RNG NEWS
Proposed Clean Fuel Standard: Canada's 'single biggest carbon-fighting policy' you've probably never heard of
Canada's proposed clean fuel standard could actually have more of an impact on carbon emissions than a carbon price will
By Maura Forrest, National Post.
Canada’s environment commissioner Julie Gelfand delivered a stern warning to the federal government this week, declaring that to deal with climate change Ottawa needs to move “from a seemingly endless planning mode into an action mode.”
Canada's proposed clean fuel standard could actually have more of an impact on carbon emissions than a carbon price will
By Maura Forrest, National Post.
Canada’s environment commissioner Julie Gelfand delivered a stern warning to the federal government this week, declaring that to deal with climate change Ottawa needs to move “from a seemingly endless planning mode into an action mode.”
That will mean more than just putting a price on carbon — to date the only element in the Liberals’ pan-Canadian climate change framework that’s received much attention. The government’s plan also includes a suite of lesser-known policies, including a proposed clean fuel standard that some say amounts to a second carbon tax.
The new standard, likely unknown to most Canadians, could actually have more of an impact than a carbon price in cutting Canada’s carbon emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, according to some experts.
Renewable Natural Gas Increasingly Used to Meet Part of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Requirements
By Steve Hanson, U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Renewable natural gas (RNG), which is derived from biogas collected at landfills and other facilities, is increasingly used to meet government targets for renewable fuel production. In 2016, about 189 million gallons of RNG were used to meet about 82% of federal targets set specifically for cellulosic biofuel.
By Steve Hanson, U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Renewable natural gas (RNG), which is derived from biogas collected at landfills and other facilities, is increasingly used to meet government targets for renewable fuel production. In 2016, about 189 million gallons of RNG were used to meet about 82% of federal targets set specifically for cellulosic biofuel.
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a program implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) to promote the incorporation of biofuels in the nation’s fuel supply. Earlier this year, EPA released a proposed rule to determine 2018 renewable volume obligations, and total volumes will remain largely unchanged from 2017 levels. Volume obligations for two categories—advanced biofuel and cellulosic biofuel—were slightly reduced from 2017 levels.
In previous years, when targets for those categories were not met, EPA has exercised its cellulosic biofuel waiver authority to account for shortfalls. In 2016, for instance, only 189 million gallons of cellulosic fuel were produced, less than EPA’s renewable fuel volume requirement of 230 million gallons and far below the original congressional volume target of 4.25 billion gallons for that year.
Industry Leaders Share Expertise on Renewable Natural Gas Business Development in California
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders in the biogas and renewable gas industry will gather in Sacramentotoday to share their knowledge of this growing business. Utilities Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), along with national nonprofit organization Energy Vision, will host the free one-day conference, called "The Power of Waste: Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for California."
"'The Power of Waste' workshop brings together experts in the field of sustainable energy and provides a valuable day of learning and conversation for anyone interested in becoming more knowledgeable about renewable gas opportunities, including the economic and policy landscape," said Lisa Alexander, vice president of customer solutions and communications at SoCalGas. "Renewable natural gas derived from organic sources like animal and plant waste is the next chapter as we look to maximize renewable sources of energy and, clean our air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
RNG Coalition CEO, Johannes Escudero, speaks to the large audience who attended to hear more about renewable natural gas and biogas development at the Power from Waste workshop, October 5 in Sacramento, CA.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders in the biogas and renewable gas industry will gather in Sacramentotoday to share their knowledge of this growing business. Utilities Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), along with national nonprofit organization Energy Vision, will host the free one-day conference, called "The Power of Waste: Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for California."
"'The Power of Waste' workshop brings together experts in the field of sustainable energy and provides a valuable day of learning and conversation for anyone interested in becoming more knowledgeable about renewable gas opportunities, including the economic and policy landscape," said Lisa Alexander, vice president of customer solutions and communications at SoCalGas. "Renewable natural gas derived from organic sources like animal and plant waste is the next chapter as we look to maximize renewable sources of energy and, clean our air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
"RNG is one of the lowest carbon fuel sources available, and drastically cuts health-damaging pollutants like particulates and NOx," said Joanna Underwood, chair of Energy Vision. "Over its lifecycle, it cuts GHG emissions 80 percent or more compared to diesel, and is actually net-carbon-negative, according to the California Air Resources Board, when made from food waste. So the more RNG gets made and used, the more it can reduce overall carbon emissions. California has the greatest biogas potential of any state. A recent study by UC Davis estimates that the natural gas needs of around 2.4 million California homes could be fueled with RNG derived from the state's existing organic waste alone. We estimate California could produce enough RNG to replace 75 percent of its diesel road fuel consumption. In the workshop, we'll discuss practical ways to get there."
