RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.What’s the real story behind Philadelphia Energy Solutions’ bankruptcy, crude oil, and the Renewable Fuel Standard?
By Joelle Simonpietri, Special to The Biofuels Digest
On Jan 21st 2018, Carlyle-backed Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES), the largest refinery complex on the U.S. east coast at 335,000 barrels per day, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming Renewable Fuel Standard(RFS) compliance costs. In the week since the filing, the Washington Examiner reports several other small refiners have piled on, asking the Environmental Protection Agency to waive the Renewable Volume Obligations under the RFS.
Argonne National Labs and Energy Vision Release Case Studies Demonstrating Success of Renewable Natural Gas as a Transport Fuel
NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision today released two case studies of successful projects that were among the first to produce Renewable Compressed Natural Gas (R-CNG) vehicle fuel using anaerobic digesters to capture biogases from decomposing organic waste.
Energy Vision and Argonne produced the studies jointly. One study looks at Fair Oaks Farms, an Indiana dairy cooperative with roughly 36,000 cows. It converts manure to R-CNG using a large anaerobic digester, and uses the fuel to power its milk tanker trucks. The other study assesses the Sacramento BioDigester, the first food-waste digester in California to turn commercial organic waste into R-CNG vehicle fuel using anaerobic digestion.
NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision today released two case studies of successful projects that were among the first to produce Renewable Compressed Natural Gas (R-CNG) vehicle fuel using anaerobic digesters to capture biogases from decomposing organic waste.
Energy Vision and Argonne produced the studies jointly. One study looks at Fair Oaks Farms, an Indiana dairy cooperative with roughly 36,000 cows. It converts manure to R-CNG using a large anaerobic digester, and uses the fuel to power its milk tanker trucks. The other study assesses the Sacramento BioDigester, the first food-waste digester in California to turn commercial organic waste into R-CNG vehicle fuel using anaerobic digestion.
"These projects are trail blazers, and their experience bodes well for the future of renewable natural gas," said Matt Tomich, president of Energy Vision. "Their success can serve as models for other places with large organic waste streams, which is virtually every urban and rural setting in the country."
"R-CNG can achieve the greatest GHG reductions of any transportation fuel today -- 70% or more as compared to gasoline or diesel," said Marianne Mintz of Argonne National Laboratory's Energy System Division.
Mintz and Tomich co-authored the case studies.
R-CNG derived from organic waste is chemically similar to geologic compressed natural gas (CNG), and can be used in the same applications: heating/cooling, generating electricity, or fueling vehicles. But unlike fossil CNG, it's a renewable fuel. According to Argonne National Labs GREET model, R-CNG from anaerobic digestion of food waste is net-carbon negative over its lifecycle, including production, use and avoided emissions. That means making and using it results in lower atmospheric GHG than if the fuel were never made or used. R-CNG derived from a food waste digester meets or exceeds international goals of reducing GHG emissions 80% from 2005 levels by 2050.
Nationwide, renewable natural gas has grown over 70% annually in recent years -- facilitated by inclusion in the EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), which sets a minimum volume for the amount of renewable fuel that must be used in the transportation sector. Renewable natural gas production for transportation totaled 151 million gasoline gallon equivalents (GGEs) in 2017, up from 125M GGEs in 2016 and 90M GGEs in 2015.
Washington Post: White House draft seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research
By Chris Mooney and Steven Mufson, The Washington Post.
The Trump administration is poised to ask Congress for deep budget cuts to the Energy Department’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, slashing them by 72 percent overall in fiscal 2019, according to draft budget documentsobtained by The Washington Post.
Plans unveiled for $100 million facility to process biogas to renewable natural gas
By Eric Deabill, PA Home Page.
THROOP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) - Plans were unveiled Wednesday for another possible industrial project in Lackawanna County's Mid Valley.
A company called Meadowbrook Energy LLC is looking to build a $100 million facility that would convert biogas from the Keystone Sanitary Landfill into renewable natural gas.
