The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized eight landfill methane capture projects for innovations to reduce their emissions of methane – a potent greenhouse gas — and in the process recover renewable energy. The Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) gives these awards to acknowledge excellence in innovation, successful project development that achieves both environmental and economic benefits.
This year's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) winning projects, including one of the largest landfill gas (LFG) to liquefied natural gas facilities in the world, located in Livermore, CA will avoid the emissions of 546,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, the equivalent of annual GHG emissions from nearly 100,000 passenger vehicles.
Methane seepage from landfills is, in fact, a significant problem. The EPA estimates that municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the second–largest source of human–related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 23 percent of these emissions in 2007. At the same time, methane seepage from landfills is a lost opportunity to capture and use what is a significant and as these projects demonstrate recoverable energy resource. These awards recognize projects that lead in this effort.
"We are proud to recognize Landfill Methane Outreach Program partners who are turning trash into a clean and profitable source of energy," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "These projects, and others like them, are helping us transition into a clean energy economy and make important greenhouse gas reductions."
Please visit EPA to See LMOP Awards for 2009
About The Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is a voluntary assistance program that helps to reduce methane emissions from landfills by encouraging the recovery and beneficial use of landfill gas (LFG) as an energy resource. LFG contains methane, a potent greenhouse gas that can be captured and used to fuel power plants, manufacturing facilities, vehicles, homes, and more. By joining LMOP, companies, state agencies, organizations, landfills, and communities gain access to a vast network of industry experts and practitioners, as well as to various technical and marketing resources that can help with LFG energy project development.
To date LMOP has assisted with more than 450 LFG energy projects over the past 15 years. The United States currently has about 509 operational LFG energy projects. The LFG electricity generation projects have a capacity of 1,563 megawatts (MW) and provide the energy equivalent of powering more than 920,000 homes annually.
Please read full at Green Economy Post
To read about a related methane capture technology read our post: Making the Case for On Farm Anaerobic Digesters