Avista Utilities, NW Natural Gas,Cascade Natural Gas
Date: 2022-03-23
Spokane, Washington-based Avista Utilities, along with NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas, reports it has filed a lawsuit in the Oregon Court of Appeals requesting a judicial review of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) Climate Protection Program (CPP). The companies also challenge the DEQ's authority to enact and enforce the CPP.

The CPP is to intended to create a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Oregon sources by imposing declining limits (caps} on a covered fuel supplier's attributed emissions.

According to Avista Pres. and CEO Dennis Vermillion, "The CPP does not reflect our feedback or collaborative efforts, and it is not a constructive pathway for reducing emissions. We are disappointed in the outcome and the negative impact it will have on our customers. It will increase their cost of energy and may ultimately cause them to replace their natural gas heating systems and appliances. Our customers value energy choice. This is why we are taking this legal action now." (Source: Avista Utilities, Website, PR 22 Mar., 2022) Contact: Avista Utilities, www.myvista.com; NW Natural, Kim Heiting, Snr. VP of Operations, (503) 721-2472, www.nwnatural.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News NW Natural Gas,  Avista,  

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Date: 2021-12-03
Reporting from Salem, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is reporting 12 recipients will receive a total of $8.1 million in funding -- with the average grant in the $675,000 range -- for projects designed to reduce diesel emissions across the state. Under the Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grant Program, the 12 projects will help eliminate air contaminants affecting public health and climate by retrofitting or replacing older medium- and heavy-duty diesel equipment with new, cleaner alternatives.

The selected projects will remove more than 200 tons of harmful air pollution, including nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter, from the air. The various projects range from installing diesel particulate filters in heavy-duty truck fleets to replacing diesel-powered street sweepers with new, zero-emission electric equipment in the Willamette Valley, to converting waste and freight hauling trucks to zero emissions electric transportation.

The DEQ will work with grant recipients to finalize project details and agreements. Funding will not be released until the process is complete. Project work should begin by mid-February 2022.

Oregon DEQ has approximately $40 million from the Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund established after Volkswagen was found to have cheated on emissions standards. The agency will award approximately $8 million in grants per year for five consecutive calendar years, beginning in 2021 and ending in 2025. (Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, PR, Website, 2 Dec., 2021) Contact: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Susan C. Mills, Public Affairs, 503-956-9648, Susan.Mills@deq.state.or.us, www.deq.state.or.us

More Low-Carbon Energy News Diesel Emissions,  Emission Mitogation,  Oregon Department of Environmental Quality,  

Oregon DEQ
Date: 2021-12-01
Reporting from Salem, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced it will present the 2021 Rulemaking to establish the Climate Protection Program to the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) for amendments and adoption at its Dec.16 meeting.

If adopted, the rules would establish a new Climate Protection Program to limit greenhouse gas emissions from certain sources and set an enforceable and declining limit, or cap, on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels used in transportation, residential, commercial and industrial settings.

The proposed Climate Protection Program it intended to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change; achieve co-benefits from other air contaminant reductions, and enhance public welfare for Oregon communities, particularly environmental justice communities, including, communities of color, tribal, communities experiencing lower incomes, and rural communities

Download the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Program 2021 details HERE . (Source: Oregon Dept. Environmental Quality, 28 Nov., 2021) Contact: Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, Stephanie Caldera, 503-229-5301, Nicole Singh, 503-869-2119, www.oregon.gov/deq/about-us/eqc/pages/default.aspx

More Low-Carbon Energy News Oregon DEQ,  Climate Change,  

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Date: 2021-08-06
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released draft rules aimed at dramatically reducing Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions over the coming years and decades.

The rules, which require approval by the Environmental Quality Commission, would establish enforceable limits on greenhouse gas emissions caused by the use of gasoline, diesel, natural gas, heating oil, propane and other fuels used in homes, cars and businesses. Those limits would be lowered every year, reaching an 80 pct reduction by 2050. Emissions from the generation of electricity used in Oregon are being reduced through a separate program, recently approved by the Oregon legislature and signed by Governor Brown last week.

DEQ's Climate Protection Program focuses squarely on fossil fuels and on how Oregon communities and businesses can shift over time to cleaner forms of energy. Under the proposed rules, DEQ will set limits on companies supplying most of the fossil fuels used in Oregon.

A key part of the Climate Protection Program is helping vulnerable communities move to cleaner energy more rapidly. The proposed rules would allow regulated fuel suppliers to meet part of their emission reductions by supporting projects to accelerate affordable clean energy alternatives to gasoline, diesel, natural gas and other fossil fuels and make them available in rural, low-income and communities of color throughout Oregon.

Modeling conducted as part of the rule-making process shows that the program will significantly reduce emissions without disrupting the state's economy. The public has 60 days to comment on the draft rules. DEQ will review comments and further refine the proposal before bringing it to the Environmental Quality Commission for their consideration late this year.

Download Greenhouse Gas Emissions Program 2021 details HERE. (Source: Oregon DEQ, PR, Aug., 2021) Contact: Oregon DEQ, Harry Esteve, 503-951-3856, harry.esteve@deq.state.or.us, www.deq.state.or.us

More Low-Carbon Energy News Oregon Department of Environmental Quality,  GHG,  Greenhouse Gas Emissions,  

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Date: 2021-01-27
In Salem, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is touting its Clean Fuels Program that aims to reduce the lifecycle carbon intensity of transportation fuels that are used in the state.

