RNG NEWS
California Attorney General Leads Coalition Demanding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Withdraw Proposal Delaying Landfill Methane Regulations
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), leading a multistate coalition, filed comments demanding that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw its proposed rule delaying by four years implementation of a critical regulation that would reduce emissions from landfills. Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions – a pollutant with a global warming potential that is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe.
The regulation, once implemented, would prevent 7.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year, which translates to 1.5 million passenger vehicles driven, or 850,000 homes’ electricity use, for one year. In addition to harmful methane, landfills emit volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and other greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Not only do these pollutants contribute to climate change, but they can cause cancer, asthma, and other respiratory diseases, especially among children and older adults.
By State of California Department of Justice, Sierra Sun Times
President Trump Formally Nominates Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator
President Trump has formally nominated Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who has led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an acting capacity for six months, to serve as EPA administrator.
The White House said Wednesday that Trump had sent Wheeler’s nomination to the Senate, making good on a promise he made in November.
“I am honored and grateful that President Trump has nominated me to lead the Environmental Protection Agency,” Wheeler said in a statement.
By Timothy Cama, The Hill
Gov. Jay Inslee signed No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge prior to Climate-Centered 2020 Bid
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed a pledge Tuesday promising to reject donations from the fossil fuel industry ahead of a likely run for the White House that he’s vowed to uniquely center on climate change.
In an interview with HuffPost, Inslee, 67, said he added his name to the list of more than 1,300 politicians across the United States who took the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge.
The vow, administered by a coalition of 16 left-leaning environmental groups, commits candidates to “adopt a policy to not knowingly accept any contributions over $200 from the PACs, executives, or front groups of fossil fuel companies — companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution, or sale of oil, gas, or coal.”
By Alexander C. Kaufman, Huffington Post
US EIA Proposes changes to Advanced Biofuel Reporting
The U.S. Energy Information Administration is seeking public comments on several changes it intends to make within its Petroleum Supply Reporting System, including those related to data collection on biofuels.
On Dec. 27, the EIA published a notice in the Federal Register requesting a three-year extension for the PSRS and outlining several changes it intends to make. The agency explains that the PSRS consists of six weekly surveys that make up the Weekly Petroleum Supply Reporting System, eight monthly surveys and one annual survey.
By Erin Voegele, Biomass Magazine
U.S. EPA's January 15th Webinar to Focus on RNG Projects
The U.S. EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is pleased to inform program stakeholders about an upcoming webinar hosted by EPA's AgSTAR Program. The webinar will be on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 from 1:00-2:30 PM (ET) and will focus on renewable natural gas (RNG) projects in the agricultural sector.
Presentations will include:
Johannes Escudero, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas - National overview of and trends related to RNG projects.
Matt Tomich, Energy Vision - Environmental benefits of RNG, best practices for RNG projects and lessons learned.
Neil Black, California Bioenergy - Kern Cluster project in California and future of dairy waste-to-RNG.
Gus Simmons, Cavanaugh Associates - Optima KV project in North Carolina and future of hog waste-to-RNG.
Participation in the webinar is free and registration is now open.
To request removal from this email list, please reply to this message. For further information or questions about LMOP, please do not reply to this email message, but rather visit the LMOP website. Thank you.
SoCalGas announces Jimmie I. Cho Chief Operating Officer and Maryam S. Brown President
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced that Jimmie I. Cho has been named the company's chief operating officer and, Maryam S. Brown, the company's president.
Cho currently is senior vice president of customer services for SoCalGas and senior vice president of distribution operations for SoCalGas and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Brown currently serves as vice president of federal government affairs for Sempra Energy. In their new roles, Cho and Brown succeed Bret Lane, who was president and chief operating officer of SoCalGas before being appointed CEO of the company last month.
By Southern California Gas Company, News 9
Clean Energy Redeem's RNG powers Overseas Freight's deployment of first commercial near-zero trucks
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE) announced it will supply Redeem™ renewable natural gas (RNG) to intermodal trucking company Overseas Freight as part of an emissions reduction initiative in the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
In preparation for upcoming regulations outlined in the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), Overseas Freight obtained Prop 1B funding for five Kenworth T-680 trucks outfitted with the new Cummins-Westport (CWI) near-zero ISX12N natural gas engine, which achieves the lowest emission levels in North America while delivering diesel caliber performance with reliability and durability. The ISX12N is certified by California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reduce smog-forming NOx emissions by 90 percent compared to the current engine standard.
By Raleigh Gerber, Clean Energy Fuels
First utility-operated microgrid project to study integration of clean energy
Today, for many states in the US, integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) is becoming increasingly important, and communities are creating plans that look closely at the needs of not only community sustainability, but also the needs of critical service providers, such as police, fire, and water. For example, a city might choose to add solar panels to the roof of city hall and have batteries installed in the basement to ensure that the crisis control room for the city is functional in the event of a power outage. In fact, most recently during the wildfires that swept through Southern California in 2017, there were reports of the fire hydrants losing water pressure due to the failure of critical fire pumps because of intermittent power outages. These two scenarios, one hypothetical and one very real, begs the question: How can utilities and communities be prepared to withstand extreme weather and other power outages while still successfully integrating DERs?
By MicroGrid Knowledge
NW Natural celebrates 160 years of service
Natural gas utility NW Natural turned 160 years old today, making it one of the oldest companies in Oregon. Officers from NW Natural and its parent company Northwest Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN) commemorated this milestone by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange today.
NW Natural was founded on January 7, 1859, five weeks before Oregon became the union’s 33rd state, when the territorial government gave founders Herman C. Leonard and John Green a perpetual franchise to provide natural gas service.
Today, the company serves about two million people through more than 740,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with 1,200 employees and one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation.
By Melissa Moore, KUAM News
Chesapeake Bay project reducing pollution with renewable energy
The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved more than $46 million in funding to reduce pollution and save energy.
"This is a great start to the new year with smart investments that protect public health and the environment while saving money and energy in Maryland communities," said Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. "The Piscataway sewage treatment plant bio-energy project is a big step in greening the economy, cleaning the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and combating climate change."
By, Water World