Environmental Protection Agency

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with LMOP to become its newest State Partner. With the agreement in place, IDEM's next steps will be to assemble a task force composed of local, state, and business representatives who will explore funding opportunities, identify potential LFGE projects, contribute to a state LFGE primer, and convene a statewide workshop. LMOP will assist the task force and workshop, support development of the state primer, help evaluate state policies with an impact on LFGE projects, provide outreach materials, and generally support Indiana's efforts to promote LFGE through technical assistance.

"The U.S. EPA has resources available to help states encourage small landfill operators to find progressive ways of converting methane, which is a potent gas, into a wanted consumable," said IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly. "Our joint venture provides the impetus needed to jump-start this effort."

Examples of LFGE projects in the state include a successful partnership that formed last year when LMOP Energy Partner Ohio Valley Creative Energy, an artists' collective, purchased land adjacent to the Clark-Floyd Landfill in Clarksville and embarked with LMOP Industry Partner Hoosier Energy on construction of a system for the group's new art center that uses landfill gas (LFG) for half of its energy needs. Another upcoming LFGE project is planned by LMOP Industry Partners Ameresco and Allied Waste Services to supply LFG from the Laubscher Meadows Landfill to the manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutritionals to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

Indiana has 15 good candidate landfills for LFGE projects listed in the LMOP landfill database. For more information, please contact Swarupa Ganguli (ganguli.swarupa@epa.gov), Territory Manager, LMOP, at 202-343-9732.

EPA has developed several Climate Leaders Offset Project Methodologies that use a standardized approach to determine project eligibility, address additionality, select and set the baseline, identify monitoring options, and quantify reductions. This approach seeks to ensure that the greenhouse gas emission reductions from offset projects meet four key accounting principles—they must be real, additional, permanent, and verifiable. In August 2008, EPA released a draft offset project methodology which addresses the displacement of fossil fuel through the end use of captured methane from landfills or manure digesters, providing measurement and monitoring guidance for these activities. The draft protocol for Captured Methane End Use is available for comment.

Also available on the Climate Leader Web site are additional offsets accounting methodologies, including a methodology for Landfill Methane Collection and Combustion, which has been updated to clarify regulatory eligibility and include updated emission factors consistent with the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006.

Registration Open
Registration is now open for the 12th Annual LMOP Conference and Project Expo, January 12-14, 2009, in Baltimore, Maryland. The conference is being held at the Hilton Hotel in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. LMOP anticipates more than 500 domestic and international conference attendees. To register, please visit LMOP's online registration site. The optional meals fee for the conference is $300 for registrations received by December 8, 2008. The meal fee increases to $325 after that date.

Additional information, such as hotel room reservations and a tentative agenda, can be found on the LMOP conference Web page.

Sponsorship and Exhibit Opportunities Available
Sponsorship and exhibit opportunities are still available for the conference. Exhibit space is free of charge, although limited space remains; LMOP therefore encourages interested organizations to complete and return the sponsorship and exhibiting information document (PDF, 4 pp, 65 KB, About PDF) as soon as possible. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact meetings@erg.com.

Award Nominations Due November 7, 2008
LMOP is currently accepting nominations for outstanding Partner and Project of the Year awards in the following categories:

Nominees for Partner categories must be LMOP Partners at the time of application. For the Partner and Project of the Year awards, the project(s) in question must be operational at the time of award application submittal. Award recipients will be selected based on demonstration of the following:

"This is a great project because it provides a sustainable clean energy source for a local business, Dow Chemical, and also takes a very potent greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere."
— Ken Mitchell, Deputy Director, EPA Region 4

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 24, 2008, LMOP Partners Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority ("the Authority") and The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow"), as well as the City of Dalton and Whitfield County, were commended for their successful public-private partnership. The organizations worked cooperatively to develop a project that captures, dehydrates, and compresses approximately 900 cubic feet of LFG per minute from the Old Dixie Highway Municipal Solid Waste Landfill in Dalton, Georgia. Dow receives the compressed and treated gas via a two-mile pipeline for use in a boiler. The gas displaces natural gas use and provides 50 percent of the facility's energy needs in the manufacture of latex for carpet-backing applications. By using renewable energy, Dow is able to market its carpet backing to manufacturers interested in producing "green" carpets. Products produced with the backing are recognized by LEED and other sustainability rating systems.

