As part of the Great Plains Institute’s work to develop a Midwestern clean fuels policy, we are hosting webinars that focus on clean fuels on the market today and how those industries could benefit from a regional policy. In the first two webinars, GPI looked at the role of electric vehicles in a potential clean fuels policy. The third webinar in the series covered how a clean fuels policy can support the development of renewable natural gas (RNG) projects in the Midwest.
Key takeaways from the RNG webinar:
- The production and adoption of RNG reduces transportation sector emissions and creates sustainable jobs.
- A Midwestern clean fuels policy would support the RNG industry’s expansion and bring environmental and economic benefits to local communities.
- Forthcoming GPI analysis shows the lower carbon intensities of RNG would have important environmental and economic benefits in addition to market potential in a regional clean fuels policy.
As described in our soon-to-be published Midwestern Clean Fuels Policy 101, “A clean fuels policy is a technology-neutral, performance-based policy that reduces the use of high-carbon transportation fuels while providing incentives to deploy lower carbon alternatives such as electricity, hydrogen, and biofuels.” A Midwestern clean fuels policy could be a game-changer when it comes to reducing emissions from the transportation sector, the region’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Similar policies are major drivers for RNG in markets like California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program.
The RNG webinar explored how a clean fuels program could benefit the RNG industry and how RNG pathways could generate credits under a clean fuels policy.
Speakers included:
- Andy Dvoracek, Amp Americas
- Brad Pleima, Eco Engineers
- Bryan Nudelbacher, US Gain
- Howard Hohl, Sustainable BioWorks, LLC
- Jessi Wyatt, Great Plains Institute
- Sahar Kamali, Clean Energy
- Sam Wade, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas
Watch the full webinar
The previous two webinars on electric vehicles in a clean fuels policy can viewed here.
The Midwestern clean fuels policy webinars will continue through early 2021. Future topics include ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, and others. At each webinar, a fuel-specific case study is released for feedback, laying out the GPI research team’s analysis. If you would like to be on the invitation list and be the first to see the GPI analysis, please contact Hannah Haas.
