RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Clean Energy Launches Zero Now Financing To Put Fleets In Clean New Natural Gas Trucks For The Price Of A Diesel Truck
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Clean Energy Fuels Corp.(Nasdaq: CLNE) today introduced Zero Now Financing, a program that makes the cost of leasing or purchasing a new natural gas heavy-duty truck equipped with the cleanest engine in the world, equal to the price or even lower than that of the same truck equipped with a diesel engine. In addition, trucks financed or purchased through the Zero Now Financingprogram will be able to purchase natural gas fuel at a fixed price significantly discounted to diesel for the term of the financing/lease through a unique hedging program.
How North Carolina is pushing beyond solar to become a leader in clean energy
By John Downey, Charlotte Business Journal.
A new Environment America report shows North Carolina establishing itself as a clean energy leader beyond its well-established place high in national rankings for solar energy.
Grassley, Iowa delegation ask Wheeler to meet with Iowans on RFS
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and the entire Iowa Congressional delegation have invited U.S. EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to Iowa to meet with those who are counting on the agency to uphold President Trump’s commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
In a letter to Wheeler, the Iowa delegation said it is encouraged by a statement made by Wheeler during his confirmation hearing last year in which he said “The RFS is the law of the land. I fully support the program.”
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
Denver sets a course for 100% renewable power by 2030
DENVER (CBS4) – Denver Mayor Michael Hancock unveiled plans to transition Denver to 100 percent clean, renewable electricity by 2030. It’s called the 80×50 Climate Action Plan.
“Climate change threatens our people directly, putting our health, environment and economy – our very way of life – at risk,” said Hancock, who announced the commitment during his State of the City address on Monday.
Representatives of the biofuel industry testify at RFS hearing
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine.
Several members of the biofuels industry testified at the July 18 hearing held by the U.S. EPA regarding its proposed rule to set 2019 blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Many expressed hope that the EPA’s new leadership will hold up the Trump administration’s commitment to the RFS and discussed the need to correct impacts caused by the misuse of small refiner hardship waivers.
The hearing, held in Ypsilanti, Michigan, focused on the EPA’s proposed rule to set 2019 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the RFS, along with the 2020 RVO for biomass-based diesel. The agency released the proposed rule on June 26. It aims to require 19.88 billion gallons of biofuels to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply in 2019, up from 19.29 billion gallons in 2018. The proposed 19.88 billion gallon RVO for 2019 includes 381 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel, 4.88 billion gallons of advanced biofuel and 2.1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel. The 2019 RVO for biomass-based diesel was set last year. The proposed 2019 RVOs would allow for up to 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuel to meet the annual blending requirement, most of which is corn ethanol. The rulemaking also proposes to set the 2020 RVO for biomass-based diesel at 2.43 billion gallons, up 330 million gallons when compared to the 2019 and 2018 RVOs of 2.1 billion gallons. A public comment period on the proposal is open through Aug. 17.
Renewable Natural Gas Stakeholders Say Industry is Primed to Fulfill U.S. EPA’s Proposed 2019 Biofuel Volume at Renewable Fuel Standard Public Hearing
July 18 - Ypsilanti, MI. - Several stakeholders from the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry spoke at today’s public hearing to provide feedback on 2019 biofuel volumes proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.
“The renewable natural gas industry is poised to meet the 2019 cellulosic biofuel volume of 381 million gallons proposed by the EPA,” said David Cox, co-founder and Director of Operations for the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition). “The proposed volume would be a signal of stability that should allow RNG industry producers and investors to continue developing and growing production of American cellulosic biofuel.”
July 18 - Ypsilanti, MI. - Several stakeholders from the renewable natural gas (RNG) industry spoke at today’s public hearing to provide feedback on 2019 biofuel volumes proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.
“The renewable natural gas industry is poised to meet the 2019 cellulosic biofuel volume of 381 million gallons proposed by the EPA,” said David Cox, co-founder and Director of Operations for the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition). “The proposed volume would be a signal of stability that should allow RNG industry producers and investors to continue developing and growing production of American cellulosic biofuel.”
The renewable natural gas industry produces more than 95% of the fuel that is used to meet the RFS program’s cellulosic biofuel requirement. The industry’s cellulosic biofuel production has increased from approximately 33 million gallons in 2014 to over 240 million gallons in 2017.
