RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.NGVAmerica Welcomes Daniel Gage as New President
By Betsy Lillian, NGT News.
NGVAmerica has appointed Daniel Gage its new president, succeeding Matthew Godlewski, who recently joined Ford Motor Co.
Gage comes to NGVAmerica from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, where he served as senior director of communications and public affairs starting in 2011.
“Dan’s deep experience in moving positive initiatives through a variety of channels will be critical as NGVAmerica continues to push for policies that make natural gas fuel more available to the transportation market,” comments Mitchell Pratt, chairman of NGVAmerica, in a release from the group. “As alternative fuels grab more and more headlines about their potential, it is imperative that our industry communicates the many ways natural gas is the superior choice for fleets that are looking to make a positive impact on the environment and to save money today and into the future.”
Vermont Public Utility Commission approves renewable natural gas program for Vermont Gas customers
By VT Public Utilities Commission, via VT Digger.
Montpelier, VT — September 6,2017 – Today the Vermont Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) approved a Renewable Natural Gas (“RNG”) program for Vermont Gas Systems, Inc. (“VGS”).
RNG, also known as bio-methane, is produced from materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, and compost. Under the program, retail customers can choose to buy RNG in amounts equal to 10% ,25%, 50%, or 100% of their total monthly requirements at specified prices per Ccf as an adder to other retail charges.
VGS plans to purchase RNG from the recently permitted Lincoln project that will be built on the Goodrich Farm in Salisbury, Vermont. The bio-methane produced by the Salisbury facility will be blended with the traditional fossil fuel supply in VGS’s pipeline. VGS also plans to obtain RNG from existing resources, such as solid waste facilities, that are located outside Vermont.
Walden Says RFS Amendment Hearings on House E&C Committee Fall Agenda
By George Cahlink, E&E News.
CROOKED RIVER RANCH, Ore. — House Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden will push an ambitious fall legislative agenda that could include a major restructuring of the Department of Energy and a rewrite of the controversial renewable fuel standard.
The Oregon Republican outlined his plans during a wide-ranging interview with E&E News during a stop here last month. Crooked River Ranch is a private community in central Oregon and part of Walden's sprawling district.
By George Cahlink, E&E News.
CROOKED RIVER RANCH, Ore. — House Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden will push an ambitious fall legislative agenda that could include a major restructuring of the Department of Energy and a rewrite of the controversial renewable fuel standard.
The Oregon Republican outlined his plans during a wide-ranging interview with E&E News during a stop here last month. Crooked River Ranch is a private community in central Oregon and part of Walden's sprawling district.
Walden made clear that even with fiscal issues likely to dominate Capitol Hill in the coming weeks, there was still room for moving potentially major energy and environmental legislation through the committee, and even the House, by the end of this year.
Walden emphasized that House Republican leaders have asked all committee chairmen to look at reauthorizing agencies and programs under their purview that in some cases have gone decades without new policy instructions from Congress.
Duke University Files Favorable Statement to North Carolina Pipeline Injection Proceeding
During a North Carolina pipeline injection stakeholder meeting on August 25, Duke University issued a statement specifying the university's willingness and support for accepting gas with lower heat content (down to 960 Btu/scf), such as gas derived from landfill and agricultural methane-capture systems.
Duke University is consistently among the largest non-utility natural gas consumers in the state, with annual gas consumption of 1.6-1.8 billion cubic feet.
RNG Coalition staff and members have engaged in the NCUC proceeding with formal and informal written and oral comments and are generally happy with the revisions to date.
Read Duke University's full statement HERE.
RNG Trends In Canada: Interest in production & utilization of RNG is growing in several provinces
By Peter Gorrie, BioCycle.
We want as much green gas supply as possible,” notes Don Beverly, with Gaz Métro, the largest natural gas distributor in Canada’s province of Quebec. That’s the growing message from officials at utilities in three of the country’s 13 provinces and territories, where government policies on climate change and waste diversion have combined with public pressure to spike interest in renewable natural gas, also known as RNG or biomethane.
Almost everyone in the Canadian industry expresses similar enthusiasm. “We’ve been putting a lot of focus on opportunities with RNG,” explains Jennifer Green, executive director of the Canadian Biogas Association, the national lobbying group for biogas production. “Opportunities are very much prompted by a lot of policy developments converging. Momentum is growing nationally, and Canada has the opportunity to be a leader in RNG production.” Still, industry supporters acknowledge it’s early days for RNG and daunting challenges must be overcome.
By Peter Gorrie, BioCycle.
We want as much green gas supply as possible,” notes Don Beverly, with Gaz Métro, the largest natural gas distributor in Canada’s province of Quebec. That’s the growing message from officials at utilities in three of the country’s 13 provinces and territories, where government policies on climate change and waste diversion have combined with public pressure to spike interest in renewable natural gas, also known as RNG or biomethane.
Almost everyone in the Canadian industry expresses similar enthusiasm. “We’ve been putting a lot of focus on opportunities with RNG,” explains Jennifer Green, executive director of the Canadian Biogas Association, the national lobbying group for biogas production. “Opportunities are very much prompted by a lot of policy developments converging. Momentum is growing nationally, and Canada has the opportunity to be a leader in RNG production.” Still, industry supporters acknowledge it’s early days for RNG and daunting challenges must be overcome.
