A recent study by environmental nonprofit Industrious Labs has uncovered alarming levels of methane emissions from nearly two dozen U.S. landfills. The analysis of EPA inspection reports revealed that emissions regularly exceeded federal limits, and in some cases, were higher than what facility owners had reported to the government.
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, plays a significant role in climate change. In 2022, landfills were responsible for over 14 percent of the United States' methane emissions, ranking third behind the oil and gas and livestock sectors. This highlights the urgent need for more effective regulations to curb these emissions.
Industrious Labs criticizes the current EPA regulations as insufficient, urging the agency to adopt more advanced monitoring technologies, extend regulations to smaller landfills, and accelerate the installation of gas-capturing systems as landfills continue to expand. Katherine Blauvelt, Circular Economy Director at Industrious Labs, emphasized the necessity for the EPA to update its rules, stating, \"More and more evidence is piling up that it's time for the EPA to act and begin that process of updating the rule.\"
The EPA acknowledges that methane emissions from landfills represent a missed opportunity to capture and utilize this energy resource. Last year, the agency identified food waste as the source of approximately 58 percent of fugitive methane emissions from landfills and recommended diverting food waste to reduce these emissions.
With a deadline approaching, the EPA is set to reassess its landfill regulations by August this year. The Biden administration has been proactive in addressing methane emissions, particularly in the oil and gas industry, and has led global efforts to reduce methane emissions since 2021.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
