New York to spur clean energy jobs by investing $1.5B into renewable energy projects

By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.

Dive Brief:

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week announced a new Clean Climate Careers (CCC) initiative that will aim to create 40,000 clean energy jobs by 2020.
• As part of the program, the state is planning to invest $1.5 billion in renewable energy, aiming to procure an additional 2.5 million MWh each year. According to the governor's announcement, it is "the largest clean energy procurement by a state in U.S. history."
• New York rolled out its plan in the wake of President Trump's announcement that he would pull the United States out of the United Nations Paris climate accord. Similarly, the California Senate voted to move to 100% renewables after the decision was announced.

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Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Benefits of Natural Gas for Transportation Confirmed by New NGVA Europe Study

Via MarketWatch.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 

~Westport Fuel Systems Next-Generation Natural Gas Engine and Vehicle Technologies Validated as a Key Solution for De-carbonizing the Transport Sector~ 

Westport Fuel Systems Inc. ("Westport Fuel Systems") today announced the publication of a new study by Natural Gas Vehicles Association Europe ("NGVA Europe") that quantified the greenhouse gas ("GHG") emission reduction benefits of natural gas for light duty and heavy duty transportation. Alongside data from the major European vehicle and engine makers, Westport Fuel Systems made GHG emissions data specific to the Volvo V60 Bi-Fuel passenger car that uses its advanced natural gas technology from Westport, and Westport High Pressure Direct Injection 2.0 ("Westport(TM) HPDI 2.0") for heavy duty trucks available for the study, enabling state of the art vehicle technologies to be included in the assessment.

The detailed well-to-wheels lifecycle analysis concluded that natural gas fueled passenger cars offer a 23% GHG emission reduction benefit compared with petrol, and 7% compared with diesel assuming an European Union ("EU") average upstream gas mix for compressed natural gas ("CNG"). In heavy-duty applications, trucks fueled by CNG or liquefied natural gas ("LNG") offer GHG emission reduction benefits of 15-16% using EU average gas mix. When the highest upstream carbon intensity originating source of LNG (from Algeria) is removed and Westport(TM) HPDI 2.0 technology is used, reductions of 18% to 22% were identified. These GHG benefits are significantly amplified when blends of renewable natural gas ("RNG") or biomethane are used with well-to-wheel emissions being reduced by 80-95% depending on the fuel source and production pathway.

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Metro can go two ways at once in choosing L.A.’s new bus fleet

By Denny Zane, Los Angeles Daily News, Guest Commentary. 

When the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board of directors meets on June 22, it will face an important decision that will affect all of us years from now. On that day, board members will determine whether the nation’s second-largest bus fleet in North America should run on electricity or on renewable gas.

With advances in technology, Metro’s board doesn’t have to pick one over the other because both are viable options and both are super clean — and even staff at Metro recognize this reality. Recently, employees at Metro found that near-zero-emissions compressed natural gas (CNG) buses fueled with renewable gas and battery-powered electric buses will help make Metro’s 2,472 buses the cleanest bus fleet in America, based on an internal analysis.

However, there is an important fact the staff report does not discuss: Metro using both technologies will also be the best way our transit system can help accelerate the cleanup of the far larger and far dirtier heavy-duty truck sector.

Electric power will likely work on short-haul applications, like drayage trucking. But we will need near-zero-emission natural gas on medium and long-haul applications — or live with toxic diesel pollution much longer than necessary.

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RINs Open New Market for Landfills

By Arlene Karidis, Waste 360.

In 2014 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified landfill gas as a cellulosic biofuel, a step that some industry analysts believe could blossom into a biogas gold rush. With this biofuel classification, landfill operators began leveraging assets to tap into a new market: Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) credits.

RINs are serial numbers assigned to batches of biofuel for the purpose of tracking its production, use and trading. The credits are often purchased by oil companies, that buy them to meet certain investment thresholds on the percentage of gas produced from renewable sources.

The industry is both guarded and optimistic about the use of RINs for landfill gas. It’s uncertain whether the regulatory framework driving it will remain intact under the Trump administration. Though California and Oregon have moved forward with their own clean fuel programs, creating a healthy market for landfill gas across the country. Canada may soon follow suit, project some stakeholders. 

For now, “Federal law mandates year over year that [oil companies’] total fuel portfolio have greater shares of cellulosic biofuel. That’s why so many [landfills] are getting into transportation fuel. We have a high- value commodity that big oil companies need,” says David Cox, director of operations for the Coalition for RNG. According to the Coalition’s records, about 30 landfills are selling RINs for transportation fuel as of January 2017.

RINs can be carried over, or oil refineries and other obligated parties can trade them once they meet their requirements. This in itself could possibly create a market, believes Brian Lips, energy policy project coordinator for North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center.