Location for the project is everything.
If approved, the facility would be built on a 20-acre piece of land on Marshwood Road in Throop.
Proposed Pennsylvania Renewable Natural Gas Production Facility Would Reduce Landfill Biogas Emission
By Peggy Lee, WNEP.
THROOP -- What would you say about a facility that not only produces renewable natural gas but also reduces the amount gas emissions created by landfills that end up in the air? That's what one energy company is proposing to do in a community in Lackawanna County.
By Peggy Lee, WNEP.
THROOP -- What would you say about a facility that not only produces renewable natural gas but also reduces the amount gas emissions created by landfills that end up in the air? That's what one energy company is proposing to do in a community in Lackawanna County.
A wooded area that sits off Marshwood Road beyond a UGI Station in Throop could be the site of a renewable natural gas production facility.
Randy Holmes is the CEO of Meadowbrook Energy. He's looking at a 20-acre plot of land to build that 6-acre plant.
Converting Heavy-duty diesel vehicles to Low-NOx natural gas engines running on RNG is a cost effective solution to help Oregon & other states clean up diesel air pollution
By PBS Newshour.
As many as 400 Oregon residents are estimated to die prematurely every year from exposure to diesel exhaust, a toxic carcinogen and a contributor to climate change. While new vehicles have emission requirements, there are no regulations for the older diesel engines still in use. Special correspondent Cat Wise reports on the ways Oregon is trying to tackle the problem.
California ARB grants $88M from Cap and Trade funds for public health in disadvantaged communities, including HD engine-conversion
By The Foothills Sun-Gazette.
CENTRAL VALLEY – The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is not being shy when it comes to the daunting task of cleaning up the air in the Central Valley. They have known for quite some time it will take regulations, compliance and most of all money to get the job done. Fortunately the District has accepted $88.4 million from the California Air Resource Board (CARB) from Cap and Trade funds.
By The Foothills Sun-Gazette.
CENTRAL VALLEY – The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is not being shy when it comes to the daunting task of cleaning up the air in the Central Valley. They have known for quite some time it will take regulations, compliance and most of all money to get the job done. Fortunately the District has accepted $88.4 million from the California Air Resource Board (CARB) from Cap and Trade funds.
According to a press release from the District the funds will be used for projects located in or benefiting the Valley’s disadvantaged and low-income communities. The funds will also support the District’s implementation of Assembly Bill 617, which requires the state Air Resources Board and air district to come up with additional plans to report, monitor and reduce emissions.
EPA Administrator Pruitt Mentions in Interview that Congress Should Look at Reforms to RFS
In an interview with Fox News on January 30, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt went on record in saying that Congress should take a serious look at reforming parts of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
"This is an issue that as we talk with Congress, we need RIN reform, we need RFS reform in this area because it's terribly important to make sure that as we engage in our administration statutes that they are updated since 2006 and 2007 which is the last time this was addressed," Pruitt said.
He used the recent bankruptcy of an ethanol refinery in Pennsylvania as an example.
Read more HERE.
Clean Cities Coalitions Help Enlighten Local Fleets on Renewable Natural Gas Fuel
The U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program builds partnerships to advance affordable, domestic transportation fuels and technologies.
By Arlene Karidis, Waste 360.
For years, most transportation fuel produced from Ohio’s landfill gas has been sold in California, with project developers there incentivized by California’s low carbon fuel standard, enabling them to sell credits to buyers of renewable gas. But as California’s market becomes saturated, more gas may come back to the Midwest as third-party marketers turn to that region to land new contracts. Nonprofit Clean Fuels Ohio is helping local businesses take advantage of resulting new opportunities.
Hawaii Looks to Set Renewable Standards for Gas Utilities and Plug Loopholes In Its 100% Renewable Energy Goal
A new bill, House Bill 1801, seeks to simultaneously fix the old electricity formula and set similar renewable standards for gas utilities. Gas is not currently regulated by the law.
By Courtney Teague, Honolulu Civil Beat.
Read more...
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