RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.RNG Poised for Growth in New Administration
By Marcus Gillette, Biomass Magazine
By the time this issue hits your mailbox, Donald Trump will have been sworn into office as president of the U.S. With the incoming Trump administration naming appointees with strong ties to the petroleum industry, not surprisingly, there was much discussion at the RNG 2016 Conference in San Diego in early December, about how the next few years would play out for the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry.
The RNG industry is positioned to continue thriving. Johannes Escudero and David Cox, executive officers of conference host RNG Coalition, kicked off the two-day event programming by depicting the positive state of the industry. “The RNG industry has never been stronger,” they affirmed, noting that the industry has built more projects in the past five years than in the previous 25 years.
By Marcus Gillette, Biomass Magazine
By the time this issue hits your mailbox, Donald Trump will have been sworn into office as president of the U.S. With the incoming Trump administration naming appointees with strong ties to the petroleum industry, not surprisingly, there was much discussion at the RNG 2016 Conference in San Diego in early December, about how the next few years would play out for the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry.
The RNG industry is positioned to continue thriving. Johannes Escudero and David Cox, executive officers of conference host RNG Coalition, kicked off the two-day event programming by depicting the positive state of the industry. “The RNG industry has never been stronger,” they affirmed, noting that the industry has built more projects in the past five years than in the previous 25 years.
There are more than 53 RNG projects in the U.S., 43 of which inject into the natural gas pipeline system. These projects convert a portion of the more than 70 million tons of organic waste generated per year in the U.S. into ultra-clean compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas transportation fuel and renewable heat and power.
A panel moderated by Evan Williams of Cambrian Energy assessed the factors that financiers and developers consider when evaluating the viability for prospective projects. Two other panels delved into fuel regulations that drive RNG development. During one panel, representatives from the California Air Resources Board, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and U.S. EPA discussed the futures of California’s Low Carbon and Very Low Carbon Fuel Standards, Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program, and the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS). The other addressed hot button issues under the RFS, including pipeline injection guidance, the Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule, and prospective RNG to electric vehicle fuel pathways.
Production and use of RNG to displace gasoline and diesel in heavy-duty vehicles has rapidly grown since RNG transportation fuel became eligible to generate cellulosic biofuel RINs, the corresponding credits attached to gallons of RNG fuel under the RFS. Domestic production grew from the equivalent of 20 MMgy of petroleum fuel in 2013, to just under 90 MMgy in 2015. RNG is on pace to supplant more than 250 MMgy by 2018.
Argonne Lab partnering with Roeslein Alternative Energy for new technology converting wastewater sludge to renewable natural gas
By USGasVehicles.com
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has developed technology that synergistically uses two waste biomass streams to generate two bioproducts. The technology enhances the process of anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge by incorporating biomass-derived, carbon-sequestering char within the digester, thus creating pipeline-quality renewable natural gas while using the remaining biosolids for a high-quality fertilizer. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) totaling $1.5 million over three years, researchers at ANL have been able to develop and de-risk this technology, which is now ready for scale-up.
Trump signs '2-for-1' order to reduce regulations
By Lydia Wheeler and Lisa Hagen, The Hill.
President Trump on Monday signed an executive order that would require agencies to revoke two regulations for every new rule they want to issue.
The executive order is aimed at dramatically rolling back federal regulations, one of his top campaign promises.
Trump met with a handful of small business owners at the White House prior to signing the order.
By Lydia Wheeler and Lisa Hagen, The Hill.
President Trump on Monday signed an executive order that would require agencies to revoke two regulations for every new rule they want to issue.
The executive order is aimed at dramatically rolling back federal regulations, one of his top campaign promises.
Trump met with a handful of small business owners at the White House prior to signing the order.
He called the executive order “a big one," according to a pool report.
“We want to make ... life easier for small businesses,” he said, adding that it would also benefit large businesses. “There can’t be any discrimination.”