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New York unveils state methane reduction plan with focuses on food waste, landfills

Dive Brief:

• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a new multi-agency "Methane Reduction Plan" that is part of the state's goal to reduce energy sector emissions 40% by 2030, based on 1990 levels. According to the plan, landfills account for 58% of the state's methane emissions and 5% of overall emissions.
• Recovering or recycling organic waste from large generators is listed as the state's top priority for reducing emissions from landfills. This is said to include support and funding from multiple agencies for food donation networks, composting facilities and anaerobic digesters.
• As for landfills themselves, the report cites proposed revisions to the Part 360 permit system that would require the installation of horizontal gas collection wells in newly constructed landfills or cells. The state also plans to review strategies for active or closed sites and review its guidance in comparison to the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas reporting criteria to identify any potential regulatory updates.

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California's 100% Clean Energy Bill Clears First Senate Committee

On May 9, the California Senate Energy Committee voted to approve SB 100 (Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles). If passed by the Legislature, the California Clean Energy Act of 2017 would put the state on the path to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.

At the request of the CA Senate Leader's office, RNG Coalition staff is providing feedback on the bill's language and provisions.

SB 100 will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Read the bill summary and full text HERE. 

Center for Renewable Natural Gas Opens May 17 at UC Riverside

On May 17, RNG Coalition staff and members will join the University of California Riverside to open the Center for Renewable Natural Gas with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. 

Formally named "The University of California, Riverside, Center for Environmental Research and Technology, Center for Renewable Natural Gas," the RNG Center (or CRNG) will operate with University personnel under Director Arun Raju. Already, Director Raju and RNG Coalition Executive Staff have begun collaboration on a series of research and RNG advancement initiatives to boost RNG adoption. 

Also on May 17, the RNG Center will host the RNG Coalition-endorsed, Renewable Natural Gas Symposium consisting of panel discussions that explore adoption of renewable natural gas technology from lab to market. 

Find out more and register HERE.

RNG Coalition CEO Accepts Annual CNGVC Advocacy Award

May 10 - Yesterday evening, RNG Coalition CEO & Executive Director Johannes Escudero accepted the California Natural Gas Vehicles Coalition (CNGVC)'s Advocate of the Year Award, in appreciation of his and the RNG Coalition's dedication and advocacy work over the past year.

The award was presented at the CNGVC's annual awards banquet in Sacramento, CA. Thank you to Thomas Lawson and the CNGVC for the honor and their overwhelming recognition.

San Diego Makes Progress on Switching Refuse Fleet to CNG

By Joseph Bebon, NGT News.

On Tuesday, San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and City Councilmember Chris Cate announced the city has taken a major step toward switching its entire fleet of refuse and recycling collection trucks from diesel fuel to compressed natural gas (CNG).

“We all know that vehicle emissions are the leading cause of air pollution, so the city is leading by example,” said Faulconer. “By transitioning to compressed natural gas, we’re making our fleet greener and saving money at the same time. This is a win-win for San Diegans and will help us reach our climate action goals.”

Last month, the city completed the second phase of construction on a new CNG fueling station at the Environmental Services Department’s Collection Services facility on Miramar Place. There are now 13 operational fueling posts that can each fill up two CNG vehicles simultaneously. The city currently has 20 CNG vehicles operating in its fleet that have already begun to use the new station.

Once fully built out, the station will allow the city to replace its existing fleet of 131 diesel-powered collection vehicles with CNG vehicles by 2022 – one of the goals in Faulconer’s Climate Action Plan – and reduce the amount of diesel fuel consumed by more than 1 million gallons annually.

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Release of New RNG Jobs Study Covered by Several Publications

News of the new RNG Jobs Study conducted by ICF and jointly released by the RNG Coalition and California Natural Gas Vehicles Coalition (CNGVC) this week at the ACT Expo in Long Beach, CA was further spread by at least eight publications that picked up the story.

The publications include (with links to their stories):

• AltEnergyMag.com - New Study Shows Renewable Natural Gas in Transportation Can Create Up to 130,000 Jobs and Generate Nearly $14 Billion in Economic Benefits for California
  
  
• Biomass Magazine - New study shows economic value of RNG in California
  
  
• Green Auto Market - This Week’s Top 10: Low emission NGVs and RNG big at ACT Expo, Ports urged to clean up truck air pollution
   
• Mass Transit Magazine - Economic Impacts of Deploying Low NOx Trucks fueled by Renewable Natural Gas
   
• Natural Gas Intelligence Daily (NGI Daily) - Renewable Natural Gas Offers California $14 Billion Economic Stimulus Report Says
  
  
• NGT News - Study: RNG in Transportation Boosts Jobs, Economy for California
   
• US Gas Vehicles - New study shows RNG in transportation can fuel the economy of California
   
• Waste Today Magazine - New study shows economic benefits of RNG as a transportation fuel in California 

The study joins a long list of white papers relevant to the renewable natural gas industry available on the RNG Coalition's website here.