LMOP Partners SCS Field Services served as the construction contractor, Golder Associates provided the engineering design, and Perennial Energy supplied the gas processing equipment. The Authority financed most of the project, including the gas wells on the landfill, the gas treatment facility equipment, and the pipeline installation. Dow replaced its existing boiler with one that has the ability to use LFG, natural gas, and No. 2 fuel oil. Dow pays a monthly fee for the gas based on a discount of the market index. The Authority estimates it will take five to seven years for the project to pay for itself.

In the summer of 2004, LMOP provided an analysis of the Jefferson Davis Parish Landfill's potential gas supply for supporting an energy recovery project. If you are a landfill owner interested in similar services for your site, contact LMOP.

New High BTU Project in Louisiana
Jefferson Davis Parish Sanitary Landfill Commission, an LMOP Community Partner, along with two LMOP Industry Partners, Allied Waste Services and SouthTex Renewables, have joined forces to create a renewable energy source in Louisiana. Operational since March 2008, the project captures and treats more than 1,500 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of LFG from the Jefferson Davis Parish Landfill in Welsh, Louisiana. A process by LMOP Partner SulfaTreat is used to remove hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur species from the LFG. The high Btu gas is then sold to Gulf South Pipeline. The project took eight months from contract signing to startup. On June 26, 2008, officials from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and EPA Region 6, along with three mayors, members of the landfill commission, and the area's state representative, celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in June for the Jefferson Davis Landfill LFGE Project in Louisiana.

Marian Medical Center Uses LFG in California
The city of Santa Maria, California, and Marian Medical Center completed an innovative project that provides low-cost power for the hospital and allows the city to generate revenue from selling LFG from its Santa Maria Regional Landfill. The project, developed by LMOP Industry Partner Janechek & Associates, captures and processes the LFG before transporting it to a cogeneration plant built on the hospital campus, where the gas is converted to electricity. The power generated from the plant provides 95 percent of the hospital's electricity needs and is expected to save the hospital at least $350,000 per year. The next step in the project is to add hot water lines from the cogeneration facility to new equipment in the Center's central plant in order to provide hot water and heating. Marian Medical Center is pleased to be a part of a growing number of healthcare care organizations working to meet their energy needs with environmentally friendly solutions.

LFG Used to Power Maryland Homes
On July 9, 2008, officials celebrated the development of a new LFG-powered electricity plant in Newark, Maryland, that uses LFG from Worcester County Central Landfill Facility, a small municipal landfill. LMOP Industry Partner Curtis Engine & Equipment Inc. is providing the generators and equipment to extract the LFG. A unique feature of this project's design is its use of old leachate recharge wells as part of the gas collection system. Currently, one generator capable of producing 1 megawatt (MW) of electricity has been installed, with a second generator expected to be installed this fall and a third in early 2009. Once completed, the three generators will produce 3 MW of electricity. Another innovative feature of the project is LMOP Industry Partner TerraPass Inc.'s role in demonstrating to investors the potential revenue generation from the sale of the carbon credits, which helped secure financing for the project.

Sources: Deborah Gates, "Worcester to Turn Trash to Power," Delmarvanow.com, July 10, 2008, and TerraPass Inc, "Worcester County Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project," accessed August 22, 2008.

Hanover County uses its small LFG supply to dry leftover waste paint in this innovative project.

The Department of Public Works in Hanover County, Virginia, wanted to use the LFG produced from its landfill in an economical manner. The options for such a small supply produced from the 35-acre landfill, which closed five years ago, seemed limited. However, with some creativity, staff came up with a plan to use the LFG to solve another problem the Department was experiencing. The Department recovers water-based paints from residential waste at the transfer station adjacent to the closed landfill. Drying out the leftover water-based paint consumed a considerable amount of labor.

Realizing that the LFG represented an untapped energy source, staff designed a burner system with a landfill flare as its base component. Above the shielded-base mounted flare is a grate system. Water-based paints, in metal cans, are placed on the grate and the evaporation process begins within 10 seconds. Paint in a three-quarters-filled can takes approximately six hours to become hardened, after which it can be properly disposed with other municipal solid waste. The unit is able to dry 12 cans of water-based paint at a time, and can use up to 90 scfm of gas. When not in use, the gas is burned in the connected vent flare. The total cost for the system was less than $4,000, which the Department has already more than offset in labor savings.

