RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Clean Energy Introduces $1 a Gallon ZERO NOW Renewable Natural Gas Offer
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE) today introduced ZERO NOW, a fueling solution that combines the world’s cleanest engine technology with the cleanest fuel at a price of $1 per gallon for one year. Heavy duty trucks that are powered by the new ultra clean Cummins Westport (CWI) ISX12N engine purchased this year will be eligible for Clean Energy’s Redeem™ renewable natural gas (RNG) at its California stations for the low price of $1 per gallon for an entire year.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE) today introduced ZERO NOW, a fueling solution that combines the world’s cleanest engine technology with the cleanest fuel at a price of $1 per gallon for one year. Heavy duty trucks that are powered by the new ultra clean Cummins Westport (CWI) ISX12N engine purchased this year will be eligible for Clean Energy’s Redeem™ renewable natural gas (RNG) at its California stations for the low price of $1 per gallon for an entire year.
Heavy duty truck fleets are under pressure to meet stricter emissions standards and Clean Energy’s ZERO NOW solution does that – today. The new CWI natural gas engine achieves the lowest emissions levels in North America, yet delivers diesel caliber performance with reliability and durability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board certified these engines in December 2017 at CARB’s optional Low NOx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr, 90% lower emissions than the current EPA NOx standard. In fact, the new engines were tested at 0.01 g/bhp-hr, achieving virtually zero tailpipe emissions. Clean Energy’s Redeem is made entirely from organic waste and is up to 70% cleaner than diesel, making it the cleanest fuel available in North America.
Big Blue Bus is Upgrading its RNG Fleet
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Big Blue Bus (BBB) has announced the next phase of upgrades for its fleet of 100% alternative fuel vehicles.
Serving Santa Monica and the Los Angeles area since 1928, BBB operates a fleet of 200 vehicles transporting more than 54,000 customers daily across a 58-square-mile service area. In 2015, BBB became one of the country’s first municipal transit agencies to convert its entire fleet to renewable natural gas (RNG).
By Betsy Lillian, NGT News.
Waste 360: Advances in Compressed Natural Gas technology have made it more economical than making Liquefied Natural Gas from landfills
Do you ever wonder why you hear so much about compressed natural gas (CNG) made from landfill gas but rarely hear of landfill projects involving liquefied natural gas (LNG)? It’s likely because almost all LNG is made from fossil fuel. There’s only one plant in the U.S. making LNG from landfill gas, and these projects are scarce for a few reasons.
The main driver for landfills to clean their gas to be made into transportation fuel is monetary, and CNG can cost as much as 50 percent less to produce than LNG. With both renewable fuel types, owners capitalize on renewable identification number (RINS) credits or, in California, low-carbon fuel standard credits (LCFS).
By Arlene Karidis, Waste 360.
Reuters: EPA gives giant refiner a 'hardship' waiver from regulation
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Environmental Protection Agency has exempted one of the nation’s largest oil refining companies, Andeavor, from complying with U.S. biofuels regulations - a waiver historically reserved for tiny operations in danger of going belly up, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The exemption, which applies to the three smallest of Andeavor’s ten refineries, marks the first evidence of the EPA freeing a highly profitable multi-billion dollar company from the costly mandates of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard. The law requires refiners to blend biofuels such as ethanol into gasoline or purchase credits from those who do such blending.
By Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice.
In North Carolina, lots of hog waste — but can it scale as an energy source?
A new project is helping Duke Energy meet a mandate to generate a small portion of its power from pig waste.
The molecules combusted at a North Carolina power plant now include some that originated not from fossil deposits locked deep in the earth’s crust, but from a group of nearby hog farms in Duplin County.
By Elizabeth Ouzts.
Organics recycling legislation doesn't make the cut in New York state budget
A proposed commercial organics recycling mandate was not included in the final FY19 budget passed by New York state legislators over the weekend. That language was cut in the third and final amended version of the budget bill.
Sources indicate that restaurant and institutional opposition was likely a key factor. In January, Politico reported that the Healthcare Association of New York State was still against this proposal even with more open-ended language added since 2017.
By Cole Rosengren, Waste Dive.
Reuters Exclusive: Trump weighs dropping personal efforts on biofuel reform - sources
NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is seriously considering abandoning efforts to remake the nation’s biofuel laws after wading deep into an issue that divides some of his core constituencies, according to three sources familiar with the administration’s thinking.
Advisers have urged Trump to instead let Congress tackle the biofuel reforms, but use the threat of administrative action to help rival lawmakers come together and solve the intractable issue.
By Jarrett Renshaw.
Duke Energy using North Carolina-based renewable natural gas in first-of-its-kind project
- Innovative effort producing pipeline-quality biogas from North Carolina hog farms
- OptimaBio's project in Duplin County to spur more renewable energy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Duke Energy power plant is using renewable natural gas from North Carolina-based hog farms to produce electricity – the first application of the technology from in-state farms.
"This is a major breakthrough for renewable energy in North Carolina," said David Fountain, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "This project allows for the capture of emissions from hog operations and converts the renewable natural gas to electricity for customers. We look forward to continuing our work on future projects."
- Innovative effort producing pipeline-quality biogas from North Carolina hog farms
- OptimaBio's project in Duplin County to spur more renewable energy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Duke Energy power plant is using renewable natural gas from North Carolina-based hog farms to produce electricity – the first application of the technology from in-state farms.