RNG now accounts for a mere 0.016 percent of Canada’s natural gas consumption. To date, fewer than a dozen production facilities have been built, and, apart from one small pilot project, they’re all located in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which, granted, contain nearly three-quarter’s of Canada’s population. The current low price of fossil fuels has weakened the economic case for RNG, underlying the need for policies that provide adequate, stable and long-term revenue streams.
Most prospective developments are on hold, awaiting transformation of supportive but vague government policy pronouncements into detailed regulations and programs. The federal government is looking at a plan to have carbon pricing — either through a direct price ($50/metric ton is being considered) or cap-and-trade system — in every part of the country as of next year. As a complement, it also promises to enact a national Clean Fuel Standard aimed at achieving a 30-megatonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption in transportation, homes, businesses and industry. The standard is under discussion, promised for 2019 but with no indication of what it might look like.
DMT to supply desulfurization process to California AD facility
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
DMT Clear Gas Solutions recently announced that Calgren Dairy Fuels LLC is going to install DMT’s desulfurization technology, Sulfurex BR. The anaerobic digestion (AD) facility is located adjacent to Calgren Renewable Fuels LLC, a 55 MMgy ethanol plant located in Pixley, California. The AD facility provides heat and power to the ethanol plant.
New technologies & cheaper costs are needed to reach the 100 percent goals for Hawaii and California
By Anne C. Mulkern, ClimateWire, via Scientific American.
California Democratic leaders want their state to commit to a future of 100 percent renewable electricity, a goal approved so far by only one U.S. state—Hawaii.
Top officials in both places hope their policies will serve as a model for others as the Trump administration rejects actions on climate change.
California and Hawaii offer very different models for committing their power sectors to clean electricity. They differ on everything from mandate deadlines to what's considered renewable.
By Anne C. Mulkern, ClimateWire, via Scientific American.
California Democratic leaders want their state to commit to a future of 100 percent renewable electricity, a goal approved so far by only one U.S. state—Hawaii.
Top officials in both places hope their policies will serve as a model for others as the Trump administration rejects actions on climate change.
California and Hawaii offer very different models for committing their power sectors to clean electricity. They differ on everything from mandate deadlines to what's considered renewable.
"For the country as a whole it shows the laboratory effect of having states take the lead on this issue," said Ethan Elkind, director of the climate program at the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. "As Hawaii and California take the lead, it will provide examples of how it can be done for other states, both good and bad."
Hawaii passed its 100 percent renewable electricity mandate with a 2045 target two years ago. The Aloha State at the time had no blueprint for how to make it happen. Much of it remains in the planning stage, though leaders argue it's achievable.
"We are ahead of schedule on our path to 100 percent renewable energy goal," Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) said at a clean energy summit this summer. "We are making significant progress toward getting off of fossil fuel and into clean energy, more aggressively than any other community in the United States."
In California, legislation offered by state Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León (D) provides a two-tiered approach to hitting the 100 percent mark. S.B. 100 mandates that utilities make 60 percent of their energy from renewables by 2030.
California's 100% clean power proposal moves forward in Sacramento
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times.
Sept. 1 - California lawmakers advanced legislation on Friday to phase out fossil fuels for generating electricity.
The measure, SB 100 from Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), was approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. If passed by the full Assembly in the coming weeks, it can be sent to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.
The legislation would accelerate the state's adoption of renewable energy, requiring utilities and other electricity providers to obtain 60% of their power from sources like the sun and the wind by 2030. Then it would task regulators with ensuring the final 40% doesn't come from fossil fuels by 2045.
Carbon Negative Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Upgrading Plant Opened in Italy
By Ben Messenger, Waste Management World.
Milan, Italy based Tecno Project Industriale has completed a new anaerobic digestion waste treatment plant for the production of biomethane and carbon dioxide.
According to the company, the biogas plant is the first in Italy capable of producing biomethane and carbon dioxide exclusively from the treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW).
The company, a part of the SIAD Group, said that the biogas upgrading technology breaks down the biogas into its two main components: carbon dioxide (about 40%) and methane (about 60%).
EPA now requires political aide’s sign-off for agency awards, grant applications
By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post.
The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the unusual step of putting a political operative in charge of vetting the hundreds of millions of dollars in grants the EPA distributes annually, assigning final funding decisions to a former Trump campaign aide with little environmental policy experience.
In this role, John Konkus reviews every award the agency gives out, along with every grant solicitation before it is issued. According to both career and political employees, Konkus has told staff that he is on the lookout for “the double C-word” — climate change — and repeatedly has instructed grant officers to eliminate references to the subject in solicitations.
By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post.
The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the unusual step of putting a political operative in charge of vetting the hundreds of millions of dollars in grants the EPA distributes annually, assigning final funding decisions to a former Trump campaign aide with little environmental policy experience.
In this role, John Konkus reviews every award the agency gives out, along with every grant solicitation before it is issued. According to both career and political employees, Konkus has told staff that he is on the lookout for “the double C-word” — climate change — and repeatedly has instructed grant officers to eliminate references to the subject in solicitations.
Konkus, who officially works in the EPA’s public affairs office, has canceled close to $2 million competitively awarded to universities and nonprofit organizations. Although his review has primarily affected Obama administration priorities, it is the heavily Republican state of Alaska that has undergone the most scrutiny so far.
EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said that grant decisions “are to ensure funding is in line with the Agency’s mission and policy priorities,” with the number of awards denied amounting to just 1 percent of those made since EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt took office. “We review grants to see if they are providing tangible results to the American people,” she said in an email.
Don’t miss an update—join our weekly newsletter below.