Source: Steve Chidsey, Department of Public Works, Hanover County, Virginia, July 2008.

Anheuser-Busch, an LMOP Energy Partner, will soon be using LFG to power its Houston, Texas, brewery. LMOP Industry Partners Ameresco and Allied Waste Services are developing the project, which will capture LFG from the McCarty Road Landfill in Houston, Texas. Currently, a portion of the LFG from the landfill is captured, processed, and sold to a local utility, while the excess is flared. Ameresco plans to direct some of that unused LFG to the Anheuser-Busch brewery through a six-mile underground pipeline. Anheuser-Busch will utilize approximately 3,800 scfm of LFG in six boilers to produce process steam. Construction of the pipeline is underway and expected to be completed by the end of the year. Combined with other renewable energy efforts, Anheuser-Busch believes that about one in every seven of its U.S. beers will be brewed using renewable energy by the end of 2009.

On June 22-25, 2008, LMOP participated in the Missouri Waste Control Coalition Environmental Conference at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The event was well-attended by approximately 450 people. Swarupa Ganguli, LMOP, presented during the first session of the solid waste track. LMOP also networked with local landfill owners and operators to discuss how the program can assist with LFGE project development in their communities. The LMOP team conducted landfill site visits to the City of Fulton Landfill, the City of Lee's Summit Landfill, the City of Columbia Landfill, and the City of St. Joseph Landfill. The City of Lee's Summit Landfill was part of the 2008 LMOP Project Expo (PDF, 2 pp., 93 KB, About PDF), which is designed to showcase landfills with owners interested in LFGE project development. LMOP's Landfill Database identifies 16 good candidate landfills in Missouri with a combined 50 MW of energy potential. If you have interest in an LFGE project in Missouri, please contact Swarupa Ganguli (Ganguli.Swarupa@epa.gov) at 202-343-9372.

In June 2008, Florida adopted an energy bill to advance renewable energy and energy efficiency as a strategy to reduce the state's emissions of greenhouse gases. Florida House Bill 7135 requires the Florida Public Service Commission to establish a Renewable Portfolio Standard that will specify a minimum percentage of retail electricity sales that an investor-owned utility must supply from renewable energy sources. The bill does not set the minimum standard or a timeline; instead, it requires the Commission to prepare a draft rule by February 2009 and present it to the legislature for approval. Municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives are also directed to develop standards for the promotion, encouragement, and expansion of renewable energy resources. The bill also requires the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to create a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from major emitters. The bill sets no specific limits and requires any program to be ratified by the legislature.

LMOP's Landfill Database identifies 21 good candidate landfills with a combined 58 MW of energy potential in Florida. If you have interest in an LFGE project in the state, please contact Victoria Ludwig (ludwig.victoria@epa.gov) at 202-343-9291.

Brazil
On June 10, 2008, the São Paulo State Environment Sanitation Agency (CETESB) and LMOP, representing the Methane to Markets Partnership, co-sponsored a workshop to educate approximately 180 landfill owners, operators, and government officials about the opportunities that LFG capture and utilization represent. Topics covered during the event included LFGE project assessment, design, operation, monitoring, and case studies. Presentations, which were conducted in Portuguese, have been posted. Attendees also visited the Bandeirantes Landfill in São Paulo. The 20 MW project, which has been operational since 2003, was aided by a feasibility assessment conducted by EPA in 1997.

Ecuador
On July 21-25, 2008, LMOP, representing the Methane to Markets Partnership, participated in an LFGE training workshop for municipalities. LMOP Endorser of the Year CIFAL-Atlanta organized the event. CIFAL-Atlanta is an international organization with which EPA has a cooperative agreement under the Methane to Markets Partnership. Approximately 150 participants attended the workshop, including several mayors. The workshop was interactive, allowing participants to share lessons learned and best practices. LMOP also traveled to Guayaquil to meet with city officials and discuss next steps to help them implement a project at their landfill.

A similar CIFAL-Atlanta workshop is being planned for Argentina on November 6-7, 2008. For more information on LFGE opportunities in Latin America, please contact Victoria Ludwig (ludwig.victoria@epa.gov) at 202-343-9291.

