RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Penske says interest in alternative fuels growing as diesel prices move higher
By Neil Abt, Fleet Owner.
LONG BEACH, CA. Dean Stapleton, senior manager of alternative fuels for Penske Truck Leasing, said his phone is ringing more often these days.
With the U.S. diesel average about 60 cents higher than a year ago, it is leading more fleets to take “a fresh look” at alternative fuels, he said.
B.C. setting new greenhouse gas reduction targets
2020 target officially scrapped, now 40% reduction sought by 2030
By Tom Fletcher.
The B.C. NDP government has made official what the former B.C. Liberal government acknowledged three years ago – it’s not going to make its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a third in 2020.
Environment Minister George Heyman introduced legislation Monday to set new targets: a 40 per cent cut by 2030 and 60 per cent by 2040. Those are compared to 2007 levels, the year before B.C. became the first province in Canada to levy a carbon tax on fuels, from coal to gasoline to natural gas.
U.S. Gain Bets on California Natural Gas Market
Since 2009, U.S. Gain has been building its alternative fuels business under the GAIN Clean Fuel brand, starting with CNG and recently adding RNG. In 2017, the Wisconsin-based sustainable energy solutions provider focused business development efforts on the western United States. Because of growing demand for alternative fuels, state and local policy changes, and increasingly available incentives, U.S. Gain is expanding its natural gas station network in the Golden State.
“California is very proactive for clean air, which is evidenced by incentives the air districts offer to help fleets transition to NGVs,” said Mike Bolin, U.S. Gain’s West Coast business development manager. “We expect to see continued alternative fuels growth in this state, so we want to have boots on the ground to support our local customers.”
By CNGVC.
US landfill capacity to drop 15% over next 5 years
By Kristin Musulin, Waste Dive.
- Over the next five years, total U.S. landfill capacity is expected to decrease by more than 15%, according to data from Waste Business Journal. An estimated 10-15 years of landfill capacity will remain by 2021.
- Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Protocol (SWEEP) leaders Jim Thompson and Rob Watson cite China's volatile import regulations as a major driver for this decrease in capacity, noting that "the bottom has dropped out of the recycling market."
- The data shows the Northeast is most heavily affected, with an annual rate of loss of 5%, while the West is the least affected, with an annual rate of loss of 1.5%.
CNG-Powered Step Van to Feature Morgan Olson, Agility Equipment
The new van’s chassis is manufactured by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. and is powered by Agility’s purpose-built CNG powertrain system. It is certified to meet all U.S. EPA requirements. The van also features Agility’s fuel management module and storage system for clean, end-to-end vehicle integration, the company said in a press release.
The new van features an Agility 366NG CNG natural gas engine under its hood. The engine is EPA certified and has CARB HD-OBD certification pending. Agility noted that its fuel system is fully integrated into the FCCC chassis design and engineered to OEM standards, including use of the Freightliner OEM fuel gauge. All fuel fill, filtration, pressure control and defuel functions are integrated into a single module for ease of use and serviceability.
By HDT Trucking Info.
Trillium shortens name, expands company
By Fleet Owner.
Trillium’s new contraction is both literal and physical—a recent partnership with EV Connect has led to a shortened name. Alternative and renewable fuel company Trillium CNG is more concisely renamed Trillium after working with California-based electric vehicle charging provider EV Connect.
Trillium made the announcement during the recent 2018 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo.
Trucking Firms Deploy Ultra Clean Near-Zero RNG Trucks at Ports of Long Beach & Los Angeles
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2018--Six trucking firms operating in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are deploying trucks powered by Cummins Westport (CWI) near-zero ISX12N engines, and fueled with Clean Energy Fuels Corp.’s Redeem ™ brand renewable natural gas (RNG) in an effort to reduce emissions and improve air quality in the ports and surrounding communities.
The project’s goal is to introduce this ultra clean technology, which is 90 percent to 99 percent cleaner than existing port trucks, to the port drayage industry. This project aims to inspire greater interest in near-zero RNG trucks, particularly with the incentive funding that California is providing to help truckers transition to this clean technology. Near-zero trucks are also one of the strategies for reducing emissions from trucks under the ports’ recent update to their Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP).
Via NewsOK.
DOE Will Award Up to $78 Million to Support Bioenergy Research
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced four funding opportunities totaling up to $78 million to support early-stage bioenergy research and development. These Funding Opportunity Announcements include:
- BioEnergy Engineering for Products Synthesis (up to $28 million)
- Efficient Carbon Utilization in Algal Systems (up to $15 million)
- Process Development for Advanced Biofuels and Biopower (up to $20 million)
- Affordable and Sustainable Energy Crops (up to $15 million)
For information about bioenergy, visit BETO’s website.
Toronto may take from curb to fuel tank by Kris Hornburg May 1, 2018
By Kris Homburg, Solid Waste & Recycling.
The City of Toronto is developing renewable natural gas (RNG) infrastructure that has the potential to represent a fully closed-carbon loop that could fuel its fleet from modified biogas processed at its anaerobic digestion facilities. That means the same collection trucks that pick up Toronto’s organic waste could ultimately be fueled by that waste.
The City is currently in the process of expanding its Dufferin Organics Processing Facility to increase its organics processing capacity and build a biogas cleanup facility in order to produce RNG. It is expected that RNG production will begin sometime in 2019 with more announcements to come over the next couple of months. Solid Waste Management Services is also exploring the potential to produce RNG at three additional sites: the Disco Road Organics Processing Facility, the Keele Valley Landfill and the Green Lane Landfill.
2 top aides leave Environmental Protection Agency amid ethics investigations
By Ellen Knickmeyer, AP.
WASHINGTON — The top security official for embattled Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt abruptly left office ahead of his scheduled questioning before a congressional panel, one of two top aides whose departures were announced Tuesday amid a series of federal ethics investigations of the agency.
By Ellen Knickmeyer, AP.
WASHINGTON — The top security official for embattled Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt abruptly left office ahead of his scheduled questioning before a congressional panel, one of two top aides whose departures were announced Tuesday amid a series of federal ethics investigations of the agency.
In statements, Pruitt gave no immediate reasons why the two men — security chief Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta and Albert Kelly, a former Oklahoma banker who ran the EPA’s Superfund program — were leaving.
Perrotta is due to appear Wednesday for a transcribed interview by staffers of the House Oversight Committee. Committee aides said his resignation was not expected to affect his appearance.
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