The order requires agencies to control the costs of all new rules within their budget. Agencies are also prohibited from imposing any new costs in finalizing or repealing a rule for the remainder of 2017 unless that cost is offset by the repeal of two existing regulations.
Trump's order does make exceptions for emergencies and national security.
Starting in 2018, the order calls on the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget to give each agency a budget for how much it can increase regulatory costs or cut regulatory costs.
Senior administration officials touted it as the “most significant administrative action in the world of regulatory reform since President Reagan created the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in 1981."
OIRA is tasked with reviewing and signing off on all proposed and final rules before they are published in the Federal Register.
Trump on Monday said he wasn't done targeting regulations, reiterating his campaign promise to try and cut 75 percent of rules.
Ontario Federation of Agriculture touts provincial budget priorities, opportunities for RNG
By Michael-Allan Marion, Brantford Expositor.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is lobbying cabinet ministers and MPPs on its four priorities for farming and the rural economy in the upcoming provincial budget, expected to be brought down in the early spring.
The priorities in the federation's budget submission include: investing in rural infrastructure, expanding natural gas to rural Ontario, balancing electricity distribution costs and supporting and improving the risk management program.
"Farm businesses form the backbone of our robust food system and rural communities, and are poised to drive Ontario's economy," federation director Steve Brackenridge writes in a commentary on the organization's website.
By Michael-Allan Marion, Brantford Expositor.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is lobbying cabinet ministers and MPPs on its four priorities for farming and the rural economy in the upcoming provincial budget, expected to be brought down in the early spring.
The priorities in the federation's budget submission include: investing in rural infrastructure, expanding natural gas to rural Ontario, balancing electricity distribution costs and supporting and improving the risk management program.
"Farm businesses form the backbone of our robust food system and rural communities, and are poised to drive Ontario's economy," federation director Steve Brackenridge writes in a commentary on the organization's website.
When it comes to infrastructure, "roads, bridges, drainage and connectivity are vital to maintain and grow our food system," he said.
"Rural communities have a disproportionately large stock of infrastructure compared to their local tax base."
The federation wants the government to work with municipalities across rural Ontario to develop and adopt a cost-effective infrastructure replacement program including roads, bridges and drainage, Brackenridge said. They also want broadband capacity to thrive.
Expanding natural gas to rural Ontario remains a key federation policy. It wants the government to commit to a 20-year program, investing $75 million a year to provide a rural natural gas network.
The federation wants the government to provide short-term relief for electricity costs to rural areas by equalizing distribution costs across the province.
As Trump Threatens Environmental Protections, These 3 Republican Governors Invest In Clean Energy
By Dick Munson, Forbes.
Earlier this month, the U.S. inaugurated a new president who has vowed to abandon the landmark Paris climate agreement and roll back bedrock American environmental protections.
But turn to the states and you’ll find a different story, even in the red states that elected President Trump. In fact, Republican governors in the Midwest are prioritizing economic growth and job creation by accelerating investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. In the few weeks after the election, leaders in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan have adopted new policies that help tackle climate change and grow the clean energy economy.
By Dick Munson, Forbes.
Earlier this month, the U.S. inaugurated a new president who has vowed to abandon the landmark Paris climate agreement and roll back bedrock American environmental protections.
But turn to the states and you’ll find a different story, even in the red states that elected President Trump. In fact, Republican governors in the Midwest are prioritizing economic growth and job creation by accelerating investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. In the few weeks after the election, leaders in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan have adopted new policies that help tackle climate change and grow the clean energy economy.
Illinois
With passage of the Future Energy Jobs Bill, Illinois sent an important signal to the rest of the nation: We can create policies that grow the economy, save customers money, and protect the planet.
Supported by a Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, and a Democratic legislature, the law will lead to $12-15 billion in additional private-sector investment coming to Illinois and create tens of thousands of new jobs. The bill includes provisions for doubling the size of the state’s energy efficiency portfolio, which will lower customers’ electricity bills, and building 4,300 megawatts of new wind and solar generation by 2030.