RFP OPPORTUNITIES

Public Service Company of New Mexico, Deadline: October 15, 2008
Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is soliciting proposals for renewable energy with all associated environmental attributes including renewable energy certificates (RECs) to comply with New Mexico's Renewable Portfolio Standard beginning in 2010 or earlier. PNM will consider offers for asset purchases, purchase power agreements, renewable fuels, or other arrangements. PNM will not consider offers for RECs without the associated energy. Proposals offering biogas must meet interstate natural gas pipeline standards and be delivered to New Mexico. PNM is seeking approximately 700 gigawatt-hours per year of renewable energy from a variety of sources, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and biogas, which includes LFG as an eligible fuel. Projects must supply the minimum equivalent of renewable energy of at least 2,025 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually. A nonrefundable bid submission fee of $1,000 per project must accompany each proposal in order to qualify the proposal for consideration.

Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Deadline: October 21, 2008
Sacramento Municipal Utility District in California has released a request for offers for power purchase agreements and/or ownership options for California renewable portfolio standard-eligible conventional and emerging renewables. Each renewable energy proposal should include only one project of at least 1 MW of capacity. Offers for renewable energy projects located in SMUD's Distribution Service Territory may be less than 1 MW but must be larger than 250 kilowatts. SMUD will also accept letters of interest for tradable renewable energy credits that can be tracked and verified by the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System. More information is available from the utility's Electronic Bid Solicitation System Web site.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Deadline: October 24, 2008
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources issued a request for proposals (RFP) to supply renewable electricity to specified agencies over a contract period of at least 10 years. Eligible projects must be located in New England. All renewable energy certificates associated with the electricity generated over and above those required by renewable portfolio standard requirements will be transferred to the Commonwealth. To obtain the solicitation and associated documents, visit the Commonwealth's Procurement Access & Solicitation System, click on the "Search for solicitations" link, and search for RFR-ENE-2008-014 in the Document Number field.

Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP), MA, Deadline: December 1, 2008
Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP) has issued an RFP for renewable electric power resources with the intent of securing an increased portion of its electric power requirements from renewable resources. TMLP is seeking proposals for up to 260,000 MWh per year of energy and dependable capacity starting in 2009. TMLP's renewable portfolio goal may reach 600,000 MWh per year by 2030. The minimum size for non-hydroelectric projects in response to this solicitation is 1 MW.

New York Combined Heat and Power Generation, Deadlines: December 11, 2008; April 16, 2009
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is requesting proposals for distributed generation as combined heat and power (DG-CHP). A total of $25 million is expected to be available, with no individual award exceeding $4 million. DG-CHP that utilizes a renewable energy, such as LFG, is encouraged. The RFP, its appendices and attachments, and more information are available on NYSERDA's Web site.

ONLINE RESOURCES

More Recognition for LMOP Award Winners
As a demonstration of its pride in the winners of last year's LMOP LFGE awards, LMOP authored an article in the April 2008 issue of Waste Age to provide further recognition of its Partners' accomplishments. The article presents case studies of the award winners, which represented both small and large landfills, used a variety of innovative project structures, applied state-of-the-art technology, and found diverse applications for LFG. A PDF version of the article has been posted in the media and press section of LMOP's Documents, Tool, and Resources Web page.

Siemens Highlights South Carolina LFGE Project
LMOP Industry Partner Siemens produced a video about the use of LFG for electricity production. The video highlights a project Siemens developed with LMOP Community Partner Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority in South Carolina. The LFG from Three Rivers' landfill is captured and treated before being transported via a 17-mile pipeline to a Kimberly Clark Company manufacturing facility. More details about the project are also available from Siemen's presentation at the 2008 LMOP Conference (PDF, 18 pp., 398 KB, About PDF).

LFGE Highlighted in Distributed Energy
The May/June 2008 issue of Distributed Energy includes an article by Peter Hildebrand entitled, "Landfill Gas: A Growing Fuel Source for Future Distributed Energy Applications and the Grid." The article discussed LMOP Energy Partner Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative Power's and Industry Partner Allied Waste Services' successful LFGE project at Coffin Butte Landfill near Corvallis, Oregon. The project was undertaken in 1995 as a way to provide a green power option to the cooperatives' consumers. The project expanded in 2007, more than doubling its size.

NEW LMOP PARTNERS

To learn more about these Partners, please visit the Partner page on the LMOP Web site.

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