RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Oregon Clean Fuels enters next phase: containing costs
By Taylor W. Anderson, The Bulletin.
SALEM — Some of the fiercest opponents of the low-carbon fuel standard in Oregon are no longer looking to pressure the Legislature to gut or repeal the program, which lawmakers rescued last year by removing a 2015 sunset date.
After months of political angling that appeared to threaten a transportation package in 2017, some of the law’s harshest critics, representing the fuel companies most affected, say they will look elsewhere to influence the policy.
Instead, the Oregon Fuels Association will work alongside electric vehicle companies, regulators and a slew of other interest groups on what’s been called Phase 2 of the program, dubbed “Clean Fuels” because it seeks to slightly curb the carbon released from producing and burning gas and diesel and spur the development of electric vehicles.
EPA Announces First ONE Future Commitments Under Methane Challenge Program
Via National Law Review.
Today, as part of the Obama Administration’s ongoing commitment to take action on climate change and protect public health, EPA is announcing the founding partners of the ONE Future Emissions Intensity Commitment Option under the Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge (Methane Challenge) Program. The Methane Challenge Program builds upon the Natural Gas STAR Program, calling on U.S. oil and gas companies to make specific and transparent commitments to reduce methane emissions from their operations.
Options to Ensure use of Renewable Energy via Green Tariffs are Increasing in U.S.
By Joshua S. Hill, Clean Technica.
A new report from the World Resources Institute has highlighted the increasing rise of “green tariffs” in the United States — large-scale renewable energy purchase programs available to residential and industrial customers alike.
Simply put, “green tariffs” allow residential and industrial consumers the opportunity to interact directly with renewable energy sources, ensuring that they are receiving 100% renewable electricity. Traditionally, electricity customers have not been able to engage directly with renewable energy resources, instead having to rely on their local utility to source the electricity for them, and in turn paying the utility company, rather than accessing fixed-price renewable energy. Any renewable energy options available were usually Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), but as the authors of the WRI report explain, these REC programs have only ever been available at an additional cost. Further, REC programs usually only offer “unbundled” Certificates, “which match the energy they buy separately from their utility” but mean “the RECs usually do not provide a fixed cost of energy as protection against volatile fossil fuel prices.”
EPA schedules public hearing on proposed rule to update RFS
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
The U.S. EPA has announced plans to hold a public hearing on Dec. 6 in Chicago for its proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule. Those who wish to testify must contact the EPA by Nov. 22.
The EPA released the proposed rule on Oct. 3. According to the agency, the proposal aims to enhance the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program and related fuel regulations to support the growth of ethanol and other renewable fuels. It includes an updated regulatory structure to allow biofuels producers to partially process feedstock at one facility and convert the resulting material into fuels at another using existing pathways. It also updates fuel regulations to allow expanded availability of high-ethanol fuel blends for use in flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) and includes new feedstock approvals for cellulosic biofuels produced from short-rotation poplar and willow, cellulosic diesel produced from compressing of cellulosic feedstocks and petroleum, and renewable diesel and biodiesel produced from non-cellulosic portions of separated food waste. In addition, the EPA said it is seeking comments on a variety of other issues, including renewable identification number (RIN) generation for renewable electricity used as transportation fuel and requirements for facilities that could use carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce carbon in the production of renewable fuels in the future.
Canadian Gas Association Creates Natural Gas Innovation Fund
By NGV Global News.
The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) says it intends to create the Natural Gas Innovation Fund™ (NGIF) to support research, demonstration and deployment of innovation in the natural gas value chain, including natural gas for transportation.
CGA’s rationale is that investing in innovation in the natural gas sector is essential to create a pathway to greenhouse gas emissions reductions that is both affordable and reliable.
Renewable CNG Produced from Food Scraps in South San Francisco
By NGVAmerica News.
South San Francisco Scavenger Company (SSFSC) and its partner Blue Line Transfer, is operating an onsite system which converts food scraps and yard waste into transportation fuel and compost. The facility, which began operations in January 2015, uses dry anaerobic digestion technology to generate clean-burning CNG that powers the company’s collection fleet. The fully enclosed system process 11,200 tons of material per year, including food scraps and food soiled paper collected from businesses in the company’s service area, including South San Francisco, Brisbane, Millbrae, and San Francisco International Airport.
Renewable energy coalition files MPSC complaint against Consumers Energy
By Jay Greene, Crain's Detroit Business.
Several small hydroelectric, biogas and landfill renewable power operators have filed a complaint against Jackson-based Consumers Energy Co. with the Michigan Public Service Commission to compel the utility to sign fairly priced power purchase agreements with them.
The newly formed Independent Power Producers Coalition of Michigan, whose members operate under federal legislation approved during the 1970s energy crisis, wants the MPSC to require Consumers to sign long-term contracts with sufficient rates to keep them in business and the power on for thousands of homeowners and businesses.
The last time Consumers agreed to contract prices with renewable power owners was in 1982, when the MPSC set avoided costs (prices) for the renewable power operators based on the costs of coal-fired plants. It is expected that in the future the MPSC would assess avoided costs of about 7 to 8 cents per kilowatt hour based on combined cycle power plants that use gas and steam.
RNG Coalition member Ameresco completes landfill gas-to-energy project at Advanced Disposal site in Illinois
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
Dive Brief:
- Ameresco Inc. has completed a new landfill gas-to-energy facility at the Orchard Hills Generating Station near Rockford, IL which it will begin operating soon, as reported by Renewable Energy from Waste.
- The station is located at a landfill operated by Advanced Disposal. This will be the fourth facility that Ameresco is operating for Indiana-based Hoosier Energy.
- The facility will be run by six 620 GE Jenbacher engines and produce 16 MW of energy, enough to power more than 8,000 homes.
Automotive, Energy Leaders Emphasize CNG Role in Energy Transition
By Lauren Tyler, NGT News.
Gazprom and Audi, in partnership with Volkswagen, jointly held an energy conference focused on the contributions that natural gas; biomethane; and synthetic, renewable methane can make to foster the energy transformation in the mobility sector.
According to Gazprom, whose main business activities include the storage and trading of natural gas and natural gas for transport, all of the invited experts from the business, academia and media industries concluded that these low-carbon, methane-containing energy sources have been neglected far too much by policymakers in Germany.
Jens Andersen, group representative for natural gas mobility at Volkswagen AG, stated that the term “natural gas” still has a much-too-negative connotation for many people. He added that just the use of natural gas in road transport has considerable advantages for the environment, the economy and the driver, yet the ecological potential of compressed natural gas (CNG) mobility is far greater through the use of biomethane and synthetic methane from power-to-gas plants.
Tax Extenders for Renewable Energy: The Forgotten Provisions
By Elizabeth McCulley Gore, The Huffington Post.
Congress struck a major compromise on energy policy last December: Republicans agreed to provide some certainty and longevity for renewable energy tax provisions in exchange for Democrats agreeing to lift the oil export ban.
On the tax side, this package included an Investment Tax Credit for solar energy that would ramp down over a number of years, eventually becoming permanent with a smaller credit than in the earlier years. For wind, the package included a Production Tax Credit that will be ramped down and phased out over five years. The goal of the package was to end the stop-start tax incentives that are so disruptive to businesses and utilities that want to deploy additional renewable power.
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