NGVAmerica News Week in Review: January 22, 2018

• California Utilities to Support Pilot Projects to Increase Use of Renewable Natural Gas
• NGVAmerica Regulatory Updates and Funding Opportunities
• Los Angeles Awards Applied LNG Large Contract for Renewable LNG Fuel
• New Jersey First in 2018 to Enact Natural Gas Weight Allowance
• City of Hobart to Unveil New CNG Fueling Station, Maintenance Garage
• CSA Group Seeks Comments on Canadian NGV Maintenance Facilities Code

California Utilities to Support Pilot Projects to Increase Use of Renewable Natural Gas

January 19, 2018

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Southwest Gas have jointly issued a draft solicitation for dairy biomethane pilot projects under California Senate Bill (SB) 1383. Proposed projects must demonstrate an ability to capture and process biogas from dairy cows to produce renewable natural gas, which can replace traditionally sourced natural gas for fueling vehicles, as well as generating electricity and heating homes. At least five projects will be selected.

The draft solicitation is the first step in a new program created under SB 1383 by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which has been directed to reduce methane emissions from agriculture in the state by 2030.

“This is an exciting first step to building the market for renewable natural gas,” said Lisa Alexander, vice president of customer solutions and communications for SoCalGas. “Renewable natural gas, with its ability to turn methane emissions into a source of energy, is a critical element of a comprehensive approach to climate change, and we look forward to supporting these efforts.”

Proposed projects will be selected by the CPUC, California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The agencies will jointly choose projects based on an evaluation of the proposed business model, likely greenhouse gas reductions realized, and cost effectiveness of achieving these reductions, environmental benefits, disadvantaged community benefits and project readiness.

Dairy biogas development is rapidly increasing in California, with help in part from $35 million in grant funding last year from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). CDFA is expected to provide an additional $61 to $75 million in grant funding for new dairy biogas projects this year. There are currently about 40 projects in the works, and experts expect there could be as many as 120 projects being developed by 2022.

The utilities will explain the draft solicitation process, gather feedback to clarify the process and answer questions at a workshop and webinar on Wednesday, January 31, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture in Sacramento. Additional information on the draft solicitation as well as the workshop and webinar can be found here.

NGVAmerica Regulatory Updates and Funding Opportunities

January 22, 2018

Tennessee Natural Gas Grant Program

The Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation’s Office of Energy Programs has issued an invitation to public, non-profit, and private Tennessee-based fleets to apply for the second round of the Tennessee Natural Gas and Propane Vehicle Grant Program. A total of $1.7 million in competitive funding is available.

Each grant will provide up to 70 percent of the incremental purchase cost or vehicle conversion of eligible vehicles, with a maximum grant of $25,000 for each eligible vehicle. The maximum amount that may be awarded to a grantee shall not exceed $250,000. Light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles will be considered eligible, as there will be no gross vehicle weight restrictions or requirements.

Applications must be received on March 15, 2018. Awards are expected to be announced by April 15, 2018, and the expected timeframe for award negotiations will be June 2018. For more details visit the Tennessee DEC website here.

Wyoming DERA Funding

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Emission Reduction Pilot Program recently announced a new funding opportunity. This program applies funding from three different sources—Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) funds, Pinedale Anticline Project Office (PAPO) funds, and Volkswagen Settlement funds—to provide incentives for projects that make direct emission reduction impacts in Wyoming.

Review the video on the page below and look for the project criteria and application documents on the same page. The first wave of applications are due January 26, 2018 and pertain specifically to DERA funds. After that, check back periodically during 2018 for more funding opportunities soon.

The Wyoming DEQ Notice is available here. If you have questions, contact Brian Hall at brian.hall@wyo.gov.

Los Angeles Awards Applied LNG Large Contract for Renewable LNG Fuel

January 18, 2016

The City of Los Angeles has awarded Applied LNG a contract to supply renewable liquefied natural gas (RLNG) to fuel their fleet of natural gas vehicles. The fuel will be delivered to multiple Los Angeles LNG/LCNG stations where it will be dispensed as RLNG or converted into compressed renewable natural gas.

