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Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Murkowski hopes to revive her ambitious, bipartisan energy bill with new legislation
By Erica Martinson, ADN.
WASHINGTON — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is making a push to resurrect her energy bill that stalled out in the final days of Congress in 2016.
So far, the plan mirrors her previous effort: keep it bipartisan, and separate any legislation likely to gum up the works in the Senate.
By Erica Martinson, ADN.
WASHINGTON — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is making a push to resurrect her energy bill that stalled out in the final days of Congress in 2016.
So far, the plan mirrors her previous effort: keep it bipartisan, and separate any legislation likely to gum up the works in the Senate.
A similar bipartisan effort helped her energy bill move through the upper chamber last year but was also the thing that stopped it from making it past the more conservative House of Representatives, where members were unwilling to make the same compromises that drove it to succeed in the Senate.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Murkowski chairs, passed 59 bills, largely by voice vote, on March 30. Nine of those bills are Alaska-specific legislation that Murkowski included in her energy package last year. The bills offer federal-state land exchanges, encourage expanding hydroelectric power in Alaska, and make changes to existing statutes, including one allowing for a natural gas pipeline through non-wilderness areas of Denali National Park.
"I think we wrapped up our business meeting in probably less than 15 minutes," Murkowski said later that day. At the hearing, "we moved through a package of lands bills; we moved through the sportsman bill that Senator (Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico) and I have been working on; we moved through a nuclear provision, (and) provisions relating to hydro."
Evonik turns waste into fuel
From Filtration&Seperation.com.
Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH, a sector of German specialty chemicals company, Evonik Industries, plans to launch its next generation of SEPURAN Green membranes in late 2017.
From Filtration&Seperation.com.
Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH, a sector of German specialty chemicals company, Evonik Industries, plans to launch its next generation of SEPURAN Green membranes in late 2017.
“Waste to fuel” is the motto of Evonik’s SEPURAN Green business. The use of biomethane derived from organic waste sources used as fuel alternative in CNG or LNG powered vehicles is still in the early stages but will become more and more popular and play an important part in meeting greenhouse gas savings and carbon footprint targets for individual companies.
Technologies for biogas upgrading to meet natural gas or pipeline specifications have experienced considerable progress over the past five years. The technology has advanced significantly, despite the fact that, in many countries, particularly outside Europe, the market lacks a proper framework.
White House signals it will not defend Obama-era smog rules
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
Dive Brief:
- The White House signaled last week it will not defend Obama-era smog restrictions in an ongoing case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked the D.C. Circuit to postpone oral arguments slated for next week, allowing it time to "fully review" the rules. The limits were passed in 2015 to tighten standards on ozone — a main ingredient in smog — from 75 parts per billion (ppb), to 70 ppb.
- Also last week, nearly two dozen senators have sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, demanding the agency explain how it intends to address greenhouse gas emissions as it reviews the Clean Power Plan, President Obama's signature carbon regulation.
900 Chicago government buildings to switch to renewable energy
By Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun Times.
More than 900 government buildings in Chicago will shift their electricity use to “100 percent renewable energy” by 2025 under an ambitious mayoral plan that contrasts sharply with President Donald Trump’s retreat on environmental issues.
Together, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges, Chicago Park District fieldhouses and buildings owned by the city and the Chicago Housing Authority consume 8 percent of all the electricity used in Chicago, according to city officials.
By Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun Times.
More than 900 government buildings in Chicago will shift their electricity use to “100 percent renewable energy” by 2025 under an ambitious mayoral plan that contrasts sharply with President Donald Trump’s retreat on environmental issues.
Together, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges, Chicago Park District fieldhouses and buildings owned by the city and the Chicago Housing Authority consume 8 percent of all the electricity used in Chicago, according to city officials.
Last year, that amounted to nearly 1.8 billion kilowatt hours — enough to power 295,000 Chicago homes. It would take more than 300 wind turbines to generate that amount of power.
Now, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is promising to make the switch to all renewable energy, though he isn’t saying how much he’s prepared to spend to make that happen.
The 900 government buildings will accomplish the shift through a variety of strategies. They include: purchasing “renewable energy credits” by going out to the market to buy a megawatt of solar or wind power; buying utility-supplied renewable energy through the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard; and by installing solar panels or windmills on city buildings and public property.
Portland commits to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050
By Anmar Frangoul, CNBC News.
Leaders from the City of Portland and Multnomah County have committed to 100 percent clean energy by the year 2050.
