RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.EDL makes landfill gas to energy acquisition
By Waste Today.
Australian headquartered global energy business Energy Developments (EDL), has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Granger Energy Services landfill gas to energy (LFGTE) business in the USA.
Granger Energy comprises 16 operating sites, concentrated in the Great Lakes region of the U.S., with a total installed capacity of 85 megawatts electric (MWe). The Granger Energy business is highly contracted, with strong counterparties, and long term contracts, EDL notes.
Colorado sets statewide diversion goals
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
Dive Brief:
- The Colorado Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission voted on Aug. 15 to adopt a resolution that sets statewide diversion rate goals for the first time. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the state's diversion rate has hovered around 19% for about a decade.
- The state will now strive to hit 28% by 2021, 35% by 2026 and 45% by 2036. The resolution also set different local targets, with lower rates for rural counties and higher targets for about a dozen more urban "Front Range" counties. Diversion is defined explicitly as "recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion."
- The conversation around statewide goals was accelerated by CDPHE's release of a waste and materials management plan last summer and has continued over multiple public stakeholder meetings. The plan found that an estimated $267 million worth of recyclable material is being sent to landfills each year, with the majority coming from Front Range communities.
Iowa city wants to convert food waste into renewable fuel
By The Associated Press, Via News Tribune.
An eastern Iowa city is working to become the first in the state to convert food waste from restaurants, groceries and homes into renewable fuel for vehicles.
Muscatine Water Pollution Control Director Jon Koch has been working to implement a system in the city since 2012, the Muscatine Journal reported .
By The Associated Press, Via News Tribune.
An eastern Iowa city is working to become the first in the state to convert food waste from restaurants, groceries and homes into renewable fuel for vehicles.
Muscatine Water Pollution Control Director Jon Koch has been working to implement a system in the city since 2012, the Muscatine Journal reported.
Koch said many locations in Europe, California and New York have switched to compressed natural gas to help with full landfills and high gas prices. About 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to a landfill.
"Heinz estimates it puts about 10 to 15 tons of waste a day into the landfill, and that's mostly packaged material," Koch said. "But all that ketchup and material is perfect to make gas in our digesters."
Author refutes Bloomberg on Natural Gas used for transportation
By Jon LeSage, via Yahoo Finance.
Bloomberg is attempting to make the case that Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk and cheap gasoline prices have driven natural gas away as an economically viable vehicle fuel. But that does not seem to be the case if you look at the role compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been playing on a global level.
Pickens is cited in the article for making the business case for natural gas vehicles going back to 2008 with the oil price spike and skyrocketing pump prices of gasoline and diesel. His arguments focused on the cheaper, stable price of natural gas and how it allowed the U.S. to free itself of oil imports, especially from OPEC.
By Jon LeSage, via Yahoo Finance.
Bloomberg is attempting to make the case that Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk and cheap gasoline prices have driven natural gas away as an economically viable vehicle fuel. But that does not seem to be the case if you look at the role compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been playing on a global level.
Pickens is cited in the article for making the business case for natural gas vehicles going back to 2008 with the oil price spike and skyrocketing pump prices of gasoline and diesel. His arguments focused on the cheaper, stable price of natural gas and how it allowed the U.S. to free itself of oil imports, especially from OPEC.
As co-founder of the nation’s largest natural gas vehicle fueling infrastructure company, Clean Energy Fuels Corp., Pickens saw his company reach market valuation in 2012 of about $1.8 billion. The Bloomberg piece points to Clean Energy Fuels stock plummeting 90 percent since that peak as another sign that the alternative fuel is on a downturn.
Even if gasoline and diesel prices stay stable for a few years, and if Tesla and other electric vehicles see significant sales increases during that time, natural gas is expected to continue doing well for companies working in that sector.
Swiss scientists use coffee waste to produce renewable methane
Researchers have found a way to produce high-quality methane gas – a main component of the natural gas used for energy – from the coffee grounds left behind after instant coffee production.
The breakthrough was made as part of a pilot project by researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), a member of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain, in cooperation with Swiss food giant Nestlé.
Leftover moist coffee grounds from Nestlé’s instant coffee production were subjected to extremely high pressure and temperature conditions (about 450 degrees Celsius) at an experimental PSI pilot facility. This treatment allowed mineral salts contained in the grounds to be extracted and reused, while the remaining compounds were converted to methane gas using a catalyst.
Carl Icahn steps down as regulatory adviser to Trump
By Lydia Wheeler, The Hill.
