The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last week issued details of its plan to implement Senate Bill 1383, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutants bill, which aims to reduce emissions of potent greenhouse gasses. The bill requires state agencies to adopt policies and incentives to significantly increase the sustainable production and use of renewable gas.
CPUC worked with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to outline a solicitation process and a timeline for selecting at least five dairy biomethane projects which will be connected to the gas pipeline system. SoCalGas was selected to lead the solicitation process in coordination with the other utilities. The project selection committee will be made up of the CPUC, CARB and CDFA.
SB 1383 is considered the most aggressive law to tackle short-lived climate pollutants in the nation. SoCalGas issued the following statement in response:
“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. About 80 percent of methane emissions in California come from waste streams. These emissions can be harnessed so that instead of contributing to climate change they can instead be converted to renewable natural gas and distributed through our existing pipeline infrastructure to fuel heavy-duty trucks, heat homes, cook meals, or generate electricity as renewable energy. And because renewable gas can be stored and delivered through existing infrastructure, the technology can be implemented quickly to help California reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the state’s renewable energy goals.
“As the largest gas distributor in the nation, SoCalGas is positioned to make the infrastructure investments necessary to maximize the production and use of renewable natural gas. We look forward to partnering with California dairies to develop the biomethane pilot programs this law requires and help build the market for renewable natural gas, contributing to accomplishment of our state’s environmental objectives and priorities.”
Source: SoCalGas