These advances put Illinois on track to achieve a nearly 56-percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from the power sector, well beyond what the Clean Power Plan – the nation’s first-ever limit on carbon pollution from power plants – would require. Gov. Rauner said the legislation “allows us to protect jobs, ratepayers, and taxpayers.”
Perry’s Energy nomination advanced by committee
By Devin Henry, The Hill.
A Senate panel on Tuesday signed off on former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s nomination to lead the Department of Energy.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 17-6 to approve Perry’s nomination, sending it to the full Senate.
During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Perry was forced to walk back his famous pledge, from his 2011 presidential run, to abolish the Energy Department if he had been elected.
Instead, he said, he understands and respects the agency’s mission, which focuses on the country’s nuclear arsenal and research activities that span across industries.
By Devin Henry, The Hill.
A Senate panel on Tuesday signed off on former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s nomination to lead the Department of Energy.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 17-6 to approve Perry’s nomination, sending it to the full Senate.
During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Perry was forced to walk back his famous pledge, from his 2011 presidential run, to abolish the Energy Department if he had been elected.
Instead, he said, he understands and respects the agency’s mission, which focuses on the country’s nuclear arsenal and research activities that span across industries.
“I am committed to modernizing our nuclear stockpile, promoting and developing American energy in all forms, advancing the department’s critical science and technology mission, and carefully disposing of nuclear waste,” he said during his hearing.
During his confirmation hearing, Democrats on the panel expressed concerns about Perry’s position on climate change — he believes in it, but doesn’t know how much influence human activities have on it.
They also pressed Perry on proposed Trump administration cuts to the Department of Energy, and begging him to convince the president and others to preserve the agency’s research capacity.
Trump administration lifts temporary freeze on EPA grants
By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post.
The Trump administration has lifted a temporary freeze on billions of dollars of grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, saying the programs will continue as planned.
An email sent late Friday from the EPA’s acting administrator, career official Catherine McCabe, informed staffers that officials had completed a review of the agency’s extensive list of grants and that all “are proceeding normally, and nothing has been delayed,” including revolving grants to states and Native American tribes.
By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post.
The Trump administration has lifted a temporary freeze on billions of dollars of grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, saying the programs will continue as planned.
An email sent late Friday from the EPA’s acting administrator, career official Catherine McCabe, informed staffers that officials had completed a review of the agency’s extensive list of grants and that all “are proceeding normally, and nothing has been delayed,” including revolving grants to states and Native American tribes.
McCabe also said that as officials keep reviewing outside contracts, the EPA will continue to employ contractors involved in maintaining agency infrastructure, implementing core environmental programs and supporting scientific research.
The news came more than a week after EPA employees were informed following President Trump’s inauguration that, “effective immediately,” all agency contracts and grants would temporarily be frozen.
According to its website, the EPA annually awards more than $4 billion in funding for grants and other assistance agreements. The temporary hold cast a cloud of uncertainty over those and caused widespread fears among scientists, state and local officials, universities and Native American tribes that often benefit from the grants.
Carbon tax chances slim under Trump, though even Tillerson supports the idea
By Bill Loveless, USA Today.
With the Trump Administration poised to reverse U.S. policies on climate change, the head of a major oil and natural gas company is calling again for governments around the world to put a price on carbon emissions once and for all.
BP CEO Bob Dudley reiterated his company’s longstanding position in releasing its annual report on global energy trends.
“In BP, we continue to believe that carbon pricing has an important part to play as it provides incentives for everyone — producers and consumers alike — to play their part,” Dudley said at a news conference in London last week.
By Bill Loveless, USA Today.
With the Trump Administration poised to reverse U.S. policies on climate change, the head of a major oil and natural gas company is calling again for governments around the world to put a price on carbon emissions once and for all.
BP CEO Bob Dudley reiterated his company’s longstanding position in releasing its annual report on global energy trends.
