Latest news with #Bill178
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana natural gas bill would redefine the fossil fuel as green energy
Natural gas and propane — long considered contributors to climate change — could soon be redefined in Indiana as lawmakers push to lump the gasses in with solar, wind and other non-fossil fuels so they also qualify for state and federal green energy funding. Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, introduced Senate Bill 178 that, if passed, will allow natural gas and propane the same status as renewable energy sources when applying federal money to clean or green energy projects. The bill passed committee and is waiting for a vote on the Senate floor. Natural gas is a euphemism given to methane and is a 'powerful greenhouse gas,' according to NASA. The gas is more powerful than carbon dioxide when it's released and traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Burning methane produces less carbon dioxide than coal, but a report from the International Energy Agency says the gas is responsible for about 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the late 1700s. Indiana law currently defines methane as a clean source of energy only when it is replacing coal for power generation. Buck's bill would expand that definition to include all uses of methane and propane. Gabe Filippelli, executive director of the Environmental Resilience Institute and professor of earth sciences at Indiana University, called the attempt to redefine methane as a clean energy 'bogus.' 'They already won one battle by calling it natural gas when it's fossil gas, it's methane,' Filippelli said. 'I'm not going to gladly let them win another PR assault on common sense.' Buck said he fashioned his bill after an Ohio law that similarly defined methane as clean energy. The Ohio bill redefining methane as clean was allegedly backed by The Empowerment Alliance, a dark money group with ties to the gas industry, and the anonymously funded American Legislative Exchange Council, according to a Washington Post report. Buck is on ALEC's board of directors. Propane was added to the bill as an amendment after the Indiana Propane Gas Association approached Buck about the original bill. 'I know they use propane in some trucks and other equipment, and it is classified under the EPA as clean energy,' Buck said. Propane is a fossil fuel and produces more carbon dioxide emissions than natural gas when burned, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Manufacturing and oil lobbyists supported the bill during a committee hearing earlier in February. Maureen Ferguson, with the American Petroleum Institute, told lawmakers that 'all of the above' energy sources must be used for continuing Indiana's goals to supply reliable and affordable energy. Carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector have declined due to a switch to burning methane, she said. 'By API's calculation, the newest gas-fired generators in the U.S. are more efficient and have lower emission rates – roughly 65% below that of the average coal plant,' Ferguson said. Carlie Hopper, representing the Indiana Builders Association, said the group supported 2021 legislation that prohibited a ban on methane and sees SB178 as an extension of that legislation. Hopper echoed the all-of-the-above approach on energy sources so Hoosiers would have affordable and reliable energy. Buck's bill is written to allow federal money to flow to natural gas projects in Indiana, but Earth Charter Indiana's Shannon Anderson told lawmakers the U.S. Department of Energy, which routinely issues federal clean energy grants, excludes natural gas from its own definition of clean energy. Locally, Indiana and Michigan Power and AES also define clean energy as something that produces no climate warming greenhouse gasses, Anderson said. 'By and large, these definitions strongly undergird a desire to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions,' Anderson said. 'So, I would strongly suggest we adhere to this careful definition as well.' When methane is burned, its emissions are lower than coal, but the gas is still inadvertently leaked into the air during extraction or while it's being transported through pipelines. These leaks or releases of unburned methane are 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide for the warming potential to our planet, Filippelli said. 'Ultimately when they burn, they release CO2, which changes the climate,' Filippelli said. 'In no way, shape, or form is that anywhere near a green technology.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at Follow him on BlueSky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana bill attempts to redefine this fossil fuel as clean energy
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Water treatment and reuse bill passes its first committee, despite concerns
Feb. 12—A water treatment and reuse proposal is moving forward with some changes after more than five hours of discussion in the Roundhouse. The legislation passed its first committee by a vote of 5-4 on Tuesday, likely a preview of the tough battle it has ahead to get through the rest of the Legislature. Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces, joined Republicans in voting against the bill, and other Democrats on the committee said they're still uncertain about the measure as it stands. With two more committee assignments before getting to the floor, it's a long journey for House Bill 137. The legislation would allow the state to enter into contracts and award grants for projects using treated brackish or produced water, a way to incentivize businesses to participate in the market. It would also impose a 3 cent tax on each barrel of produced water from oil and gas wells, unless the water is reused for drilling or at a state-permitted reuse facility. Four to seven times more produced water comes out of the ground than oil when drilling, according to the New Mexico Environment Department. The bill, which moved forward through the committee as a substitute of the initial legislation, lowered the fee on produced water barrels, which was formerly 5 cents per barrel. HB137 also comes with a $75 million appropriation ask. It's significantly less than proponents sought last year, when the proposal failed twice. It's rare to see oil and gas industry representatives and environmental advocates fighting on the same side, but the strategic water supply proposal has created a united front of sorts for the lobbyists. Some have different reasons for opposing the bill, including disagreement over the tax on oil and gas operators or concern over the safety of treated and reused water. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, after the bill passed the committee, said in a statement this is a way to support clean energy and advanced manufacturing "without putting our freshwater supplies at risk." "I look forward to continued work with the Legislature to advance the bill and secure the needed funding for the program," she said. The bill goes to the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee next, then House Appropriations and Finance. Meanwhile, a bill that would restrict using produced water outside of oil fields, Senate Bill 178, goes before Senate Conservation on Wednesday.
