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Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Food Straus Family Creamery powered by cow gas
By Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle.
With barely a sound, the red and white International Harvester feed truck unloaded a mix of silage, barley and rice to a dozen pregnant cows, releasing a sour, grassy aroma into the foggy morning at Straus Family Creamery in Marshall. The all-electric feed truck is entirely powered by methane gas that was released by the farm’s 280 cows, or rather, their poop.
“I like to say the cows are powering the truck that feeds them,” said owner Albert Straus, whose organic dairy is perched on the edge of Tomales Bay in Marin County.
By Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle.
With barely a sound, the red and white International Harvester feed truck unloaded a mix of silage, barley and rice to a dozen pregnant cows, releasing a sour, grassy aroma into the foggy morning at Straus Family Creamery in Marshall. The all-electric feed truck is entirely powered by methane gas that was released by the farm’s 280 cows, or rather, their poop.
“I like to say the cows are powering the truck that feeds them,” said owner Albert Straus, whose organic dairy is perched on the edge of Tomales Bay in Marin County.
The truck, which went into service this month, had a timely debut. On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation extending cap-and-trade regulations, AB398, part of the state’s effort to cut greenhouse gases 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Methane gas heats up the atmosphere as much as 20 times as quickly as carbon dioxide, and a big source is cow manure and burps.
All of the electricity needed to run the Straus truck, several smaller vehicles and the entire dairy farm comes from a system fueled by methane gas from the cows’ manure. (The gas in bovine belches is harder to capture.) The truck serves only one of nine dairies that produce milk for Straus Family Creamery, so it’s just a start. But Straus, whose farm has been off the grid since he installed the methane-powered energy system in 2004, hopes it can be an example to other dairies in California, and, he said, the world.
EPA transition team official dismissed climate science debate as 'silliness'
By Devin Henry, The Hill.
A former transition official at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is dismissing the agency's plan to debate climate change science as "silliness."
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is planning to deploy a “red team, blue team” debate over the scientific consensus around climate change. But David Schnare, a 34-year EPA veteran and former transition official for the Trump administration, dismissed that approach in an op-ed for InsideEPA.
By Devin Henry, The Hill.
A former transition official at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is dismissing the agency's plan to debate climate change science as "silliness."
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is planning to deploy a “red team, blue team” debate over the scientific consensus around climate change. But David Schnare, a 34-year EPA veteran and former transition official for the Trump administration, dismissed that approach in an op-ed for InsideEPA.
“The Red team-blue team concept simply does not apply within the scientific community,” he wrote.
“That … is not how science works. Science is supposed to be done by individuals ‘disinterested’ in the outcome of their observations. It is not supposed to be a political blood sport.”
Speaker Ryan admits defeat, giving up on border adjustment tax
By Damian Paletta, The Washington Post.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has agreed to jettison one of the most controversial aspects of his tax overhaul plan, clearing the way for the White House to move forward on its plans for sweeping tax cuts later this year.
After months of talks, Ryan and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) have backed down on their demand that any changes to the tax code include the imposition of a new “border adjustment tax” on imported goods, at least in the short term.
By Damian Paletta, The Washington Post.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has agreed to jettison one of the most controversial aspects of his tax overhaul plan, clearing the way for the White House to move forward on its plans for sweeping tax cuts later this year.
After months of talks, Ryan and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) have backed down on their demand that any changes to the tax code include the imposition of a new “border adjustment tax” on imported goods, at least in the short term.
The revelation came in a joint statement that Ryan, Brady, top Senate Republicans and senior White House officials released Thursday as way to update the public about the status of their tax overhaul negotiations.
“While we have debated the pro-growth benefits of border adjustability, we appreciate that there are many unknowns associated with it, and have decided to set this policy aside in order to advance tax reform,” the group said in the joint statement. They added that they hope Congress could begin crafting and voting on the tax changes sometime in the fall.
Study: Ultra-Low NOx Natural Gas Engines Exceed Federal, State Emission Standards
By Lauren Tyler, NGT News.
