RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Evolving Natural Gas to a Low Carbon Future
Recently, British Columbia released its revised greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions legislation for the next three decades.
To meet their targets, government, business and citizens must re-examine their use of energy to understand their environmental impact and adapt their usage appropriately. Companies like FortisBC have a similar obligation to evolve their offerings to help customers meet the needs of a low-carbon energy landscape.
By Business In Vancouver.
St. Petersburg in Talks About Using RNG from Wastewater to Fuel Sanitation Trucks
By Caitlin Johnston, Tampa Bay Times.
ST. PETERSBURG — City officials have had two meetings with representatives from TECO Peoples Gas this month to determine whether its possible to use natural gas to power its sanitation trucks.
The renewable energy would come from a $93.6 million biosolids project that the city has been working on for seven years. Now set to be completed in June 2019, the project is designed to convert wastewater byproducts into methane gas at the Southwest Water Reclamation Facility next to Eckerd College.
The goal is for that biogas to then integrated into the natural gas distribution system for TECO Peoples Gas.
Reuters: U.S. EPA grants refiners biofuel credits to remedy Obama-era waiver denials
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded tens of millions of dollars worth of biofuel blending credits for this year to refiners HollyFrontier and Sinclair Oil after they argued the agency had wrongly denied them waivers from the country’s biofuels law as far back as 2014, according to two sources and public filings.
By Chris Prentice, Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters.
Chevron Shareholders Made Methane A Key Priority At Annual General Meeting
Kate Gaumond, EDF, via Forbes.
May 31 - Yesterday morning at Chevron’s annual general meeting, a shareholder resolution calling on the company to improve its methane management and disclosure received a 45% vote. This strong vote follows a majority vote at Range Resources, where 50.3% of voting shareholders supported a similar methane disclosure resolution (up from just 20% in 2013). Oil and gas industry shareholders are sending a powerful message– methane is a material risk that companies must manage to compete in a capital- and climate-constrained world.
Such resolutions are effective at driving change, even for non-majority votes like the 38% of shareholders at Kinder Morgan who supported a methane resolution. For example, last year ExxonMobil’s methane resolution received a 39% vote, and the company responded with a new methane emissions production program, which now includes a quantitative methane reduction target.
BC city using biofuel to power waste management system
Surrey Biofuel Facility sets new bar in waste management.
May 28, 2018 - A new state-of-the-art facility is calling British Columbia home as Renewi Canada and the City of Surrey open North America’s first integrated closed-loop organic waste management system.
Used to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) and compost soil amenders, the Surrey Biofuel Facility (SBF) takes curb-side organic waste and converts it into fuel for the city’s fleet of natural gas vehicles. The $68-million facility, located in Metro Vancouver, opened March 9, 2018, and is expected to produce roughly 120,000 gigajoules of RNG and 45,000 tonnes of compost annually.
By Lesley Allen, Canadian Biomass Magazine.
King County’s Biofuel Facility a Boon for Region’s Economy and Emissions Reductions
By Betsy Lillian, NGT News.
At its South Treatment Plant in Renton, King County, Wash., is reaping the benefits of purifying biogas into renewable natural gas (RNG) for use by commercial vehicles.
According to a press release from the county, RNG sales yielded more than $6 million in revenue for King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division in 2017.
Ethanol, farm groups sue EPA over refineries' biofuels exemptions
(Reuters) - A coalition of ethanol and farm groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, challenging its decision to free three refineries, including one owned by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, from annual biofuels requirements.
The groups, including the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers Association, filed the challenge in a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver, according to a statement from the coalition. The lawsuit targets three waivers doled out to refineries owned by CVR Energy Inc, in which Icahn hold a majority stake, and HollyFrontier Corp.
By Chris Prentice & Jarrett Renshaw.
Clean Energy Helps City of Red Deer Buses Go Green, Keep Rolling
Following a 2014 study of green initiatives, the City of Red Deer made the decision to move its bus fleet away from diesel fuel and adopt compressed natural gas (CNG). The municipality chose CNG buses over all other bus alternatives due to their financial, operational, environmental, public health, and mobility benefits. This fleet transition included designing, building and commissioning a new CNG fueling station, as well as renovating the city’s transit garage to facilitate maintenance and indoor parking for the CNG buses.
Red Deer worked in conjunction with consultants Pura Energy and Jenmar Concepts to source an experienced equipment supplier and maintenance provider for the CNG station that would deliver the city with a high level of confidence that their CNG buses would roll out every day. Clean Energy was selected to supply the CNG station's equipment and provide on-going training and maintenance services.
Clean Fuel Vehicles Are Doing Wonders for Michigan: Report
By Betsy Lillian, NGT News.
The clean mobility sector contributes $18.8 billion to Michigan’s economy and generates over $700 million in state and local tax revenue annually, according to a new economic analysis released by Clean Fuels Michigan.
The study was conducted by Michigan-based Public Sector Consultants and analyzed various economic benefits that result from private-sector investments in research, development and commercialization of clean mobility technologies. Clean mobility includes vehicles that use less-polluting alternatives to fossil fuels, such as biofuels, propane, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells, electrification and hybrids.
Could Lifecycle Models Impact Big Change?
Lifecycle models could continue to disrupt the industry as they become more commonplace.
A lifecycle model, adapted from a model that primarily researchers use to evaluate solid waste practices, is rolling out to the public. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a user-friendly version that’s free to local and state governments and others—even though lifecycle thinking challenges how the agency has encouraged them to manage their trash.
As lifecycle models and tools become more commonplace, they could continue to disrupt the industry, as well as how goods producers operate.
By Arlene Karidis, Waste360.
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