RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Methane-to-energy generator commissioned in Easton, MD
By The Star Democrat.
EASTON — Easton Utilities officially commissioned a generator that converts methane gas into green energy.
“This project is mutually beneficial for the environment, our customers and the town of Easton,” said Hugh E. Grunden, president and CEO of Easton Utilities.
Easton Utilities purchased a used generator from another landfill, which created a cost-effective solution, Easton Utilities said in a press release. The expected life of the project in Easton is expected to last eight to 10 years, depending on the landfill’s ability to produce gas.
By The Star Democrat.
EASTON — Easton Utilities officially commissioned a generator that converts methane gas into green energy.
“This project is mutually beneficial for the environment, our customers and the town of Easton,” said Hugh E. Grunden, president and CEO of Easton Utilities.
Easton Utilities purchased a used generator from another landfill, which created a cost-effective solution, Easton Utilities said in a press release. The expected life of the project in Easton is expected to last eight to 10 years, depending on the landfill’s ability to produce gas.
Currently, landfill gas is extracted continuously and most of the gas is sent to the generator, which can produce up to one megawatt of electricity — enough to power about 700 homes.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane gas is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the U.S. from human activities. It is one of the four greenhouse gasses the EPA has identified that traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to climate change.
Maryland Environmental Service (MES) installed compressors at the landfill and is handling the logistics regarding supply and flow.
House GOP to prioritize coal, methane rules for repeal
By Timothy Cama, The Hill.
House Republicans plan to make Obama administration rules on coal mining and methane emissions among the first regulations they work to repeal.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday said the GOP plans first to reform the way the executive branch writes regulations, and then to go after specific ones, with the coal and methane rules prioritized.
By Timothy Cama, The Hill.
House Republicans plan to make Obama administration rules on coal mining and methane emissions among the first regulations they work to repeal.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday said the GOP plans first to reform the way the executive branch writes regulations, and then to go after specific ones, with the coal and methane rules prioritized.
“While we haven’t yet determined what needs to be repealed first, I expect to start with swift action on at least on the Stream Protection Rule and methane emissions standards, both of which are limits to our energy production,” McCarthy said in a speech on the House floor.
“This process won’t be completed quickly, but as we remove harmful regulations and change the structure of Washington, draining the bureaucratic swamp that undermines the will of the people, we can rebuild trust between the people and their government again,” he continued, borrowing from the “drain the swamp” message that President-elect Donald Trump has used to frame his actions against lobbyists.
The Stream Protection Rule from the Interior Department puts new limits and standards on how coal mining companies, both through mountaintop removal and other means, protects and restores streams.
AFPM petitions EPA to waive portion of 2016 cellulosic RVO in accordance with any undersupply
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
On Dec. 28, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers filed a petition the U.S. EPA waive the 2016 renewable fuel standard (RFS) cellulosic volume obligation, citing a shortfall in 2016 cellulosic production.
Within the waiver, AFPM notes that the EPA set the 2016 renewable volume obligation (RFO) for cellulosic biofuel at 230 million ethanol-equivalent gallons. Data published by the U.S. EPA currently shows approximately 159.83 million cellulosic renewable identification numbers (RINs) were generated under the RFS program on a net basis during the first 11 months of 2016. Data for December is not yet available. From January through November 2016, 3.3 million D3 cellulosic RINs were generated for ethanol, along with 96.53 D3 RINs for renewable compressed natural gas, 61.36 million RINs for renewable liquefied natural gas, and 534,429 D7 cellulosic diesel RINs for cellulosic heating oil.
Repealing the Clean Power Plan will bring more lawsuits, Democratic AGs warn
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
Dive Brief:
- Led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D), officials from 14 states and several cities have sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging him not to scrap landmark climate rules that will cut emissions at existing power plants, the Hill reports.
- The Clean Power Plan aims to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector by 32% by 2030, but Trump vowed months ago that he would dismantle the new restrictions.