Investor Carl Icahn announced Friday that he is stepping down from his role as special adviser to President Trump on issues relating to regulatory reform.
Icahn, who owns a substantial stake in the oil and refining company CVR Energy, said in a letter to Trump on Friday that he is choosing to “end this arrangement (with your blessing) because I did not want partisan bickering about my role to in any way cloud your administration or Ms. Rao’s important work,” referring to newly minted Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Neomi Rao.
By Lydia Wheeler, The Hill.
Investor Carl Icahn announced Friday that he is stepping down from his role as special adviser to President Trump on issues relating to regulatory reform.
Icahn, who owns a substantial stake in the oil and refining company CVR Energy, said in a letter to Trump on Friday that he is choosing to “end this arrangement (with your blessing) because I did not want partisan bickering about my role to in any way cloud your administration or Ms. Rao’s important work,” referring to newly minted Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Neomi Rao.
“While I do not know Ms. Rao and played no part in her appointment, I am confident based on what I’ve read of her accomplishments that she is the right person for this important job.” he said.
Earlier this year six Senate Democrats, including Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), reportedly called on the White House Counsel to investigate Icahn’s refusal to divest his private sector interests, citing conflicts of interest, after reports Icahn had worked closely on a planned executive order to overhaul the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard.
RNG Coalition Welcomes Nina Kapoor as Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) is pleased to introduce and announce Ms. Nina Kapoor to our members and the RNG industry as the RNG Coalition's Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs in Sacramento, California.
The addition of Ms. Kapoor in July 2017 will further bolster the RNG Coalition's advocacy and education efforts on behalf of the North American RNG industry in California and on the West Coast. "After a highly competitive and deliberate process, we are thrilled to have Nina join our team," commented Johannes Escudero, CEO & Executive Director of the RNG Coalition. "The RNG Coalition will immediately benefit from her extensive lobbying experience, relationships and understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes in California."
The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) is pleased to introduce and announce Ms. Nina Kapoor to our members and the RNG industry as the RNG Coalition's Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs in Sacramento, California.
The addition of Ms. Kapoor in July 2017 will further bolster the RNG Coalition's advocacy and education efforts on behalf of the North American RNG industry in California and on the West Coast. "After a highly competitive and deliberate process, we are thrilled to have Nina join our team," commented Johannes Escudero, CEO & Executive Director of the RNG Coalition. "The RNG Coalition will immediately benefit from her extensive lobbying experience, relationships and understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes in California."
Before joining the RNG Coalition, Ms. Kapoor provided strategic planning and public affairs consulting as Principal of Kapoor Consulting, to support the domestic and international business interests of the firm's energy and environmental clients.
Prior to that she served as Vice President of Legislative Affairs at the California Forestry Association (CFA), the statewide trade association that represents California’s forestry sector. At CFA, Ms. Kapoor was responsible for developing and implementing all legislative affairs, including advocacy before the Legislature in California and Congress in Washington, DC. She was instrumental in leading key stakeholder coalitions and coordinating strategic media campaigns for the association.
Ms. Kapoor also previously represented a number of high-profile energy and transportation clients at KP Public Affairs, a well-respected lobbying firm in Sacramento. Before transitioning to the private sector, she worked in the California State Capitol as a Senate Fellow and as legislative staff to prominent members of the State Senate and the Assembly, including the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.
Ms. Kapoor holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics with Highest Distinction from University of California, San Diego. She lives in Sacramento, where she enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking and spending time with her mother and extended family.
RNG Coalition members and industry stakeholders will have the opportunity to meet Ms. Kapoor at our RNG 2017 Conference, Nov. 27-30, if not before. In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Ms. Nina Kapoor to the RNG Coalition!
RNG Coalition Welcomes Sanjay Srikantiah as Federal Affairs Manager
The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) is pleased to introduce and announce Mr. Sanjay Srikantiah to our members and the RNG industry as the RNG Coalition's new Federal Affairs Manager in Washington, DC.
The addition of Mr. Srikantiah will further strengthen the RNG Coalition's advocacy and education efforts on behalf of the North American RNG industry in Washington, DC and the Atlantic Coast Region.
"We are thrilled to have Sanjay join the RNG Coalition team. After a competitive process with many qualified candidates, his experience in the U.S. Capitol stood out," commented Johannes Escudero, CEO & Executive Director of the RNG Coalition. "Sanjay's understanding of the legislative and regulatory landscapes in Washington and his relationships will immediately benefit the RNG industry."