In an announcement earlier this week, authorities said that their goal was to meet the community's electricity needs with renewables by the year 2035 and to move all remaining energy sources to renewable ones by 2050.
By Anmar Frangoul, CNBC News.
Leaders from the City of Portland and Multnomah County have committed to 100 percent clean energy by the year 2050.
In an announcement earlier this week, authorities said that their goal was to meet the community's electricity needs with renewables by the year 2035 and to move all remaining energy sources to renewable ones by 2050.
"Getting our community to 100 percent renewable energy is a big goal,'' Ted Wheeler, City of Portland Mayor, said in a statement.
"And while it is absolutely ambitious, it is a goal that we share with Nike, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Google, GM, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and Walmart. We have a responsibility to lead this effort in Oregon.''
Multnomah County is the most populous county in Oregon. Its Chair, Deborah Kafoury, welcomed the news. "This is a pledge to our children's future,'' she said. "100 percent renewables means a future with cleaner air, a stable climate and more jobs and economic opportunity.''
Bill to Promote Methane from Dairy Cows Considered by Connecticut Senate
By Cheryl Kaftan, Energy Manager Today.
Manure happens, and a bill (SB-999) just approved by the Environment Committee of the Connecticut Senate could help turn “cow patties” into a source of renewable energy on dairy farms in the Constitution State, according to an April 7 report by the Public News Service.
There are 111 registered dairy farms in the state. The so-called “Cow Power” bill, sponsored by state Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-District 12), would create pilot projects on three of those farms, using anaerobic digesters, a type of composter, to collect methane from decomposing cow manure and convert it into bio-gas.
By Cheryl Kaftan, Energy Manager Today.
Manure happens, and a bill (SB-999) just approved by the Environment Committee of the Connecticut Senate could help turn “cow patties” into a source of renewable energy on dairy farms in the Constitution State, according to an April 7 report by the Public News Service.
There are 111 registered dairy farms in the state. The so-called “Cow Power” bill, sponsored by state Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-District 12), would create pilot projects on three of those farms, using anaerobic digesters, a type of composter, to collect methane from decomposing cow manure and convert it into bio-gas.
“The goal is to deal with the problem of animal waste running into our rivers and streams, and ultimately, Long Island Sound,” Kennedy added in an interview with the Public News Service. “And secondly, it provides an important new source of revenue for farmers.”
The bill also would create an easier, cheaper, and faster state and local permitting process for farmers who are interested in adopting this technology, based on an April 4 report by Branford Seven.
“‘Cow Power’ is a term for the conversion of cow manure into electricity, enabling farmers to make money by adding a new, desperately-needed source of farm revenue,” said Kennedy told the Branford, Connecticut, news outlet. “Instead of storing tons of manure in open cesspools that contaminate the water supply and release tons of climate-destroying methane into the atmosphere, farmers can place the animal waste in an anaerobic digester located on their property.”
Farmers could sell the gas or electricity produced by burning the gas to utility companies. What’s more, Kennedy points out that processing cow manure on the farm would have an additional environmental benefit.
Climate Scientist James Hansen Likes a GOP Proposal on Global Warming
By Annie Sneed, Scientific American.
Pres. Donald Trump issued a major executive order last week that, if successful, could undercut the nation’s fight against global warming. In particular, the order kicks off an attempt to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, which regulates carbon emissions from the power sector. While Trump’s move represents a big blow to U.S. climate efforts, the renowned scientist James Hansen sees a different—and, he argues, better—way forward on global warming. “The problem is the Clean Power Plan is really not that effective,” says Hansen, former director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, who brought climate change to the U.S. public’s attention in his famed 1988 congressional testimony. “It’s a tragedy that [the Obama administration] continued to pursue a regulatory approach.”
By Annie Sneed, Scientific American.
Pres. Donald Trump issued a major executive order last week that, if successful, could undercut the nation’s fight against global warming. In particular, the order kicks off an attempt to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, which regulates carbon emissions from the power sector. While Trump’s move represents a big blow to U.S. climate efforts, the renowned scientist James Hansen sees a different—and, he argues, better—way forward on global warming. “The problem is the Clean Power Plan is really not that effective,” says Hansen, former director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, who brought climate change to the U.S. public’s attention in his famed 1988 congressional testimony. “It’s a tragedy that [the Obama administration] continued to pursue a regulatory approach.”
