CPUC Adopts Biomethane Procurement Program to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to adopt a biomethane procurement program to help the state meet its Short-Lived Climate Pollutant reduction requirements. The program requires California’s gas utilities to procure 73 billion cubic feet of biomethane – about 12 percent of residential and small business customers’ current gas use – from anaerobic digestion or non-combustion biomass conversion. This is an extremely important step forward to help reduce methane and black carbon emissions – two of the most power climate pollutants – from landfills, dairies, wastewater treatment facilities, agricultural waste, and forest waste. The Decision also allocates $40 million from the gas utilities’ Cap & Trade revenues to help incentivize biomass conversion to pipeline biogas.