The University of California, Riverside College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and SoCalGas have announced the results of a new study on ultra-low emission natural gas heavy-duty engines.
According to UC Riverside, the study found that a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Agency (Metro) bus equipped with an ultra-low emission natural gas engine performs significantly cleaner than its certification standards across all duty cycles.
By Lauren Tyler, NGT News.
The University of California, Riverside College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and SoCalGas have announced the results of a new study on ultra-low emission natural gas heavy-duty engines.
According to UC Riverside, the study found that a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Agency (Metro) bus equipped with an ultra-low emission natural gas engine performs significantly cleaner than its certification standards across all duty cycles.
Specifically, researchers tested the Cummins Westport ISL G near zero natural gas engine in a variety of conditions typical of a Metro bus. In all conditions, the engine performed even better than California’s toughest in the nation standard for smog-forming emissions. In some driving conditions, the report finds, emissions were practically zero.
“We have tested two of the ISL G near-zero 8.9 liter engines, one in a refuse hauler and one in a Metro bus. In both cases, the NOx emissions were surprisingly low and 99 percent cleaner than the current standard and 99.96 percent cleaner than the 2004 standard,” says Kent Johnson, associate research engineer for CE-CERT and lead researcher on this study.
Clearfleau calls for UK government to include biomethane in Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO)
By Bioenergy Insight.
Biomethane must be included in the UK government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), according to Clearfleau.
An article on the anaerobic digestion specialist’s website argues that bioenergy has a “key” role to play in the further decarbonisation of the UK’s food and beverage sector. It calls for the previously “non-committal” government to provide greater support for the use of onsite bioenergy plants to improve resource use and boost low-carbon manufacturing.
By Bioenergy Insight.
Biomethane must be included in the UK government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), according to Clearfleau.
An article on the anaerobic digestion specialist’s website argues that bioenergy has a “key” role to play in the further decarbonisation of the UK’s food and beverage sector. It calls for the previously “non-committal” government to provide greater support for the use of onsite bioenergy plants to improve resource use and boost low-carbon manufacturing.
“Extracting value from unwanted residues and decentralised energy supplies should be part of the UK’s industrial strategy and the “clean growth plan” due to be published in the autumn,” the article from Clearfleau states.
“This should include helping SMEs with incentives for on-site energy and funding projects that showcase British technology.”
Pointing out that the food industry is already aware of the need to improve resource use and its impact on the environment, the article claims that the next step is to replace the fossil fuels used in distribution from farm to factory to customer.
GOP Leaders tax statement provides few specific policy details, instead emphasizes principles reform should follow
By Kyle Pomerleau, Tax Foundation.
July 27- Today, Republican leadership from the House, Senate, and White House released a statement that outlined their principles for tax reform. The statement provided few specific policy details, but emphasized principles that reform should follow. Many of these principles, probably by design, reflect some of the proposals already outlined in both Trump’s tax proposal and the House GOP plan, which contain policies that would help improve the tax code.
By Kyle Pomerleau, Tax Foundation.
July 27- Today, Republican leadership from the House, Senate, and White House released a statement that outlined their principles for tax reform. The statement provided few specific policy details, but emphasized principles that reform should follow. Many of these principles, probably by design, reflect some of the proposals already outlined in both Trump’s tax proposal and the House GOP plan, which contain policies that would help improve the tax code.
The Three Broad Principles in the Statement
The statement outlined three broad principles or goals for tax reform:
- Simpler, fairer, and lower taxes for families,
- Reduced and reformed taxes for businesses, and
- Permanence
The principles reflect many of the policies that both the House GOP and the administration have included in previous plans. For instance, both the House GOP and administration plans have put forth policies to simplify the tax code. The House GOP’s plan, for example, would greatly increase the standard deduction and eliminate most itemized deductions. Both the administration and the House GOP also put forth ideas to reform the corporate income tax by reducing the statutory tax rate, broadening the base, and moving away from a worldwide tax system.
