RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Welch & Udall Propose Changes to RVO Process & Eventual RFS Phaseout in New Bill
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
On March 8, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., introduced companion bills that aim to dismantle the Renewable Fuel Standard and sunset blending obligations for conventional, advanced, cellulosic, and biomass-based diesel fuels.
The acts, titled the “Growing Renewable Energy through Existing and New Environmentally Responsible Fuels Act,” or more simply, the “GREENER Fuels Act,” would phase out the corn ethanol mandate, cap ethanol blending at 9.7 percent, create a fee of 10 cents per renewable identification number (RIN) to support an environmental initiative, and alter the cellulosic mandate. The National Corn Growers Association and several other groups are speaking out against the bill, with the NCGA noting “this legislation seeks to kill our most successful American renewable energy program.”
City of Portland and NW Natural Commemorate Opening of Natural Gas Fueling Station Linked to Upcoming RNG Project at City Wastewater Treatment Plant
Commissioner Nick Fish announces first milestone in “Poop to Power” project - opening of natural gas fueling station at wastewater treatment plant
By City of Portland, Oregon Bureau of Environmental Services.
(March 8, 2018) - Commissioner Nick Fish and the Bureau of Environmental Services today announced the opening of a natural gas fueling station at the City’s wastewater treatment plant. The station will offer a clean-air alternative to diesel for City vehicles operating at the plant in industrial North Portland.
The natural gas fueling station is the first milestone in Environmental Services’ Renewable Natural Gas initiative, also known as the “Poop to Power” project. The station will provide fuel for the first natural gas vehicles in the City’s fleet. Initially, vehicles will fill up on natural gas from conventional sources, but once the full project is complete in 2019, the station will operate on renewable natural gas (RNG) produced as a byproduct of wastewater treatment.
Commissioner Nick Fish announces first milestone in “Poop to Power” project - opening of natural gas fueling station at wastewater treatment plant
By City of Portland, Oregon Bureau of Environmental Services.
(March 8, 2018) - Commissioner Nick Fish and the Bureau of Environmental Services today announced the opening of a natural gas fueling station at the City’s wastewater treatment plant. The station will offer a clean-air alternative to diesel for City vehicles operating at the plant in industrial North Portland.
The natural gas fueling station is the first milestone in Environmental Services’ Renewable Natural Gas initiative, also known as the “Poop to Power” project. The station will provide fuel for the first natural gas vehicles in the City’s fleet. Initially, vehicles will fill up on natural gas from conventional sources, but once the full project is complete in 2019, the station will operate on renewable natural gas (RNG) produced as a byproduct of wastewater treatment.
“Our future is green, and I’m very proud that we’re bringing the first natural gas vehicles to the City’s fleet,” said Commissioner Nick Fish. “When the “Poop to Power” project is finished, Portland will have a local, clean fuel produced from recaptured waste – not fossil fuels.”
Under the “Poop to Power” project that City Council approved in April, Environmental Services will recover nearly 100 percent of the waste methane from sewage treatment and convert it into market-grade renewable natural gas (RNG) for sale to displace diesel in truck usage. The RNG will be sold as truck fuel via NW Natural’s pipeline as well as at the fueling station, which also is being built and operated in partnership with NW Natural.
Trucks running on natural gas cut smog-producing pollutants by up to 90 percent and climate change emissions by up to 30 percent, according to the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. RNG’s climate benefits are even greater, offering up to a 90 percent cut in climate pollution.
The term “renewable” refers to natural gas produced from organic matter as opposed to fossil fuels.
“As a renewable source of natural gas, the city’s sewage will offer a steady and sustainable supply of clean fuel well into the future,” said Michael Jordan, Environmental Services’ director. “The filling station also solves a business problem – the City as well as other businesses can only invest in natural gas vehicles if they have a place to fill up. We’ve created that place.”
Environmental Services is starting with six natural gas vehicles that it acquired or converted. That number will ramp up to 13 by year’s end, and the usage will continue to grow as the City converts and acquires additional vehicles to run all or in part on the cleaner fuel.
