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The Renewable Fuels Standard and the Maritime Energy Transition

Date and Time: June22: 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Location: NAS 120

Margaret Kaigh Doyle
Alternative Fuels Program Manager , Transparensea Fuels

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Margaret Kaigh Doyle has spent over three decades working in the maritime and energy sectors. Doyle currently heads up the Alternative Fuels Program as part of the team at Transparensea Fuels LLC. She is also the President and a founding Board Member of the non-profit PortVision50. (PV50). The mission of PV50 is to raise awareness of the importance of decarbonization focusing on future infrastructure in North American ports. Margaret Doyle is a current board member of First10Forward, an organization comprised of early women graduates of the US Merchant Marine Academy whose motto is, “Empowering Women to be Exceptional”. Doyle is a founding member of F10F and served as its first President.

Over the course of her career Doyle was responsible for developing and delivering the first set of LNG Bunkering Courses in North America. She also worked as a member of the prep team for Eagle LNG Partners’ Talleyrand Bunkering Depot, designed and built specifically to fuel the Crowley Dual Fuel ConRo Vessels.

Doyle participates on various delegations to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) most recently focusing on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. Margaret Doyle serves as a contributor to dozens of industry forums and organizations and is a 3-time recipient of the US Coast Guard Public Service Commendation. She is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and holds advanced degrees in engineering from The George Washington and Pennsylvania State Universities.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) was formally established in 2010 based on the Energy Independence and Security Act . It has no roots in decarbonization or climate change. The RFS requires the blending of renewable fuels with U.S. motor vehicle fuel supply. Draft volumes were announced in December of 2022 for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The Renewable Identification Number (RIN) program is a key part of the RFS. A RIN is proof that a renewable fuel was produced and consumed. An obligated party (the refiner or producer) must acquire RINs to prove that the bending obligations were filled. Renewable Fuel (be it biodiesel, renewable natural gas, or green methanol) must replace or reduce the quantity of fossil fuel present in a “transportation fuel”. This fuel is defined for vehicles using 15 ppm sulfur diesel.

Back when RFS1 was first drafted language was specifically put in place stating that:

A RIN is NOT generated if renewable fuels replace:
• Any marine residual fuel (whether burned in ocean waters, Great Lakes, or other internal waters).
• Emission Control Area (ECA) marine fuel
• Any other fuel intended for use only in ocean-going vessels.

When the proposed volumes were announced in December of 2022, the same language was in there. This abstract proposes a paper that will look at the origins of the RFS and examine how the inclusion of the maritime industry in the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) would help speed up the decarbonization of the maritime sector. 

PRESENTATION FILE