The program measures the total emissions per unit of energy for many different fuels, using the framework created by the Oregon GREET model. Each individual transportation fuel has a "fuel pathway" assigned to its own unique carbon intensity value.

Download Oregon Clean Fuels Program details HERE . (Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Jan., 2021) Contact: Department of Environmental Quality, Clean Fuels Program, 503-229-5388, OregonCleanFuels@deq.state.or.us, www.deq.or.us

More Low-Carbon Energy News Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ,  Alternative Fuel,  Clean Fuel,  Low-Carbon Fuel,  

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Date: 2021-01-13
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has proposed rule changes to landfills under Gov. Kate Brown's Exec. Order 20-04, addressing the effects of climate change and landfills.

The proposed rule, which would affect methane gas emissions from landfills and require that landfills work on reducing methane emissions, would align the state's methane gas emission more with the most stringent requirements of neighboring states, including California which are the most stringent amongst neighboring states.

Mid-size landfills of 450,000 to 2.5 million tons of waste would be required to model their potential methane gas emissions, if the modeling exceeds a threshold of emissions then they would be required to install a landfill gas collection and control system.

According to the DEQ, methane gas emissions is one of the highest greenhouse gas emitters in the state. In 2017, six of the 25 largest stationary sources of methane gas emissions in Oregon were landfills. (Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, PR, Jan., 2021) Contact: Oregon DEQ, Heather Kuoppamaki, kuoppamaki.heather@deq.state.or.us, www.deq.state.or.us

More Low-Carbon Energy News Methane,  Oregon Department of Environmental Quality,  Methane Leak,  

U.S. Gain
Date: 2020-07-01
Appleton, Wisconsin-based U.S. Gain, a leader in development, procurement and distribution of renewable natural gas (RNG), reports that after only eight months their digester at S&S Jerseyland Dairy in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin is now transforming animal waste to clean, low carbon fuel for the transportation market.

The anaerobic digester at S&S Jerseyland Dairy has been operational since 2011, initially converting waste from the farm's 4,000 herd of Jersey cows to renewable power. U.S. Gain purchased the farm's digester in September of 2019 and made the upgrades needed for fuel production. Gas collected at the facility is taken through a complex processing system that results in RNG comprised of 99.5 pct methane. The facility recently obtained project certification from the California Air Resources Board, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency

A key partner to U.S. Gain throughout the project was Nacelle Solutions, a leader in developing gas clean-up equipment specifically designed for the RNG industry. "Methane recovery was maximized through additional processing capabilities in the upgrade portion of the plant, specifically a third stage membrane process. The more plants we do, the more efficient and streamlined we become, enabling speed to market with reliable results," explained Nacelle's Co-Founder, Gov Graney.

Nacelle provides innovative technology solutions and 24/7/365 operations and service ensuring a high level of performance and success. Since inception, Nacelle has executed 150+ different projects with an average throughput of 2000 scfm (~3 million scf per day) of processed gas. Nacelle is committed to gas conditioning technologies and service that meet the complex and evolving demands of the energy and biogas industries. (Source: U.S. Gain, PR, 29 June, 2020) Contact: U.S. Gain, Mike Koel, Pres., Bryan Nudelbacher, Dir. RNG Business Development, Stephanie Lowney, Director of Marketing & Innovation , slowney@usgain.com, www.usgain.com; Nacelle Solutions, Gov Graney, (855) 622-3553, info@nacellesolutions.com, www.nacellesolutions.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News U.S. Gain,  RNG,  Anaerobic Digestion,  Biogas,  Methane,  

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Date: 2020-05-29
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reports it has submitted detailed information to Gov. Kate Brown on how it plans to carry out her March 10 executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The DEQ submissions outline the processes the agency will use beginning later this year for developing rules, policies and strategies to accomplish the governor's emission reduction goals.

The reports to the Governor focus on areas where significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved. Combined with actions by other state agencies, these steps represent Oregon's most comprehensive effort to date to stem the harmful effects of greenhouse gas pollution. The steps include:

Establishing a Cap and Reduce program, which will establish a regulatory program to require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in three broad areas;

Expanding DEQ's already successful Clean Fuels Program , which requires the state's transportation fuel suppliers to provide the people of Oregon with fuels that are less carbon intensive;

Working with ODOT and other Oregon agencies to implement other strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, including emissions standards for trucks and programs for large employers to help reduce driving;

Developing ways to capture more methane from Oregon landfills, which are a significant contributor to climate change;

Reducing avoidable food waste to prevent the environmental burdens of food production, distribution, refrigeration, preparation and final disposal, while also strengthening efforts to recover unavoidable food waste through anaerobic digestion and composting. (Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality , PR, Website, May, 2020) Contact: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality , Richard Whitman, Dir., Harry Esteve, Communications, 503-951-3856, esteve.harry@deq.state.or.us, www.deq.state.or.us

More Low-Carbon Energy News Oregon Department of Environmental Quality,  Carbon Emissions,  Emission Reductions,