MBTA Announces Federal Renewable Fuel Standard Program Participation

The MBTA today announced that it has launched a partnership with STX Group to participate in the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFSII) program, an initiative that is expected to generate $4 million of revenue for the MBTA over the term of the contract.

"The MBTA is proud to participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard Program," said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. "The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the legislature have given us tremendous support for our operational needs. By securing the revenue this program provides, the MBTA is doing our share to identify revenue opportunities to further support our operations. In doing so, we can continue to improve and maintain safe, reliable, and more frequent transit service across all modes."

The RFSII program, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and Department of Energy (DOE), requires that a certain volume of renewable fuel be used to replace or reduce the quantity of fossil fuel in transportation. The MBTA operates a fleet of 175 buses that utilize compressed natural gas (CNG) as a fuel source out of its Cabot and Arborway bus facilities. The CNG used by these buses, when paired with Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), qualifies as a Cellulosic Biofuel and makes the MBTA eligible for payments under the RFSII program.

"Sustainability is one of the MBTA's core goals," said MBTA Chief of Energy and Environment Janis Kearney. "The MBTA's partnership with STX advances this goal by both redirecting agricultural and industrial methane emissions to productive ends and securing an independent revenue stream to support MBTA operations."

The MBTA's five-year contract with STX will generate $800,000 per year by pairing the MBTA's 200,000 MMBtu annual CNG consumption with a commensurate amount of RNG. The RNG utilized in this program is sourced from a diverse portfolio of sources, such as landfill-, dairy-, and wastewater-based RNG production facilities, which prevent the escape of methane generated on premises by diverting it for commercial use. The launch of this program was a collaboration between many teams at the MBTA, including Energy and Environment, Procurement, Advertising and Revenue, and Bus Operations.