NEWS RELEASE
July 5, 2019
Renewable Natural Gas Industry Comments on U.S. EPA’s Proposed 2020 Renewable Fuel Volumes
RNG industry poised to continue high growth rate in 2020.
Sacramento, CA – Today, in posting the 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard Proposed Rule, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a 2020 renewable volume obligation (RVO) for cellulosic biofuel of 540 million gallons (ethanol gallon equivalents or EGE).
“While EPA’s projection methodology results in a 29.2-percent increase over the prior year that recognizes significant ongoing production growth in renewable natural gas by an industry working to decarbonize our natural gas fuel supply, a 540 million gallon volume falls short of accounting accurately both for volumes waived via small refinery exemptions and for actual real-world RNG production,” said Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) co-founder and CEO, Johannes Escudero.
Renewable compressed natural gas (R-CNG) and Renewable liquefied natural gas (R-LNG) accounting for 525 million of the 540 million gallons in 2020, as proposed, represents a 31.4-percent growth rate calculation for RNG under the Renewable Fuel Standard from April 2018 to March 2019 compared to the same time period the year prior.
"We will work diligently with EPA throughout the public comment period toward a final rule later this year that reflects the full growth of the RNG industry and accounts for the impact of expanded small refinery exemptions," Escudero said.
In last year's rulemaking, taking into account updated RNG production numbers later into the year, the Proposed Rule’s cellulosic biofuel volume of 381 million gallons increased 37 million gallons to 418 million in the 2019 Final Rule.
About the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas: The RNG Coalition provides public policy advocacy and education for the Renewable Natural Gas (RNG or biomethane) industry in North America, advocating for the increased development, deployment and utilization of renewable natural gas, including as an ultra-clean, domestically produced, alternative fuel and energy resource. The RNG industry captures methane (raw biogas) that would otherwise escape fugitively into the atmosphere or be flared (wasted) from organic waste streams such as landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, livestock and agricultural digesters, and commercial food waste facilities and converts that biogas into RNG. RNG is fully fungible with conventional natural gas, and is used as a direct substitute for commercial, industrial and residential natural gas applications. The RNG Coalition began in July 2011 when there were just 31 operating RNG projects in North America. Today, there are nearly 100 production facilities, with dozens more under construction or development. Learn more at RNGCoalition.com.
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Media Contact:
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