- Schneiderman's letter appears to counter advice Trump's incoming administration received from more than two dozen states, outlining how the rules could be eliminated beginning on his first day in office.
Pruitt begins Capitol tour amid Democratic opposition
By Niina Heikkinen, E&E News reporter.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt (R) is making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week in preparation for his upcoming Senate confirmation hearing.
Pruitt met yesterday afternoon with outgoing Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and incoming Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
The nominee and senators did not answer reporters' questions about the content of their discussion or give a date for the start of Pruitt's confirmation hearings.
By Niina Heikkinen, E&E News reporter.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt (R) is making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week in preparation for his upcoming Senate confirmation hearing.
Pruitt met yesterday afternoon with outgoing Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and incoming Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
The nominee and senators did not answer reporters' questions about the content of their discussion or give a date for the start of Pruitt's confirmation hearings.
"We had a good conversation, we did," said Inhofe.
In a statement, Barrasso said he enjoyed meeting with Pruitt.
"We had a good conversation focused on policy and reforms that are necessary at the agency. He has excellent insights on how to help the EPA better meet its mission of protecting the environment while growing the American economy," he said.
While a number of Republicans, including Inhofe, have embraced Pruitt's nomination, Senate Democrats are voicing concerns about how much the fossil fuel industry could influence the potential future head of U.S. EPA (Climatewire, Dec. 22, 2016).
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), sent a letter to Pruitt on Dec. 27, requesting more details about his connections with the oil and gas industry.
EPA Issues Notice of Intent to Revoke Genscape's RIN Verification Authorization
By U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
On January 4, 2017, the EPA issued a notice of intent to revoke the ability of Genscape to verify Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) as a third-party auditor under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Quality Assurance Program. Under RFS, obligated parties and exporters must obtain and retire RINs to meet their compliance obligations and demonstrate the RFS program’s renewable fuel mandates are met. EPA is taking this action to hold Genscape accountable for failing to meet all elements of its approved Quality Assurance Plan, and for verifying millions of RINs that were fraudulently generated by two companies, Gen-X Energy Group, Inc. (Gen-X), and Southern Resources and Commodities, LLC (SRC).
By U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
On January 4, 2017, the EPA issued a notice of intent to revoke the ability of Genscape to verify Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) as a third-party auditor under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Quality Assurance Program. Under RFS, obligated parties and exporters must obtain and retire RINs to meet their compliance obligations and demonstrate the RFS program’s renewable fuel mandates are met. EPA is taking this action to hold Genscape accountable for failing to meet all elements of its approved Quality Assurance Plan, and for verifying millions of RINs that were fraudulently generated by two companies, Gen-X Energy Group, Inc. (Gen-X), and Southern Resources and Commodities, LLC (SRC). EPA is aggressively pursuing bad actors in the RFS program to maintain a level playing field for firms that play by the rules. Genscape has 60 days to submit written comments to EPA in response to this notice. The EPA will review and consider these comments before taking final action concerning the proposed revocation of Genscape’s ability to verify RINs under the RFS. EPA is also requiring Genscape to retire valid RINs within 60 days to replace the approximately 68 million invalid A-RINs they verified, which were then used for compliance.
In response to requests from obligated parties including refiners, EPA created a voluntary program that allows third parties to audit RINs according to EPA approved Quality Assurance Plans (QAPs) to help verify that they are valid. This program provides a supplement to the “buyer beware” liability for obligated parties under the RFS program, and also provides clarity regarding which party is obligated to replace invalid RINs. Roughly 12% of the total volume of RINs generated under the RFS program are audited by a third party under a QAP.
Read more...
Fuels America Sends Letter To Trump On Renewable Fuel Standard Program
By National Law Review.
On December 15, 2016, Fuels America sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump on behalf of the nation's renewable fuels sector encouraging Trump’s continued commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program.
Environmental group launches six-figure campaign against EPA nominee
By Timothy Cama, The Hill.