The renewable LNG is derived from biomethane or biogas naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste, then processed, purified, liquefied and transported to the City of Los Angeles fueling stations. The expected volume will be over 5.6 million LNG gallons per year reducing greenhouse gasses by 90 percent compared to that of traditional diesel and gasoline.

“The City of Los Angeles has long been a nationally recognized leader in their sustainability efforts,” said Ray Watkins, Vice President of Business Strategy. “We are pleased to be partnering with them by providing renewable natural gas allowing them to exceed their environmental goals and transition to a cleaner fleet.”

The race towards carbon free fuel has been championed by CARB and the EPA’s ‘’renewable fuel standard’’ which have both encouraged an increase in the volume of renewable fuels used in transportation. The credits generated from the use of renewable fuels have driven down the fuel costs, making renewable energy sources often a cheaper alternative to fossil and higher carbon-based fuels.

New Jersey First in 2018 to Enact Natural Gas Weight Allowance

January 22, 2018

One of the last acts of Governor Christie of New Jersey was to sign into law, SB 3616. The measure includes a 2,000-pound weight allowance for trucks powered by natural gas. New Jersey joins a long list of states, twenty-four now, that have adopted changes to state law that allow the added weight on natural gas trucks.

The weight allowance, also codified in federal law because of the FAST Act of 2015, is intended to address the fact that the fuel systems on natural gas trucks can add several thousand pounds to the weight of a truck. The allowance ensures that trucking firms that move to cleaner-burning natural gas can continue to pull a full load without having to reduce the weight of cargo. Thus, a fully loaded natural gas truck can weight up to 82,000 pounds under federal law, and now increasingly in many states.

NGVAmerica has made adoption of the weight provision a major priority of its state legislative effort the past couple of years. In 2017, ten states adopted similar weight measures for natural gas trucks. More states are expected to follow in 2018.

For more information, contact Jeff Clarke at 202.824.7364 or jclarke@ngvamerica.

City of Hobart to Unveil New CNG Fueling Station, Maintenance Garage

January 19, 2018

The City of Hobart is a leader in green efforts in Northern Indiana. Under the leadership of Mayor Brian Snedecor, the city has embraced a host of sustainable fueling options for city vehicles, including compressed natural gas vehicles in the Public Works fleet.

South Shore Clean Cities says that the City of Hobart, Indiana, a member of its Green Fleet program, plans to unveil its new CNG fueling station and vehicle maintenance garage at its Public Works facility. The project, funded in part by a Congested Mitigation and Air Quality grant from the Federal Highway Administration administered by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), will create more efficient operations and benefit all Hobart taxpayers. The new garage will accommodate the city’s growing CNG fleet and allow city employees to work on the sustainability-fueled vehicles.

Hobart purchased its first CNG-powered garbage truck in 2014 with the assistance of grants acquired in partnership with South Shore Clean Cities. Mayor Snedecor vowed at the time to make Hobart a trendsetter in Regional green efforts.

The City of Hobart in 2017 received the South Shore Clean Cities Green Fleet Community of the Year Award. The award recognizes a South Shore Clean Cities Green Fleet community that significantly improved the environmental performance of its vehicle fleet and has shown measurable impacts in its community. The community awarded shares the South Shore Clean Cities vision of preserving and revitalizing Northern Indiana by promoting the use of clean fuels and clean vehicle technologies.

CSA Group Seeks Comments on Canadian NGV Maintenance Facilities Code

January 22, 2018

CSA Group is seeking comments on the draft of the CSA B401 NGV Maintenance Facilities Code for Canada. CSA B401 applies to the portions of a motor vehicle maintenance facility where natural gas vehicles are maintained, repaired or stored during maintenance or repair.

The draft code is open for public review and can be found here. Interested parties should provide comments by February 15, 2018. For more information, contact Julie Cairns at CSA Group at julie.cairns@csagroup.org.

CSA Group is one of the largest providers of safety and environmental certification for Canada and the US, and the CSA mark appears on billions of products worldwide.