BAKERSFIELD, Calif.,
Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/
-- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) Vice President
Cedric Williams today joined
Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh, and local air quality regulators to
mark the grand opening of a new compressed natural gas fueling
station located at 35118 McMurtrey Avenue in Bakersfield, CA. The new fueling station is
open to the public and will exclusively offer renewable natural gas
(RNG), a clean, sustainable fuel made from methane that would
otherwise be emitted from landfills, dairy farms, and other waste
sources. The new RNG station extends the network of clean natural
gas stations across a key regional goods movement corridor in the
San Joaquin Valley, which
experiences the worst particulate matter pollution in the state,
according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In any
given day, over twenty thousand trucks pass through Highway 99 in
Bakersfield, emitting roughly
eighty-five tons of smog-causing nitrogen-oxide emissions.
Near-Zero emissions natural gas trucks fueled with RNG can
virtually eliminate smog forming pollutants and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions linked to climate change by as much as 80
percent.
"Renewable natural gas use in trucking and public transit has
grown tremendously in recent years since it offers drivers an
affordable way to reduce emissions and delivers the power they need
to get the job done," said Cedric
Williams, vice president of construction for SoCalGas. "We
are excited to offer drivers who travel through Bakersfield an environmentally friendly
fueling option that can immediately improve air quality in the
region."
"Bakersfield serves as the
center of a major movement corridor," said Mayor Karen K. Goh. "As one of the most important food
and dairy producing hubs, having this CNG fueling station in
Bakersfield will help us reduce
our carbon footprint as we transport needed goods across the
country. We thank our partners at SoCalGas for bringing this
valuable resource to our community."
Renewable natural gas (RNG) is not a fossil fuel. It is a
renewable form of energy produced from the methane emissions at
dairy farms, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and other
waste streams. Depending on its source, RNG can be low-carbon
or in some cases, even carbon neutral or negative. Capturing the
methane from these waste sources and converting it into RNG keeps
greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere and
contributing to climate change and reduces the use of fossil
fuels.
In California, vehicles account
for more than 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent
of smog-forming pollution in the state, with heavy duty trucks
among the largest polluters. In the San
Joaquin Valley, car and truck emissions make up about half
of all measured airborne particulate matter, according to CARB.
Over the last five years, RNG use as a transportation fuel for
heavy duty trucks and buses has increased almost 600 percent,
helping displace over seven million tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent. That's equal to the emissions from more than a million
homes' electricity use for one year.
In California alone, there are
currently 30 operational dairy RNG projects, with approximately 50
more in various stages of development. SoCalGas began directly
injecting RNG into its pipelines for the first time in 2018 when
the company began accepting RNG produced at a waste hauling
company's anaerobic digestion facility in Pixley, California. In 2019, RNG produced at a dairy
digester facility in California
also utilized SoCalGas' pipelines for delivery. This facility
is expected to eventually collect RNG from anaerobic digesters at
12 dairies, which would prevent about 130,000 tons of GHGs from
entering the atmosphere each year. Scientists at
the University of California, Davis estimate
that California's existing organic waste could produce enough
RNG to meet the needs of 2.3 million homes.
In addition to being used to fuel trucks and buses, RNG can also
be delivered to customers to generate clean electricity and to heat
homes and businesses. Nationally, a just-released
study by ICF estimates that enough renewable natural gas will
be available by 2040, to replace about 90 percent of the nation's
current residential natural gas consumption.
Last year, SoCalGas committed to delivering 20 percent of the
natural gas it buys for homes and businesses from renewable sources
by 2030. To kickstart the plan, SoCalGas is pursuing regulatory
authority to implement a broad renewable natural gas procurement
program. The company has also filed a request with the California
Public Utilities Commission to allow current natural gas customers
to sign up to purchase renewable natural gas for their homes. A
similar, voluntary program was launched in Philadelphia earlier this month.
Several utilities and commercial fleets have committed to
increasing the use of RNG as part of their sustainability efforts.
For example:
- Dominion Energy and Vanguard Renewables recently announced
a $200 million partnership that includes RNG
projects in five states, with additional projects planned
nationwide.
- CR&R, a waste management company in Southern
California is using green waste diverted from landfills
to make RNG being injected into SoCalGas' pipelines.
- UPS last year agreed to purchase 170 million gallon equivalents
of RNG through 2026, the largest commitment for use of RNG
thus far by any U.S. company.
- French utility Engie plans to switch all of its gas
operations to biogas and renewable hydrogen by 2050.
In addition, SoCalGas has worked with fleet owners to secure
millions of dollars in incentive funding for the replacement of
diesel trucks with cleaner, new near-zero emissions natural gas
trucks. Each new natural gas truck that replaces a traditional
diesel truck is the equivalent of taking 57 passenger cars off the
road.
The new fueling station in Bakersfield is the fifteenth public
SoCalGas-operated CNG fueling station to open and is located at
SoCalGas' Bakersfield operating
base, a net-zero energy building that earned Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification by the United
States Green Building Council (USGBC) for its environmental
benefits. These include a photovoltaic solar energy system, storm
water management, drought-resistant and climate-appropriate
landscaping, the use of natural lighting for the wellness of
employees and a super energy-efficient air conditioning system
power by natural gas instead of electricity.
SoCalGas' commitment to increase the use of RNG both in
transportation and in buildings is part of a broad, inclusive
and integrated plan to help California reach its ambitious climate
goals. For more information on SoCalGas' vision
for California's clean energy future,
visit www.socalgas.com/vision.
Photos from today's ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official
opening are available here.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is
the largest gas distribution utility in the
United States. SoCalGas delivers
affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service
to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of
residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying
clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in
North America, delivering
affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In
support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20
percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable
natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from
waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment
plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery
infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers.
From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5
billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to
enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary
of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding
company based in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company