An environmental group is launching a new advertising campaign against the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Clean Air Moms Action, a project of the Environmental Defense Action Fund, said Tuesday it is spending at least $100,000 on the campaign which centers on children's health concerns, targeting the Washington, D.C., area, and six states with senators who could swing the confirmation vote.
By Timothy Cama, The Hill.
An environmental group is launching a new advertising campaign against the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Clean Air Moms Action, a project of the Environmental Defense Action Fund, said Tuesday it is spending at least $100,000 on the campaign which centers on children's health concerns, targeting the Washington, D.C., area, and six states with senators who could swing the confirmation vote.
The television and digital campaign is the latest salvo in the high-stakes battle over Scott Pruitt, the current attorney general of Oklahoma, and Trump's pick for the EPA. Only 51 senators would need to approve his confirmation for it to pass, and Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate.
The ads focus on Pruitt’s leading role in fighting President Obama’s 2011 rule limiting mercury and other air toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants.
The television ad cites scientific research to say that mercury harms children’s health, but says Pruitt doubted that science in court filings fighting the regulation.
US DOE to Fund $12.9 million for Biofuels, Including Waste Gases to Jet Fuel
December 28, 2016, by US Department of Energy.
Today, the Energy Department (DOE) announced the selection of six projects for up to $12.9 million in federal funding, entitled, “Project Definition for Pilot- and Demonstration-Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower.” These projects, required to share the cost at a minimum of 50%, will develop and execute plans for the manufacturing of advanced or cellulosic biofuels, bioproducts, refinery-compatible intermediates, and/or biopower in a domestic pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefinery.
December 28, 2016, by US Department of Energy.
Today, the Energy Department (DOE) announced the selection of six projects for up to $12.9 million in federal funding, entitled, “Project Definition for Pilot- and Demonstration-Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower.” These projects, required to share the cost at a minimum of 50%, will develop and execute plans for the manufacturing of advanced or cellulosic biofuels, bioproducts, refinery-compatible intermediates, and/or biopower in a domestic pilot- or demonstration-scale integrated biorefinery.
The projects will be evaluated in two phases. Award recipients will design and plan their facilities in Phase 1. In order to continue to Phase 2, projects will be evaluated on Phase 1 progress, as well as the ability to secure the required 50% cost share funding for Phase 2. DOE anticipates Phase 2 awards to be made in fiscal year 2018 to construct and operate the pilot- or demonstration-scale facility. Projects could receive additional federal funds of up to $15 million for pilot-scale facilities or $45 million for demonstration-scale facilities.
Construction of Quebec biomethane project underway
From Biomass Magazine.
Officials of the governments of Canada and Quebec visited the city of Varennes on Dec. 19 to break ground for construction of the biomethanation facilities of the Société d'économie mixte de l'est de la couronne sud (SEMECS).
The SEMECS project will facilitate the treatment of organic waste generated by residents of the regional county municipalities of La Vallée-du-Richelieu, Marguerite-D'Youville and Rouville. The new biomethanation facilities will be able to efficiently reclaim organic material from various sources and convert it into renewable fuel, i.e. biogas.
From Biomass Magazine.
Officials of the governments of Canada and Quebec visited the city of Varennes on Dec. 19 to break ground for construction of the biomethanation facilities of the Société d'économie mixte de l'est de la couronne sud (SEMECS).
The SEMECS project will facilitate the treatment of organic waste generated by residents of the regional county municipalities of La Vallée-du-Richelieu, Marguerite-D'Youville and Rouville. The new biomethanation facilities will be able to efficiently reclaim organic material from various sources and convert it into renewable fuel, i.e. biogas.
Once purified, the biogas will be used as fuel for the Quebec GreenField Ethanol Inc. refinery, and will replace a portion of the natural gas that the company uses in its processes. In addition, farmers who sell their crops to the refinery will be able to use the digestate produced in the biomethanation process as an organic amendment. Local residents will be able to have their food waste, green waste and septic tank sludge treated by local firms rather than having it sent for disposal.
Don’t miss an update—join our weekly newsletter below.