The trade associations Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica) and Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition) announced that 64% of all on-road fuel used in natural gas vehicles in the US in calendar year 2021 was renewable natural gas (RNG).

Captured above ground from organic material in agricultural, wastewater, landfill, or food waste, RNG can produce carbon-negative results when fueling on-road vehicles such as short- and long-haul trucks, transit buses, and refuse and recycling collection vehicles.

California Air Resources Board data confirms that the annual average carbon intensity (CI) value of California’s bio-CNG vehicle fuel portfolio in its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program was carbon negative and below zero at -44.41 gCO₂e/MJ for calendar year 2021.

RNG use as a transportation fuel grew 13% over 2020 volumes, up 234% from 2017 levels. NGVAmerica and RNG Coalition report that in 2021 a total of 610 million gallons (GGE) of natural gas were used as motor fuel. Of that, 390 million gallons (GGE) were from renewable source (64%).

RNG use as a motor fuel in 2021 displaced 3.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e). Put into perspective, RNG motor fuel use last year:

• Lowered greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing the GHG from more than 9.4 billion miles driven by the average passenger car;

• Eliminated CO₂ emissions equivalent to removing CO₂ emissions from more than 427 million gallons of gasoline consumed;

• Sequestered carbon, equal to growing close to 63 million tree seedlings for ten years, or 4.5 million acres of US forests for one year.