Impact of Renewable Natural Gas on Emergency Preparedness
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is a greener alternative to traditional natural gas. Natural gas utilities that use RNG as a replacement for traditional natural gas can help counteract climate change, which in theory would help stave off the onset of more volatile weather in the future. Obviously, this is a good thing from an emergency preparedness perspective, but unfortunately expanding the use of RNG is easier said than done.
Overview of Renewable Natural Gas
Renewable natural gas is typically created from methane that emanates from oxygen-starved rotting organic materials. This methane is generally produced in landfills, farms (livestock manure, corn, etc.), sewage plants, and similar locations where it is captured and processed. RNG is transported via pipeline and can be used for anything that is powered by natural gas.
RNG can counteract the effects of climate change because it is cleaner than fossil fuels, and can help prevent methane emissions from seeping into the atmosphere. Methane is over 20 times more toxic than carbon dioxide and accounts for 16% of global emissions, so any reduction in atmospheric leakage can have a dramatic impact. The climate benefits of RNG are so strong that the Oregon and California state utility commissions are considering adopting mandatory RNG supply requirements for their states’ gas utilities.
However, these measures have their critics, mainly because it would be a challenge to maintain an adequate RNG supply. Renewable natural gas has proven to be costly to produce, and federal and state legislative incentives are in place to encourage about 75% of the RNG supply to be funneled to the transportation fuel industry.
The Future of RNG
This is definitely one of those concepts that has both pros and cons. Time will tell whether the use of RNG will expand, but in order to do so, a few things must happen. The biomethane-capture technology must be improved to lower the cost to produce RNG, natural gas utilities must be incentivized to offer and promote RNG to their end users, and federal regulations need to be tweaked to reduce the percentage of RNG supply earmarked for the fuel transportation industry.
The bottom line is that if more gas utilities are willing and able to offer renewable natural gas to their customers, the climate – as well as utility emergency preparedness – will benefit greatly.