Dominion Energy seeks renewable generation for large customers
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
Dive Brief:
- Dominion Energy has issued a request for information (RFI) to identify renewable generation purchase options it would use to serve large commercial customers.
- The utility says it prefers the projects be located in Virginia, but would consider resources anywhere in the PJM footprint.
- The clean energy resources would support the utility's proposed Continuous Renewable Generation Rate Schedules, which allow non-residential customers with peak measured demand of at least 1,000 kW to purchase all carbon-free generation.
Senate appropriators ‘reject’ cuts to energy research
By Adrian Cho, Science.
Many observers hoped Senate budgetmakers would oppose cuts to the Department of Energy's (DOE's) basic and applied research programs proposed by the White House in May. But they may not have expected them to be quite so blunt about it. The detailed report that accompanies the Senate version of the so-called energy and water bill, which funds DOE, contains several passages in which Senate appropriators express their objections to cuts in unusually frank language.
By Adrian Cho, Science.
Many observers hoped Senate budgetmakers would oppose cuts to the Department of Energy's (DOE's) basic and applied research programs proposed by the White House in May. But they may not have expected them to be quite so blunt about it. The detailed report that accompanies the Senate version of the so-called energy and water bill, which funds DOE, contains several passages in which Senate appropriators express their objections to cuts in unusually frank language.
For example, in its budget request for fiscal year 2018, which begins 1 October, the White House seeks to eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the 8-year-old agency that aims to quickly transform the best ideas from basic research into budding energy technologies. House of Representatives appropriators have voted to go along with that elimination, but Senate appropriators are having none of it. "The Committee definitively rejects this short-sighted proposal," the report says. Instead, Senate appropriators would increase ARPA-E's budget by 8% to $330 million. Their report expressly forbids DOE from using money to shut down ARPA-E.
Similarly, within DOE's Office of Science, the White House has called for cutting spending on biological and environmental research (BER) by 43% to $349 million. But the Senate appropriations committee "rejects the short-sighted reductions proposed in the budget request." Instead, Senate budgetmakers would boost BER research by 3% to $630 million. Senate appropriators also would give DOE's applied research in its Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy $1.937 billion, a 7% cut from last year, but far above the $636 million proposed by the White House.
EPA: 22.94 million cellulosic RINs generated in June
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) data for June, reporting nearly 1.7 billion RINs were generated during the month, including nearly 22.94 million cellulosic RINs.
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) data for June, reporting nearly 1.7 billion RINs were generated during the month, including nearly 22.94 million cellulosic RINs.
More than 22.18 million D3 cellulosic biofuel RINs were generated in June, bringing the net total for the first half of the year to 94.65 million. Nearly 3.54 million D3 RINs have been generated for ethanol so far this year, with 56.92 million generated for renewable compressed natural gas (CNG) and 34.22 million for renewable liquefied natural gas. Nearly 83.08 million D3 RINs have been generated domestically, with 11.6 million generated by importers.
According to the EPA, 756,020 D7 cellulosic diesel D7 RINs were generated in June. The month marked the first time this year D7 RINs were generated. After a 75,602 error correction, the net total of D7 RINs generated so far this year is 680,418. All 756,020 D7 RINs generated so far this year were generated for cellulosic heating oil by importers.
Gov. Jerry Brown signs law to extend cap and trade, securing the future of California's key climate program
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times.
Cementing California’s role as a leader on climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program while surrounded by a coalition of supporters including his predecessor, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times.
Cementing California’s role as a leader on climate change, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program while surrounded by a coalition of supporters including his predecessor, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The program, the only one of its kind in the country and an international model in the fight against global warming, is designed to provide a financial incentive for companies to pollute less. It requires oil refineries, power plants, food processors and other facilities to buy permits to release greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
“California is leading the world in dealing with the principal existential threat that humanity faces,” Brown said during Tuesday’s ceremony, which took place on Treasure Island with the San Francisco skyline serving as a dramatic backdrop. “What could be a more glorious undertaking?”
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