"Arguably one of the greatest steps the state could take to reduce methane emissions from the dairy sector, as well as from landfills and wastewater treatment facilities, is to incentivize or otherwise enable the development of renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities at each site" said Johannes Escudero, chief executive officer at the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas. "RNG projects capture and convert methane that would otherwise escape fugitively into the atmosphere as a super-pollutant that is many times more potent than carbon, and convert it for a positive end-use, including as a feedstock for renewable electricity or ultra-low carbon transportation fuel."
The conference will include panelists from state agencies discussing their efforts to reduce short-lived climate pollutants and increase renewable energy production. Renewable gas developers —including those producing gas from dairies as well as landfill-diverted organic waste facilities — will share insight into building successful projects. Additional speakers will review the latest technologies that upgrade biogas to biomethane or RNG which meets utility pipeline specifications.
Just like electricity, natural gas can be made from renewable sources. Already, 60 percent of the fuel used in natural gas vehicles in California is renewable, and SoCalGas expects that to increase to 90 percent by 2018. This can help reduce the need for other fossil-based fuels, and increase our supplies with a local renewable fuel.
Renewable gas project developers, government leadership, local and state agencies, facility operators, equipment vendors, utilities, academia and the media are invited to attend this no-cost workshop, which will take place at Capital Plaza Halls, Grand Ballroom, 1215 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 on Thursday, Oct. 5th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communitiesthrough 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future. The company has committed to spending $6 billion over the next five years to modernize and upgrade its gas infrastructure, while also reducing methane emissions. SoCalGas is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. The company is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroomor connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
About Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California.
PG&E has proudly served northern California communities, families and businesses since 1905 and is committed to become the safest, most reliable, affordable and clean energy company in the country. PG&E is making strategic investments in new technologies and processes, including biomethane and low-carbon gas alternatives, that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1998, the company has reduced its SF6 emissions rate by more than 85 percent and total emissions by more than 70 percent.
About Energy Vision
Energy Vision is a non-profit organization which researches, analyzes and promotes currently viable technologies and strategies for accomplishing the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy and transportation future. Learn more at www.energy-vision.org.
Rhode Island's First Commercial-scale Anaerobic Digester Could be Model for NE Region
By Tim Faulkner, ecoRI News.
JOHNSTON, R.I. — Rhode Island’s first commercial-scale anaerobic digester still isn’t ready, but company officials say it's getting closer to completion. And when it’s operational, New England's largest digester may be a test case for similar facilities in neighboring states with food-diversion laws.
By Tim Faulkner, ecoRI News.
JOHNSTON, R.I. — Rhode Island’s first commercial-scale anaerobic digester still isn’t ready, but company officials say it's getting closer to completion. And when it’s operational, New England's largest digester may be a test case for similar facilities in neighboring states with food-diversion laws.
Rhode Island’s compost law, passed in 2014, requires large institutions such as supermarkets and food makers to divert their organic scrap to a farm, food pantry, compost facility or anaerobic digester, as long as such a facility exists within 15 miles. So far, only a smaller-scale compost facility is operating in Charlestown — Earth Care Farm has been composting food scrap for 40 years. The Compost Plant has proposed a facility in Warren.
In recent years, smaller digesters have been built in Massachusetts that service a single facility, like a Stop & Shop distribution warehouse in Freetown, Mass. In Dartmouth, Mass., a 12-ton-per-day food scrap to biogas anaerobic digestion facility opened in 2014 at the Crapo Hill Landfill. A single digester, or digesters, intended to serve an entire state or region has yet to materialize.
Bipartisan Group of 38 Senators Send Joint Letter to EPA Urging Pruitt to Issue Strong 2018 RVO Volumes
By Erin Voegele.
On Oct. 5, a bipartisan group of 38 senators led by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, asking him to ensure the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements promote growth in the U.S. biofuels sector and the U.S. economy.
By Erin Voegele.
On Oct. 5, a bipartisan group of 38 senators led by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, asking him to ensure the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements promote growth in the U.S. biofuels sector and the U.S. economy.
The letter stresses that when Congress adopted the RFS in 2005, its goal was to drive innovation and investments that would bring biofuels to American consumers. “The biofuel industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the country, reduces the environmental impact of our transportation and energy sectors, and cuts our reliance on foreign oil,” said the senators in the letter. “The stability of our policy has led to billions of dollars of investment in the biofuel sector. America’s production capacity has expanded more than threefold since 2005 with fuels such as biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol, recycled-waste, algal, and other advanced biofuels.”
New feed-in tariff promotes biogas potential in Ireland
By Penn Energy.
In the course of 2017, Ireland intends to initiate the energy reform with a new feed-in tariff for renewable energies. The government plans to increase the amount of green electricity from the current figure of about 23 percent to 40 percent by 2020. The tariff system is to establish a favourable environment for biogas plant operation. In view of the extensive agricultural and waste resource potential available in Ireland, WELTEC BIOPOWER UK will showcase its AD plant technologies at the Energy Now Expo Ireland, which will be held in the end of October in The Hub in Kilkenny.
By Penn Energy.
