"Using EPA funds, Colorado will deploy cutting edge technology for detecting methane emissions from its 80 landfills, making it a leader among states."
"Landfills are the third-largest source of methane, a super-pollutant greenhouse gas that traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. While the EPA places caps on methane and other emissions from landfills, experts say that monitoring and enforcement is largely on an honor system. An analysis published earlier this year found that 95 percent of landfills across eight states had at least one violation of EPA safe limits.
Colorado is aiming to change that. State officials are launching a large-scale initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes plans to implement cutting-edge technologies for monitoring methane emissions from the state’s 80 landfills. The program, funded by a $129 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the EPA, is the first of its kind and could set a precedent for other states, said Suzanne Jones, the executive director of Eco-Cycle, a Colorado-based nonprofit that promotes the development of zero-waste communities.
“Methane is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas. If we can address releases of methane, we can buy ourselves some time in the race to get climate impacts under control,” Jones said. “First, it’s important to have the data so that you can do something about it.”"
Isobel Whitcomb reports for Canary Media September 25, 2024.
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