“In BP, we continue to believe that carbon pricing has an important part to play as it provides incentives for everyone — producers and consumers alike — to play their part,” Dudley said at a news conference in London last week.
The “BP Energy Outlook 2035” offers some good news regarding carbon emissions, projecting annual growth of 0.6% per year from 2015 to 2035, compared to 2.1% per year over the last two decades.
Give credit to gains in renewable energy, natural gas and energy efficiency for that improvement.
But the report goes on to say that even at that lower annual growth rate, total carbon emissions from energy use are likely to increase by 13% from 2015 to 2035, a stark contrast with the 30% reduction in emissions that the International Energy Agency suggests is necessary to meet goals set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
GE and University of Guelph open innovative wastewater treatment pilot in Canada
By Bioenergy Insight.
GE’s Water & Process Technologies is collaborating with a Canadian university on a research initiative to maximise renewable energy generation and simultaneously produce a pathogen-free biosolids fertiliser.
The new pilot is located at the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) wastewater demonstration facility adjacent to the city of Guelph wastewater treatment plant, and operated together with the government, the University of Guelph, and GE.
The pilot is the first large-scale project to receive funding under the SOWC’s Advancing Water Technologies (AWT) programme, which supports collaborative, industry-led technology development projects.
By Bioenergy Insight.
GE’s Water & Process Technologies is collaborating with a Canadian university on a research initiative to maximise renewable energy generation and simultaneously produce a pathogen-free biosolids fertiliser.
The new pilot is located at the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) wastewater demonstration facility adjacent to the city of Guelph wastewater treatment plant, and operated together with the government, the University of Guelph, and GE.
The pilot is the first large-scale project to receive funding under the SOWC’s Advancing Water Technologies (AWT) programme, which supports collaborative, industry-led technology development projects.
SOWC is funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, with the AWT programme supplying nearly C$600,000 (€427,000) to collaborators for this project.
In addition, GE is investing C$900,000 in infrastructure and support.
“This first large AWT project epitomises what SOWC is all about,” said SOWC executive director Brenda Lucas.
“We are connecting the needs of industry with Ontario’s academic expertise and enabling real-world testing in unique facilities to help bring innovative technologies to market.”
GE’s goal is to shift wastewater treatment from a burden to an opportunity where valuable resources can be extracted – namely renewable energy, clean water, and fertiliser.
Trump’s EPA pick gets a boost but is still opposed by Senate Democrats
By Stuart Leavenworth, McClatchy DC.
President Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt to lead the U.S. Environment Protection Agency got a lift Monday when the chair of a key Senate committee declared that the Oklahoma attorney general had been “comprehensively vetted,” and was in need of no further questioning.
“Attorney General Pruitt has had a very thorough confirmation process,” said John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in a statement. “At his nomination hearing, Mr. Pruitt answered significantly more questions than any past EPA administrator has. He has been comprehensively vetted and has demonstrated his qualifications to lead the EPA.”
By Stuart Leavenworth, McClatchy DC.
President Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt to lead the U.S. Environment Protection Agency got a lift Monday when the chair of a key Senate committee declared that the Oklahoma attorney general had been “comprehensively vetted,” and was in need of no further questioning.
“Attorney General Pruitt has had a very thorough confirmation process,” said John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in a statement. “At his nomination hearing, Mr. Pruitt answered significantly more questions than any past EPA administrator has. He has been comprehensively vetted and has demonstrated his qualifications to lead the EPA.”
It is not known when the Senate might vote on Pruitt, but it is unlikely to come in the next two days, when GOP lawmakers are slated to attend a retreat in Philadelphia.
Pruitt’s opponents haven’t given up efforts to derail Pruitt’s nomination. Several Senate Democrats have raised questions about the numerous lawsuits Pruitt has filed against the agency he would lead, along with his involvement in fundraising from oil and gas companies that stand to benefit from his lawsuits.
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