RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Stalls, stops and breakdowns: Problems plague push for electric buses
By Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times.
When Chinese battery maker BYD Ltd. approached Southern California officials in 2008 touting ambitious plans to build electric cars, local politicians jumped at the promise of thousands of jobs and cleaner air.
In the nine years since, agencies have awarded BYD grants, subsidies and public contracts worth more than $330 million for its battery-powered buses, forklifts and trucks. The company is positioned to be a prime supplier of electric buses to the nation's second-largest system, as Los Angeles' Metro sets a 12-year deadline to abandon fossil fuels.
Interface and Element Markets Recognized by Sustainable Leadership Purchasing Council
Element Markets and Interface were recognized by the Sustainable Leadership Purchasing Council (SPLC) at their annual summit awards luncheon for their leadership in the sustainable purchasing movement. Element Markets and Interface received the prestigious Outstanding Case Study Award, which recognizes high quality case studies that document efforts to exercise and a support leadership in sustainable purchasing.
Randall Lack and John McDougal, from Element Markets, and Lisa Conway, from Interface, were in attendance to accept the award.
Exclusive: Large U.S. refiner Marathon seeks biofuel hardship waiver - sources
By Jarrett Renshaw & Chris Prentice, Reuters.
Marathon Petroleum Corp, the second-biggest refining company in the United States, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a hardship waiver exempting one of its facilities from the nation’s biofuels law, two sources with knowledge of the application told Reuters.
The request comes as the EPA expands its use of biofuel waivers in a way that has reduced regulatory costs for the oil industry by hundreds of millions of dollars in recent months, but which has also infuriated the powerful corn lobby.
Poop-powered trucks take to the streets of King County
Biomethane gas will fuel about 120 trucks for Recology.
Sewage is now being turned into biomethane gas, a renewable resource used instead of diesel for Recology trucks around King County.
Now, when you flush your toilet in King County you're helping fuel garbage trucks.
"Right now we are standing around the settling tanks. When you're at home, when you use your sink, shower or flush your toilet, your water is coming here," said Katelyn Hunt of King County Waste Water Division. "We need to immediately separate the water from the solid material, all that organic material."
By Alison Morrow, King5 News.
Fulcrum BioEnergy's Nevada waste-to-fuel project begins final construction phase
Fulcrum BioEnergy announced last week the start of construction for phase two of its first waste-to-fuel project, the Sierra BioFuels Plant, in Storey County, Nevada. Phase two, the biorefinery, will take MSW feedstock prepared at Sierra's Feedstock Processing Facility (FPF) — completed in 2016 during phase one — and process it into low-carbon transportation fuel.
The overall Sierra BioFuels Plant, which is anticipated to convert approximately 175,000 tons of MSW into more than 10.5 million gallons of fuel annually, is slated to begin operations in Q1 of 2020.
By Kristin Musulin, Waste Dive.
EPA: 20.78 million cellulosic RINs generated in April
The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) data for April, reporting that nearly 1.59 billion RINs were generated during the month, including more than 20.78 million cellulosic RINs.
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
DTE, Consumers Energy boost renewable energy goals
Lansing — A ballot committee seeking to boost Michigan’s renewable energy mandate is ending a statewide petition drive after reaching an agreement with utility giants DTE Energy and Consumers Energy.
The state’s two largest utilities announced Friday they are targeting a “50 percent clean energy goal” by 2030, including investments to ensure that 25 percent of the electricity they sell comes from renewable sources by that time, along with energy efficiency programs.
By Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News Lansing Bureau.
DEQ: Clean Fuels Standard cuts nearly 1 million tons of pollution
By KTVZ News.
SALEM, Ore. - Oregon’s groundbreaking Clean Fuels Standard kept 929,105 tons of climate pollution from transportation out of the air in 2017, according to new calculations from the Department of Environmental Quality.
In its first two years, the Clean Fuels Standard reduced climate pollution by more than 1.7 million tons, the equivalent of taking nearly 365,000 cars off the road for an entire year, a news release Monday from the coalition Renew Oregon stated.
Report: It’s Time for NYC to Do Away With Diesel and Switch to RNG
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including Energy Vision, the New York League of Conservation Voters and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, are calling on New York City to stop buying heavy-duty diesel vehicles for its municipal fleets and to adopt alternatives that are available today.
Specifically, they are asking the city and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to take the following actions:
- Stop allocating funds for the purchase of new heavy-duty diesel trucks and MTA diesel buses;
- Focus new heavy-duty vehicle purchases on the best diesel alternatives, such as electric vehicles or renewable natural gas (RNG) vehicles; and
- Make the necessary capital expenditures on infrastructure and fleet garage modifications to support implementation of these alternatives.
By Betsy Lillian, NGT News.
Xebec Partners with Sapio Group on Biogas Plants
Under the agreement, Sapio is entering into a minimum purchase order commitment for multiple Xebec biogas upgrading plants for a total value of €33 million ($39 million)) to be delivered over three years.
Sapio Group is the largest industrial gas company in Italy with over 1,800 employees and revenues of over €500 million ($590 million). Its business model includes the production and distribution of bio-liquefied natural gas (bio-LNG) throughout Italy.
Via Renewable Energy Magazine.
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