Adding another Oregon element, the vehicles are being converted by students at Linn-Benton Community College’s Lebanon campus.
The station’s natural gas also will be available for sale to treatment plant contractors transporting biosolids and grit for recycling or disposal, potentially displacing the diesel from those trucks as well.
The addition of the first natural gas vehicles to the City fleet aligns with the City of Portland’s climate action goals and strategy to move increasingly to more sustainable transportation options, including electric vehicles, bicycles and transit. Currently, there are few electric truck options on the market.
The City’s fueling station joins a handful of others in the Portland metropolitan area that serve fleets such as Waste Management refuse trucks and Port of Portland airport shuttles.
The Bureau of Environmental Services works with Portland residents and businesses to protect water quality, public health, and the environment through wastewater collection and treatment, sewer construction and maintenance, stormwater management, and stream and watershed restoration. www.portlandoregon.gov/bes @besportland
The City of Portland’s Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5001 N Columbia Blvd, is the largest in the state, serving about 600,000 residents and businesses. The RNG Initiative is the latest step Environmental Services is taking at the treatment plant to recover and reuse as many resources as possible. About 77 percent of the plant’s waste methane has been reclaimed to heat and power the treatment plant and for sale to a local roofing company. This project will move the plant to almost 100 percent methane recovery and tap into the emerging local and national market for renewable fuels. In addition, the plant recovers biosolids for use as an agricultural supplement on eastern Oregon wheat fields.
Media Contact: Diane Dulken (503)457-7636
Xebec Adsorption Recognized as Recipient of Venture 50 Companies Award
Xebec Adsorption Inc. (TSX.V: XBC) is one of this year’s recipients of the Venture 50 companies — the company provides sustainable, end-to-end gas generation, purification, and filtration solutions that transform raw gases into marketable sources of clean and renewable energy.
The 2018 Venture 50 is a ranking of top performers on TSX Venture Exchange over the past year. The ranking is comprised of 10 companies from each of five industry sectors, selected based on three equally weighted criteria: market capitalization growth; share price appreciation; and trading volume amount.
Tax Act May Spur More Investment in RNG, Biogas Projects
While the tax code is clearly not responsible for a bulk of the current boom in RNG, the recent tax reform signed into law at the end of 2017 may very well be an additional catalyst to help spur RNG investment to new heights.
By Doug Lamb and Durham McCormick, with support from the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas.
The Renewable Fuel Standard is the primary federal policy that drives development of renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. Since the advent of the RFS’s modern cellulosic biofuel provisions in 2014, new investment in RNG projects has grown steadily. The number of online RNG projects has increased from approximately 45 in early 2015 to at least 65 by the end of 2017, with another 21 presently under construction, according to the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas.
While the tax code is clearly not responsible for a bulk of the current boom in RNG, the recent tax reform signed into law at the end of 2017 may very well be an additional catalyst to help spur RNG investment to new heights.
By Doug Lamb and Durham McCormick, with support from the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas.
The Renewable Fuel Standard is the primary federal policy that drives development of renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. Since the advent of the RFS’s modern cellulosic biofuel provisions in 2014, new investment in RNG projects has grown steadily. The number of online RNG projects has increased from approximately 45 in early 2015 to at least 65 by the end of 2017, with another 21 presently under construction, according to the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas.
The RNG industry made these gains despite the 2016 expiration of a host of temporary tax provisions designed to spur renewable energy development, including the Section 45 production tax credit for nonwind renewable energy technologies such as landfill gas projects, the second-generation biofuel credit, and the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property.
While the tax code is clearly not responsible for a bulk of the current boom in RNG, the recent tax reform signed into law at the end of 2017 may very well be an additional catalyst to help spur RNG investment to new heights.
Connecticut legislature considering bill to boost biogas and RNG use
The Connecticut legislature is considering a bill that would require gas companies to ensure at least 5% of their output or services be from renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2033.
