RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Letter: National Grid's Commitment to a Sustainable Future Laudable
Coalition for Renewable National Gas Member National Grid is right to acknowledge renewable natural gas (RNG) as an important asset in the fight against climate change and as an indispensable resource in Massachusetts’ march toward decarbonization.
Climate change does not have a one-size fits all solution and as the needs of our present and future environmental policy evolves, decision-makers should consider every available solution, especially RNG which captures harmful methane emissions and turns them into a clean, renewable source of fuel and energy. Indeed, RNG is an effective alternative resource that can replace fossil fuels in a variety of applications spanning the transportation, residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.
Opinion: Don't Waste Opportunity for Bipartisan Action on Emissions
Every day, over 42,000 members of the Smithfield Foods Family here in the U.S. come to work with a simple mission in mind: “Good food. Responsibly.®” We’re proud to deliver some of the nation’s favorite brands to dinner tables across the country, but more importantly, we’re passionate about doing it the right way. Part of our effort is constantly innovating how we do business so that we can better respond to a changing climate.
Smithfield was the first major protein company to set the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% across our U.S. supply chain by 2025. Because we were well on our way to meeting that goal, in 2020 we set our sights even higher with the goal of becoming carbon negative in all our U.S. company-owned operations by 2030. We are set to accomplish these goals by using all the resources at our disposal, including those here in Utah.
Clean Energy Opens Renewable Natural Gas Fueling Station in Carson to Provide Ultra-Clean, Low-Carbon Fuel Option for Heavy-Duty Truck Fleets
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) announced the opening of a new public fueling station in Carson, CA that will provide renewable natural gas (RNG) to fuel trucks in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and service many Carson-area truck terminals and warehouses.
“This RNG station will allow more vehicles to take advantage of the cleanest fuel available today, especially in a region heavily impacted by emissions from heavy-duty trucks,” said Greg Roche, vice president of sustainability, Clean Energy. “We are pleased to bring more fueling choices to companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint with RNG and greatly reduce harmful greenhouse gases.”
“Many members of the Harbor Trucking Association have invested in RNG trucks to meet rigorous sustainability goals,” said Weston LaBar, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association. “We applaud Clean Energy for investing in the fueling infrastructure so that drivers of RNG trucks can quickly and conveniently fuel with the cleanest commercially available fuel.”
Clean Energy and bp Create JV to Invest in RNG Fuel Production
Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ: CLNE) today announced that it has finalized a joint venture (JV) with BP Products North America Inc, a subsidiary of BP p.l.c. (NYSE: BP) to develop, own and operate new renewable natural gas (RNG) projects at dairies and other agriculture facilities.
Each company will retain 50% voting control in the JV, which will be initially funded with $50 million previously provided by bp and another $30 million from Clean Energy. The JV anticipates adding preferred stock and debt to increase committed investment capital. Clean Energy will be the operating partner.
The JV will produce RNG using methane captured from dairies’ waste. RNG is used as a transportation fuel and has lower GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to conventional gasoline and diesel. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has given similar projects a carbon intensity (CI) score of a weighted average of -317 compared to CI scores of 100 for conventional diesel fuel and 16 for electric batteries.
Natural Gas and America's Clean Energy Transition
President Biden has set the ambitious, important climate goal of achieving net zero emissions from the nation’s electric power sector by 2035. Already, natural gas has played a key role in lowering U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in the past 15 years, in part by displacing higher emitting coal. But gas, which still provides more than a third of America’s electricity, must play an even greater part in America’s decarbonization plans going forward.
Right now, gas uniquely supports the expansion of renewable energy by providing an instantly dispatchable source of electricity. Unlike coal and nuclear plants, natural gas power plants turn on and off within minutes, allowing the grid to quickly match supply and demand even when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. As a U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report has noted, this unique flexibility of natural gas generation thereby facilitates the steady expansion of renewables.
City Committee Will Consider Authorizing the Use of Renewable Natural Gas in City’s Fueling Program
The Pasadena City Council’s Municipal Services Committee will likely formally endorse a recommendation by the Department of Public Works to start using renewable natural gas (RNG) in the city’s fleet fueling program in an effort to eventually transition from using fossil compressed natural gas (CNG).
Transitioning to RNG will enable the city to comply with Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, and to qualify to participate in the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program.
Enbridge Gas Partners with City of Hamilton to Fuel Ontario's First Carbon-Negative Bus
The City of Hamilton and Enbridge Gas publicly announce the first renewable natural gas (RNG) fuelled bus in Ontario. Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) is now the first public transportation authority in Ontario to use RNG, to transport customers. In one year, the HSR RNG bus will use and divert 450 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill. That's equivalent to 138 garbage trucks, while also displacing CO2 emissions from 36,000 litres of diesel consumed in a year.
"Renewable natural gas provides an excellent opportunity for the HSR and City of Hamilton to continue our efforts to lower corporate GHG emissions and move toward targets outlined in our Climate Change Emergency declaration and Corporate Energy and Sustainability Policy. We are proud to partner with Enbridge Gas on this innovative initiative that will pave the way to ensure the future of transit in our community is energy efficient and sustainable," says Mayor Fred Eisenberger City of Hamilton.
Clean Energy and Total Sign Joint Venture to Develop Carbon-Negative Fuel and Infrastructure
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE) and its largest shareholder, Total SE, today announced a 50/50 joint venture to develop carbon-negative renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities in the United States, as well as credit support to build additional downstream RNG fueling infrastructure. The initial firm commitment is $100 million and can increase to $400 million as development opportunities progress. Since Clean Energy and Total will be providing the equity portion of the investments, the actual amount of capital invested in RNG projects may be higher than $400 million depending on the amount of leverage that is deployed. In addition, Total will be providing credit support for Clean Energy development in the RNG value chain, including $45 million for contracted RNG fueling infrastructure.
Carbon-negative RNG is produced when carbon emissions are captured from dairies and turned into a transportation fuel, reduce the harmful effects on long-term climate change. As a result, the California Air Resources Board gives these carbon-negative RNG projects a weighted average carbon intensity (“CI”) Score (gCO2e/MJ) of -317 compared to 100 for diesel and 19 for electric batteries. Clean Energy is the largest provider of RNG as a transportation fuel in the United States, and the largest RNG fuel provider under the California LCFS program. RNG can be used directly as a vehicle fuel or can be used as a feedstock to produce “green” hydrogen or “green” electricity and still generate LCFS environmental credits.
Group Reports Milestone in Tracking the Benefits of Renewable Gas Investments
A company whose platform helps track renewable electricity transactions says it’s achieved an important milestone in developing a similar market for renewable natural gas and hydrogen.
Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System, or M-RETS, announced its first transaction last month using a new “renewable thermal certificate” standard it created for thermal energy.
The Minneapolis company has been developing the system for several years after identifying a need for better verification and transparency around renewable natural gas transactions.
500 Million Gallons of RNG Produced for US Transport in 2020
More than 503 million gallons of renewable natural gas (RNG) were produced in the US for transportation in 2020, according to new figures.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the data, showing a marked increase in RNG production for transport – up from 404 million gallons in 2019.
This increase can be tied to state and federal policies, such as the Renewable Fuel Standard and the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard that encourage the use of alternative sources of clean energy in transport.
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