The solution Hansen believes will work best is one recently advocated by a group of Republican statesmen: a “carbon fee and dividend.” Although it is not a tax, the approach would put a price on carbon—a step Hansen thinks is absolutely essential for cutting back greenhouse gas emissions. Hansen, who has been called the father of climate change awareness, recently spoke about the issue along with Earth Institute director Jeffrey Sachs, a leading expert on economic development, at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Scientific American followed up with Hansen, also director of the Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions program at Columbia, to discuss this strategy and how he thinks it will help the U.S. turn the tide on global warming.
RFS: New Revenue Stream for Biomass Facilities?
By Bob Cleaves, Biomass Magazine.
Many in the renewable fuels sector are familiar with the Renewable Fuel Standard, known as the RFS, adopted by Congress in 2005 and implemented by the U.S. EPA. The intent of the law is to incentivize the production and use of renewable fuels alongside traditional fossil fuels. The most famous example of this is corn ethanol, which is mandated by the RFS to be 10 percent of the gasoline blend sold at the pump.
By Bob Cleaves, Biomass Magazine.
Many in the renewable fuels sector are familiar with the Renewable Fuel Standard, known as the RFS, adopted by Congress in 2005 and implemented by the U.S. EPA. The intent of the law is to incentivize the production and use of renewable fuels alongside traditional fossil fuels. The most famous example of this is corn ethanol, which is mandated by the RFS to be 10 percent of the gasoline blend sold at the pump.
Unbeknownst to many in the biomass power sector, there may be a role for biomass power producers to play in the RFS. Electric vehicles (EVs) represent an increasing share of the automotive market, with sales rising 37 percent in 2016 over the previous year. Bloomberg New Energy Finance projects that this trend will continue—in 2040, EVs will account for 35 percent of all new vehicles sold. But the only way that electric vehicles are truly carbon friendly is if their power comes from a nonfossil fuel source. If EVs are powered by electricity produced from a biomass—the same ingredients that go into liquid transportation fuels—shouldn’t those biomass facilities be eligible to sell the same credits awarded to, for example, ethanol producers?
Natural gas from expanded Roseville sewer plant to help fuel city vehicles
By Walter Ko, The Sacramento Bee.
Roseville City Council members voted unanimously Wednesday night to expand the city’s sewer plant and build facilities that recover energy from waste, including natural gas to power city garbage trucks.
“It provides us an opportunity to be innovative with this construction,” said Councilman Scott Alvord, who lives near the treatment plant. “The nice thing about it is that the project will cut down on odor and fuel city vehicles with recovered gas.”
Ethanol polls show strong RFS support, refuting API ‘push poll’
By Susanne Retka Schill, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
Ethanol advocates were quick to counter the most recent poll from the American Petroleum Institute with their own. The API poll released April 7 shows “consumers are concerned the Renewable Fuel Standard could hurt their pocketbooks,” according to the API news release.
“Sixty-eight percent of registered voters are concerned about the government requiring increased amounts of ethanol in gasoline and 74 percent agree that federal regulations could contribute to increased costs at the pump,” said API downstream group director Frank Macchiarola. “Consumers have spoken loud and clear. The results of a new national API poll on the ethanol mandate send another strong signal to policymakers that RFS reform is desperately needed.”
By Susanne Retka Schill, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
Ethanol advocates were quick to counter the most recent poll from the American Petroleum Institute with their own. The API poll released April 7 shows “consumers are concerned the Renewable Fuel Standard could hurt their pocketbooks,” according to the API news release.
“Sixty-eight percent of registered voters are concerned about the government requiring increased amounts of ethanol in gasoline and 74 percent agree that federal regulations could contribute to increased costs at the pump,” said API downstream group director Frank Macchiarola. “Consumers have spoken loud and clear. The results of a new national API poll on the ethanol mandate send another strong signal to policymakers that RFS reform is desperately needed.”
API further said 70 percent of voters think the use of more corn for ethanol could increase food prices; 59 percent oppose moving the point of obligation and just 20 percent support the change; and 75 percent are concerned about government requirements that could breach the blend wall.
The Renewable Fuels Association called the API poll a push poll where questions are framed to be biased against the biofuels program. The RFA countered with the results of its own survey conducted by Morning Consult at about the same time as Harris Poll conducted the API survey. The RFA’s survey found that 58 percent of those polled support the RFS, with only 17 percent opposed – a more than 3:1 margin of support for the RFS.
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