In the course of 2017, Ireland intends to initiate the energy reform with a new feed-in tariff for renewable energies. The government plans to increase the amount of green electricity from the current figure of about 23 percent to 40 percent by 2020. The tariff system is to establish a favourable environment for biogas plant operation. In view of the extensive agricultural and waste resource potential available in Ireland, WELTEC BIOPOWER UK will showcase its AD plant technologies at the Energy Now Expo Ireland, which will be held in the end of October in The Hub in Kilkenny.
In early September, the Irish Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment (DCCAE) announced the adoption of a new subsidy regime to promote renewable energies, to be known as the Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS). So far, Ireland has been the only European country without an incentive scheme for heat from renewable sources. However, the green island has to meet EU requirements by 2020. This means that 16 percent of Ireland‘s total energy needs for power, heat and traffic must be provided from renewable energies. This is to be achieved by making use of all green energy sources available in the country. Biogas is to play a key role especially in meeting the individual goals for the heat and transport sector.
Ontario considers disposal ban on organic waste
TORONTO -- From coffee grounds, to leftover fettuccine alfredo, to the slimy, brown head of lettuce forgotten at the back of your fridge, the Ontario government is aiming to keep all organic waste away from landfills.
It's an ambitious target for a province that generates nearly 12 million tonnes of waste a year -- more than 850 kilograms per person -- and only recycles about a quarter of that amount.
By Canadian Press.
TORONTO -- From coffee grounds, to leftover fettuccine alfredo, to the slimy, brown head of lettuce forgotten at the back of your fridge, the Ontario government is aiming to keep all organic waste away from landfills.
It's an ambitious target for a province that generates nearly 12 million tonnes of waste a year -- more than 850 kilograms per person -- and only recycles about a quarter of that amount.
If improvements aren't made, the province's landfills could run out of capacity within the next 20 years, the government warns.
In 2004, the Liberal government promised to boost the rate of waste diversion -- through recycling and composting programs for example -- to 60 per cent in four years. But 13 years later, the rate hasn't changed. Now, the government has set its sights on an even more distant target of 100 per cent.
U.S. EIA's International Energy Outlook 2017 says Natural Gas vehicle fuel use will grow nearly 600% from 2015 to 2040
By US Gas Vehicles.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its International Energy Outlook 2017 that assesses international energy markets, including transportation, through 2050.
By USGasVehicles.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its International Energy Outlook 2017 that assesses international energy markets, including transportation, through 2050.
The report found that natural gas is expected to be one of the fastest-growing forms of energy used for transportation in OECD countries on a percentage basis, a trend largely driven by favorable economics in heavy trucking.
“The share of natural gas as a transportation fuel grows from 4% in 2015 to 9% in 2040. Natural gas consumption for passenger and freight transportation—excluding natural gas pipeline consumption—grows to nearly six times its 2015 level by 2040, reaching 9 quadrillion Btu in 2040.”
Access the report HERE.
DSNY publishes proposed rule to expand commercial organics diversion
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
UPDATE: New York's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has officially published a proposed rule to expand the types of commercial establishments covered by its organics diversion mandate.
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
UPDATE: New York's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has officially published a proposed rule to expand the types of commercial establishments covered by its organics diversion mandate.
This decision, backed up by DSNY's determination that adequate processing capacity exists in the region, will affect an estimated 2,000 new businesses. The published rule reiterates plans to cover large restaurants, chain establishments with more than 50 locations in the city, and large retail stores. The proposal stipulates that this will also apply to any retail stores with three or more locations with a combined floor area space of at least 10,000 square feet, and operate under the same control, with service from the same commercial waste company. Any covered businesses that are currently using on-site organic waste processing equipment, or plan to, would also now be required to renew that registration annually.
A public hearing on this proposal has been scheduled for Oct. 31, with comments due by the end of that business day. If approved, the rule is expected to begin taking effect sometime in 2018.
United Nations data update finds methane emissions from cattle are 11% higher than previously estimated
Bigger livestock in larger numbers in more regions has led to methane in the air climbing faster than predicted due to ‘out-of-date data’
By Agence France-Presse, via The Guardian.
Emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from livestock are larger than previously thought, posing an additional challenge in the fight to curb global warming, scientists have said.
Bigger livestock in larger numbers in more regions has led to methane in the air climbing faster than predicted due to ‘out-of-date data’
By Agence France-Presse, via The Guardian.
Emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from livestock are larger than previously thought, posing an additional challenge in the fight to curb global warming, scientists have said.
Revised calculations of methane produced per head of cattle show that global livestock emissions in 2011 were 11% higher than estimates based on data from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC).
Periodic reports by the IPCC, drawing from thousands of scientists, help leaders take action on climate change, which has begun to wreak havoc on weather around the world.
“In many regions, livestock numbers are changing, and breeding has resulted in larger animals with higher intakes of food,” said Julie Wolf, a researcher in the US Department of Agriculture and the lead author of a study in the journal Carbon Balance and Management.