“We are taking gas that would be flared and wasted today and turning it into renewable fuel for transportation,” said Richard DiGia, President and CEO of Aria Energy based in Novi, MI. “Investments of hundreds of millions of dollars of private capital in RNG projects have created thousands of temporary construction and permanent well-paying positions in operations. Stability and certainty around the RFS will allow Aria, and companies like us, to continue investing the capital needed to fulfill the RFS mandate over the coming years,” he added.
The RNG industry has developed over 45 new facilities capable of producing cellulosic biofuel since 2011, and there are currently an additional 50 projects under construction or development.
“Renewable natural gas is our company’s primary growth area and we are investing a significant amount of time, money, and energy to develop additional projects,” said Kevin Dobson of DTE Biomass Energy in Ann Arbor, MI. “DTE has committed to be a leader in reducing carbon emissions and RNG is a great fit within that commitment as RNG reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to conventional diesel fuel.”
Additional RNG industry stakeholders providing testimony at today’s hearing included Michon Mulder Budziszewski, Manager of Environmental Attributes for Montauk Energy of Pittsburgh, PA, and Kevin Ricks, Generation Assets and Special Projects Manager for Klickitat Public Utilities District in Washington State.
“With a 32% increase in EPA’s 2019 proposed cellulosic biofuel volume over 2018, Montauk appreciates that EPA recognizes how the production and need for RNG is continuing to grow and develop,” said Mulder Budziszewski. “The proposed growth establishes a foundation for RNG investors and producers to continue developing existing waste resources.”
"The Klickitat Public Utilities District (KPUD) recognizes the confidence the EPA has in the renewable natural gas industry to deliver an additional 84 million gallons in cellulosic renewable natural gas over 2018 volumes," said Ricks. “Participation in these projects has a positive impact on our county, creating hundreds of construction and permanent full-time family-wage jobs, funding over $4 million in community water and wastewater projects, all while reducing the rates county residents would have otherwise paid without the renewable energy projects."
About the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas
The RNG Coalition is the trade association representing over 130 companies and organizations dedicated to the advancement of RNG, including as an ultra-clean, domestically-produced, renewable fuel in North America. The RNG industry captures and converts methane (raw biogas) emitted by and captured from organic waste streams such as those from landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, livestock and agricultural digesters, and commercial food waste facilities, and converts the biogas into RNG. RNG is fully fungible with conventional natural gas, and is used as a direct substitute for most commercial, industrial and residential natural gas applications.
SoCalGas to Award $100,000 in Grants to Fund Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Planning
LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SoCalGas today announced it will award grants of $50,000 each to two municipalities to support local planning efforts to prepare for climate-change risks, such as extreme heat, wildfires, drought, sea level rise, flooding and other extreme weather events. The competitive grant program is designed to help cities and counties reduce the impact of such threats, which are expected to increase over the next decade. An advisory panel of planning and sustainability experts from the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC), Climate Resolve, and the American Planning Association-California Chapter (APA-California) will select the winning applications from across Southern and Central California.
Via Markets Insider.
EPA provides data on 2016, 2017 RFS waivers in letter to Grassley
By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine.
The U.S. EPA has issued a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, confirming it granted 19 out of 20 small refinery hardship waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard for compliance year 2016. An additional 29 of 33 petitions have also been granted for 2017, with the remaining four still pending.
The letter, dated July 12, was sent to Grassley in response to a bipartisan inquiryseveral senators sent to the agency in April requesting the EPA stop issuing small refinery waivers and disclose information on the waivers that have already been granted to Congress.
Energy companies commit to reducing environmental impact of pipeline construction
CLARKSBURG — Eight energy companies have committed to a plan aimed at reducing the environmental impact of natural gas pipeline construction.
Dominion Energy, Enbridge, EQT Midstream Partners, Kinder Morgan, NiSource, Southern Company Gas, UGI Energy Services and Williams have announced plans to follow the guidelines of new report titled “Improving Steep-Slope Pipeline Construction to Reduce Impacts to Natural Resources.”
By WV News.
Documents Show EPA Scrapped Detailed Plan to Reallocate Waived Biofuel Volumes
By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ditched a detailed plan that would have forced refiners to blend more biofuels into their gasoline and diesel in 2019 to compensate for volumes likely to be exempted under the agency’s small refinery hardship waiver program, according to newly released EPA documents.
The plan would have boosted the renewable fuel blending obligation for the refining industry to 11.76 percent from 10.88 percent to offset volumes lost under the waiver program, which has been expanded sharply under President Donald Trump’s EPA, and keep overall blended volumes on target.
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