'It has been quite a year of celebration for us at NTH as we have been recognized as a Cool Place to Work by Crain's Detroit, a Detroit Free Press Top Workplace, a Metro Detroit’s Best and Brightest Companies for 2022, and just this month, the National Association for Business Resources named NTH a 2022 Best and Brightest Company to Work for in the Nation! For these awards, nominated companies were assessed by independent research firms regarding criteria such as HR practices, Employee Enrichment, Communication, Diversity and Inclusion, Work-Life Balance, and more, both via company applications and anonymous employee evaluations. More specifics on how we achieved these awards is below.
 
Top Workplaces Award: The process was based on a scientific survey of employees who rate their workplace culture and give company insights about what makes them unique. The winners were named in three categories, small, midsize and large and were celebrated in videos streamed online, which can be viewed here.
 
The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®: This competition identifies organizations that display a “commitment to excellence and employee enrichment that lead to increased productivity and financial performance.” Companies are scored regionally, and those regional winners are then entered into the National Competition. This national program celebrates those companies that are “making better business, creating richer lives and building a stronger community.” Best and Brightest National honored winning organizations from across the country. A full list of the winners can be found here.
 
Crain's Cool Places to Work: The employers provide details about benefits and policies; and then employees answer questions about our workplace culture, company leadership and other aspects of work in a confidential survey. You can see the full list of winners here.

We are always on the lookout to bolster our team with new talent. ​If you are interested in finding out more about our company culture and how you can join our Best, Top, and Cool Place to Work, please visit our Career Page.

​Have you heard the buzz around Renewable Natural Gas in our Great Lakes State? This past September, Michigan Public Service Commission’s RNG study reported that RNG has increased nearly six-fold in the last five years for its use as a transportation fuel. In fact, there are over 15 RNG facilities in operation or expected to be operational in Michigan by 2023.
 
Renewable Natural Gas converts waste-derived landfill gas or digester gas (biogas) into a source of clean and reliable energy; RNG is nearly identical to conventional natural gas and can be used as a transportation fuel or to heat and power homes and businesses. 

RNG Market Growth
Having grown up on a small dairy farm in southwest Montana, I have found that advancements in technology and markets related to agriculture are near and dear to me. Large dairy farms are often sought-after as a feedstock for generating carbon-neutral, or even carbon-negative, RNG projects. But RNG expands beyond agriculture, into resource recovery opportunities in the municipal, energy, and industrial sectors, including wastewater treatment processes, food waste, and landfills. One of the first and largest RNG projects in Michigan, and in the U.S., was commissioned in November 2017 for upgrading landfill gas to RNG at the Woodland Meadows Landfill located in Wayne County.

Our state and country, as well as the companies that we work with, work for, and support as customers, are becoming laser-focused on progressing toward low or zero carbon pertaining to the energy, industrial, and transportation markets. Demand for alternatives to traditional fossil fuels provides opportunities to divert methane from landfills, dairy farms (animal waste), wastewater treatment plants, and food operations to repurpose into a green energy source. Michigan’s MI Healthy Climate Plan emphasizes transitioning away from fossil fuels towards a carbon neutral economy. In addition to electrifying vehicles and other resources, alternative low-carbon fuels are necessary to decarbonize not only our daily commute, but the way we do business. 

In recent years, the federal U.S. EPA Renewable Fuels Standard, as well as state-specific low carbon fuel standards, including California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, have created a significant shift in the biogas market from electric generation to upgrading of biogas to RNG for pipeline injection. Unlike biogas, comprised of approximately 50-60% methane, RNG is a nearly-pure methane fuel and virtually identical to conventional natural gas; can be derived using readily available gas upgrading technology; and can be burned in place of conventional fossil fuels without modifications to infrastructure, natural gas vehicles, or other end users. 

Advancing state and federal regulatory drivers monetize reductions in carbon intensity by capturing methane for use as an alternative fuel. These federal and state mandates, as well as pending legislation at the utility level, will continue to fuel the RNG and biofuel markets. RNG requires approval through Michigan permitting and regulatory programs.

Next Up: ​Clean Air Act Permitting for RNG