The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) is pleased to introduce and announce Mr. Sanjay Srikantiah to our members and the RNG industry as the RNG Coalition's new Federal Affairs Manager in Washington, DC.
The addition of Mr. Srikantiah will further strengthen the RNG Coalition's advocacy and education efforts on behalf of the North American RNG industry in Washington, DC and the Atlantic Coast Region.
"We are thrilled to have Sanjay join the RNG Coalition team. After a competitive process with many qualified candidates, his experience in the U.S. Capitol stood out," commented Johannes Escudero, CEO & Executive Director of the RNG Coalition. "Sanjay's understanding of the legislative and regulatory landscapes in Washington and his relationships will immediately benefit the RNG industry."
Before joining the RNG Coalition, Mr. Srikantiah worked in a variety of strategic planning and budgeting roles at the U.S. State Department from 2009-2015, supporting work in the Bureau of Energy Resources and the Bureau of Resource Management, among others. He was deeply involved in the federal budget process, working closely with Congress and the White House Office of Management of Budget, and keeping the State Department abreast of the federal appropriations process.
Prior to working at State, Mr. Srikantiah served as a fellow in the Emerging Markets Development Advisors Program (EMDAP), a cooperative effort between USAID, the Institute of International Education, and the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance. Through EMDAP, Sanjay provided technical assistance and support to the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, buttressing its advocacy efforts with key officials and agencies in the U.S. and Kazakhstan Governments, and International Financial Institutions. His work culminated in launching a bilateral economic reform initiative between the two governments that continues today.
Sanjay received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland and his Master of Arts in International Affairs with a focus on International Energy Policy from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and maintains fluency in Russian.
RNG Coalition members and industry stakeholders will have the opportunity to meet Mr. Srikantiah at our RNG 2017 Conference, Nov. 27-30, if not before. In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Sanjay Srikantiah to the RNG Coalition!
The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas was founded in 2011 and represents the renewable natural gas industry in North America, including companies that produce, or otherwise support production and distribution of biogas-derived renewable natural gas, which is a domestic, clean, low-carbon, and renewable source of power, heat and fuel that makes up the predominant share of Cellulosic Biofuel in North America.
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U.S. House tax chairman is confident on reform, but others less so
By Susan Heavey and David Morgan, Reuters.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top tax law writer in the U.S. House of Representatives insisted on Tuesday that tax reform will happen this year, despite concerns among some experts that a tax code overhaul could drag into 2018, or even collapse altogether.
President Donald Trump is still seeking his first major legislative achievement and has focused on tax reform. But he has done little to advance it recently, amid constant distractions over Russia, North Korea and race relations.
By Susan Heavey and David Morgan, Reuters.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top tax law writer in the U.S. House of Representatives insisted on Tuesday that tax reform will happen this year, despite concerns among some experts that a tax code overhaul could drag into 2018, or even collapse altogether.
President Donald Trump is still seeking his first major legislative achievement and has focused on tax reform. But he has done little to advance it recently, amid constant distractions over Russia, North Korea and race relations.
In Congress, as they did for their failed push to dismantle Obamacare, Republicans are ramping up a nationwide publicity campaign in favor of tax law changes without first deciding on exactly what changes they want to make.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a Texan, is scheduled to deliver a speech on the issue on Wednesday at former President Ronald Reagan's ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Other committee members will also attend.
Court Rules that EPA Erred in Denying RFS Hardship Exemption
By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency used too strict of a test when it denied Sinclair Oil Corp's request for an exemption from the country's biofuel regulations, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
The ruling could broaden the rules governing such exemptions and force the EPA to grant more of them under the Renewable Fuel Standard program, which requires that refiners blend biofuels like ethanol into their fuel pool or buy credits from those who do. Refiners of all sizes have complained for years that the program was too costly and threatened the viability of U.S. plants.
By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency used too strict of a test when it denied Sinclair Oil Corp's request for an exemption from the country's biofuel regulations, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
The ruling could broaden the rules governing such exemptions and force the EPA to grant more of them under the Renewable Fuel Standard program, which requires that refiners blend biofuels like ethanol into their fuel pool or buy credits from those who do. Refiners of all sizes have complained for years that the program was too costly and threatened the viability of U.S. plants.
The EPA ruled that Sinclair did not qualify for a hardship waiver for small refiners, with capacity of less than 75,000 barrels per day, as the Salt Lake City, Utah-based company's two Wyoming plants were profitable and would not be forced to close if they were in the program.
The EPA granted 29 annual exemptions under the program from 2013 through the end of 2016, the agency said in June.
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