"This is a major breakthrough for renewable energy in North Carolina," said David Fountain, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "This project allows for the capture of emissions from hog operations and converts the renewable natural gas to electricity for customers. We look forward to continuing our work on future projects."
Sometimes called directed biogas, the Optima KV project in Duplin Countycaptures methane gas from the hog waste of five local farms. Using more than 42,000 feet of in-ground piping, the methane is moved to a central location where the gas is cleaned and converted to pipeline-quality natural gas.
The project injects the renewable natural gas into the Piedmont Natural Gas system which transports it to Duke Energy's Smith Energy Complex in Richmond Countywhere it is used to produce electricity. Optima KV completed its interconnection to Piedmont Natural Gas last week.
SoCalGas Helps Fleet Owners Put New Near-Zero Emissions Natural Gas Trucks on the Road
These new trucks can reduce smog-forming emissions by 90 percent
LOS ANGELES, March 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced efforts to help California fleets get more drivers behind the wheel of new near-zero emissions heavy-duty natural gas trucks. The effort was part of a $21 million Prop 1B incentive pool administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). SoCalGas representatives provided assistance on 400 Prop 1B applications throughout its service territory. If all these applications are accepted and receive funding, SoCalGas customers will replace at least 400 diesel trucks with near-zero natural gas trucks. Replacing 400 diesel trucks with near-zero natural gas trucks is the equivalent of taking more than 22,000 passenger cars off the road.
The Prop 1B Program is intended to reduce diesel air pollution from goods movement operations and achieve the earliest possible health risk reduction in nearby communities. Fleet owners seeking to replace diesel trucks may be eligible for up to $100,000 towards the purchase of a new natural gas truck.
These new trucks can reduce smog-forming emissions by 90 percent
LOS ANGELES, March 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced efforts to help California fleets get more drivers behind the wheel of new near-zero emissions heavy-duty natural gas trucks. The effort was part of a $21 million Prop 1B incentive pool administered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). SoCalGas representatives provided assistance on 400 Prop 1B applications throughout its service territory. If all these applications are accepted and receive funding, SoCalGas customers will replace at least 400 diesel trucks with near-zero natural gas trucks. Replacing 400 diesel trucks with near-zero natural gas trucks is the equivalent of taking more than 22,000 passenger cars off the road.
The Prop 1B Program is intended to reduce diesel air pollution from goods movement operations and achieve the earliest possible health risk reduction in nearby communities. Fleet owners seeking to replace diesel trucks may be eligible for up to $100,000 towards the purchase of a new natural gas truck.
"SCAQMD is appreciative of SoCalGas' efforts to help reduce harmful diesel emissions to help clean the air in the Southland," said SCAQMD Executive Office Wayne Nastri. "Through technology advancement programs, industry, partnerships, and incentive programs, we will continue to make substantial progress to reduce air pollution."
"Our Clean Transportation team has spent years cultivating relationships with fleet owners and truck drivers," said Yuri Freedman, senior director of business development at SoCalGas. "We are pleased to do our part to help bring more near-zero, heavy-duty trucks to California's transportation sector. These natural gas trucks are available today and will immediately contribute to achieving the South Coast Air Basin's air quality goals, giving our communities a healthier environment to live in."
For the SCAQMD solicitation, SoCalGas customers submitted more than 150 applications, with many of these requests coming from fleets smaller than 10 trucks. These dependable, clean trucks cut smog-forming emissions by more than 90 percent compared to the cleanest heavy-duty diesel trucks on the road today. When these near-zero natural gas trucks are fueled by renewable natural gas, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by 80 percent. Already, 60 percent of natural gas fleets in Californiaare fueled with renewable natural gas and this number is expected to climb to about 90 percent by the end of this year.
The SCAQMD solicitation is one of many incentive programs SoCalGas customers used in 2017. More than 225 applications were submitted to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and San Diego Air Pollution Control District from SoCalGas customers. This demand far exceeded the $14 million in available incentive funding.
The transportation sector is responsible for about 40 percent of California's GHG emissions and more than 80 percent of the state's NOx, or smog-forming, emissions. Making the switch from diesel to near-zero natural gas trucks is vital to achieving the state's GHG reduction goals and cleaning the air around California's transportation corridors.
While the current Prop 1B pool solicitation is now closed, there is another incentive pool available through the SCAQMD. The Carl Moyer incentive program is open to fleets that operate in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties from now until June 5. Additionally, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District recently established a new grant incentive option for its Truck Voucher Program that would replace existing heavy-duty trucks with the cleanest, ultra-low NOx 12-Liter truck available.
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 communities through 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 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. SoCalGas 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/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
EPA plan to prevent use of studies without public data could harm clean air regulations
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is working on a proposal to end the agency's use of "secret science" — research studies where the underlying data is not publicly available, according to E&E News. That could have significant implications on the analysis behind many federal regulations.
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is working on a proposal to end the agency's use of "secret science" — research studies where the underlying data is not publicly available, according to E&E News. That could have significant implications on the analysis behind many federal regulations.
The EPA is currently working to rewrite the Clean Power Plan, and Pruitt's proposed change could limit the research used to analyze the rule's costs and benefits.
Proponents of the change argue that if research is to be used in making federal policy, then the data should be public. But the rule would limit the use of some large and significant studies, where data has been kept private to protect patient confidentiality.
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