California Commission Establishes Biomethane Targets to Help Achieve Climate Targets

The California Public Utilities Commission on Feb.24 announced biomethane buying targets to reduce short lived climate pollutant emissions, or SLCPs, as part of an ongoing effort to support clean energy. The commission has established a biomethane purchasing plan, that is comprehensively thought out, to help accomplish California’s goal of a 40 percent reduction in methane and other SLCPs by 2030.

The decision outlines both short- and medium-term procurement goals. The short term biomethane 2025 purchasing target is set at 17.6 billion cubic feet, and each utility is liable for procuring a percentage of the total, in proportion with its share of natural gas deliveries. The medium term 2030 goal is 72.8 billion cubic feet per year. The elevated amount will help California reach its goal of reducing methane emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

Under the decision, utilities may procure biomethane from diaries to satisfy only the medium-term target after adequate procurement from organic waste from landfills to divert its share of 8 million tons. This is because other state programs are currently in place to incentivize biomethane from diaries. For the medium-term target, dairy biomethane procurement is limited to 4 percent of total biomethane procurement. Further, measures are required to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts from any dairies that provide biomethane.

Waste, landfill, agricultural and the forest management sectors are liable for more than 75 percent of California’s methane emissions, according to data produced by the California Air Resources Board in 2019. The procurement of renewable gas will reduce methane and black carbon emissions in these sectors. The reduction in SLCPs, which emit far more potent greenhouse gas emissions than carbon dioxide, is one of the most efficient means to slow the speed of climate change.

A 2018 law authorized the commission to implement biomethane procurement targets for regulated gas utilities. Moreover, the procured biomethane will replace a proportion of the natural gas that utilities deliver to their customers. Combatting methane and other short lived climate pollutants is considered critical to tackle the climate crisis.