By Cody Boteler, Waste Dive.
The Connecticut legislature is considering a bill that would require gas companies to ensure at least 5% of their output or services be from renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2033.
By Cody Boteler, Waste Dive.
The bill would create a renewable portfolio standard and establish a procurement process for RNG, direct the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to establish quality standards for RNG, and require electric distribution companies to acquire electricity from a biomass facility.
The legislation comes after a report from The Gas Technology Institute and Quantum Biopower revealed Connecticut has potential capacity for 41 MW of electricity from RNG and could displace 540,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Biomass, as defined in the bill, includes landfill gas and anaerobic digestion.
Biogas Facility to Convert Organic Waste to Power in Wine Country
Planned for full operation in mid-2018, San Luis Obispo County’s new state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion facility will convert source-separated organic waste into biogas and high-grade compost.
By Jim McMahon, Biomass Magazine.
Planned for full operation in mid-2018, San Luis Obispo County’s new state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion facility will convert source-separated organic waste into biogas and high-grade compost.
By Jim McMahon, Biomass Magazine.
San Luis Obispo County, located along the Pacific Ocean in Central California between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is known for its breathtaking seascapes, miles of oak-studded rolling chaparral hills, and prolific wine production—the third largest wine-producing county in California. Its population of 283,000 resides in small communities scattered along the beaches, coastal hills and mountains of the California Coast Ranges. Cities like Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Morro Bay dot the coast, while slightly inland is the county’s largest community, the city of San Luis Obispo. It is here where California’s most streamlined project is underway for the conversion of organic waste into biogas and high-grade natural compost, through anaerobic digestion (AD).
Landfill Remote Control Systems are Becoming More Sophisticated
As operators look to cut costs and improve efficiency, industry experts see automation within landfill sites further advancing.
- SCS Engineers' Remote Monitoring and Control (RMC) network includes features like visualization, alarms and data recording.
- Falls River, Mass.-based Loci Controls has come online with technology to simultaneously monitor multiple wells remotely, measuring for pressure and gas composition among metrics, with valves automatically adjusting to optimize gas collection.
By Arlene Karidis, Waste 360.
Washington groups push carbon-pricing ballot measure
SEATTLE (AP) — A coalition of environmental, labor and social justice groups is pushing forward with a citizens’ initiative to put a price on carbon emissions. The groups said they submitted a proposed initiative Friday to the secretary of state.
By My Northwest.
No Deal Reached in Second White House Meeting this Week on RFS
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
On March 1, President Trump met with a variety of stakeholders from the biofuels and refining industries to continue the discussion on the Renewable Fuel Standard and renewable identification numbers (RINs). The event followed a Feb. 27 meeting in which Trump met with Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to discuss the RFS and RINs. No deal on the biofuels program was reached at either meeting.
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
On March 1, President Trump met with a variety of stakeholders from the biofuels and refining industries to continue the discussion on the Renewable Fuel Standard and renewable identification numbers (RINs). The event followed a Feb. 27 meeting in which Trump met with Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to discuss the RFS and RINs. No deal on the biofuels program was reached at either meeting.
“Both sides made their case and the only agreement was to look at economic studies for impact,” Grassley said following the March 1 meeting. “No decisions were made. Low corn prices are already squeezing farmers’ bottom lines. If the RFS were undermined with a RIN price cap or waiver, that would be made even worse. Thousands of jobs in rural America could be lost. An emerging solution appears to be year-round E15, which would drive down RIN prices. After crossing the 15 billion gallon a year threshold, RIN prices would drop dramatically and remain low. And studies prove it.”
Washington State's Carbon Tax Bill Dies in Legislature
By Phuong Le, The Olympian.
Another ambitious effort to pass a carbon tax in Washington state has faltered as both Gov. Jay Inslee and the bill's prime sponsor said Thursday that there weren't enough votes to pass the measure out of the state Senate.
Washington would have been the first U.S. state to impose a straight tax on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels like gasoline and electricity and the legislation has been closely watched nationally.
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