landfill Gas from Denton, Texas landfill powers 1600 homes
By Creede Newton, Al Jazeera.
Denton, Texas - On an unseasonably cool summer morning in the north Texas town of Denton, Tyler Hurd, the planning and public outreach manager for the city's landfill, spoke proudly of the rubbish beneath his feet.
"Doesn't smell so bad, does it?" Hurd asked with a smile.
Denton's landfill is special: It is the first in the world to employ a new technique for dealing with city waste that will combine established eco-friendly measures with "mining". This involves going through a long-established tip to find metals, plastics and other goods that can be re-sold, to create a sustainable waste disposal system.
Pointing towards a large, sealed-off hill, Hurd explained that this would be the first to be mined. "We recently drilled down into the mound and found a newspaper from the 1980s, and it was readable. It's a 'dry tomb'," he explained. "Should be good for mining."
Donald Trump's Love/Hate Relationship With The Renewable Fuel Standard
By Tristan. R. Brown, SeekingAlpha.
Summary
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump gave a speech on economic policy today in which, among other things, he called for a major mechanism of the RFS2 to be removed.
While he would be unable to completely remove the mechanism as president, he would have the ability to greatly weaken its impact on the affected companies.
This article looks at the feasibility of Mr. Trump's proposal and how it would affect the companies that are currently involved with the biofuels blending mandate.
Trump campaign: Policy to undercut RIN posted in error
By Christopher Doering, Des Moines Register.
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump's campaign on Thursday briefly published a fact sheet calling for the repeal of a key part of the federal ethanol mandate, but later said an incorrect version of the fact sheet had been published in error.
The initial fact sheet said Trump would repeal a credit program known as a Renewable Identification Number that is part of the Renewable Fuel Standard. A later version removed the RIN mention as one of the programs Trump would end as president.
Feds sign blueprint for renewable energy development in California desert
By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times via Las Vegas Sun.
For decades, environmentalists have rhapsodized about the tranquil beauty of California's deserts while battling fiercely with energy companies, the government and within their own ranks over what if any power production should occur on those sun-baked, wind-blown, geothermally active expanses of land.
On Wednesday, U.S. Interior Department officials signed a blueprint that they touted as a finely tuned effort to balance conservation of California's iconic desert landscapes with the state's growing hunger for clean energy in the age of climate change.
Eight years in the making, the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan implicitly recognizes that "green" energy can be environmentally destructive.
Washington state’s new cap-and-trade rule tackles global warming
By Associated Press & Tri-City Herald.
Washington state adopted a controversial rule Thursday to limit greenhouse gas emissions from large carbon polluters, joining a handful of other states in capping emissions to address climate change.
State environmental regulators finalized the Clean Air Rule, which requires large industrial emitters to gradually reduce carbon emissions over time. The change affects power plants, oil refineries, fuel distributors, pulp and paper mills, food processors and other industries and will cost millions if not billions of dollars to implement.
Some of the Mid-Columbia’s largest businesses will be affected by the new rule, though not until 2020 under a schedule the Washington Department of Ecology published this spring.
The rule requires businesses that emit more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon pollution per year to reduce their emissions by 1.7 percent annually, or in lieu of that, create off-site programs to mitigate their emissions or to purchase carbon credits, a type of environmental security. It would be extended to smaller polluters in succeeding years.
California Doubles Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets
By Vic Fazio, Dario Frommer, Kenneth Markowitz, Arshi Siddiqui - JD Supra Business Advisor.
Ten years after adopting the nation’s first program to reduce statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, California is doubling its GHG emission reduction goals while adopting new measures to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. However, the future of California’s embattled Cap-and-Trade program remains up in the air.
Deeper GHG Emission Cuts
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has signed SB 32 legislation mandating deeper cuts in GHG emissions. Gov. Brown is also expected to sign SB 1383 addressing short-lived climate pollutants.
SB 32 directs the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to cut GHG emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Current state law mandates a 20 percent cut of GHG emissions below 1990 levels by 2020 under the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32).
Ecomaine launches food waste recovery programme with biogas production
By Bioenergy Insight.
Ecomaine, a Maine, US-based recycling service provider, has officially opened its new food waste recovery service utilising anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production.
The company says the addition of food waste recovery to its portfolio of services will help its member communities reach the statewide recycling goal of 50% by 2021.
“Recent studies have shown that organic materials make up about 40% of our waste stream. Half of that is food scraps. Providing towns and businesses with an easy way to divert this material from the waste stream will help our communities be more sustainable and may save them money,” said Troy Moon, chairman of the board at Ecomaine.
Week In Review: Energy Conference Committee Has Long Road Ahead
By Asha Glover, Morning Consult.
Conferees from both chambers met to resolve differences between their energy bills. Members heard opening statements, but no bill text or amendments were considered.
The meeting showed the wide-ranging energy bill could have a difficult time in the conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation. Key issues some members want to see resolved include investment in energy infrastructure and measures to address the California drought and wildfire management. Republicans also tried to convince Democrats to compromise instead of trying to work out a new deal for the bill if they end up being the majority in the next Congress. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told Democrats that it was a bipartisan effort to get both the House and Senate to pass the energy legislation, and that Democrats need to work with the other side of the aisle to get something to the president’s desk before the end of the year.
Don’t miss an update—join our weekly newsletter below.