Resource Spotlight
EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program
EPA’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. LMOP forms partnerships with communities, landfill owners, utilities, power marketers, states, project developers, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to overcome barriers to project development by helping them assess project feasibility, find financing, and market the benefits of project development to the community. EPA launched LMOP to encourage productive use of this resource as part of the United States’ commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. LMOP provides services such as:
Technical assistance, guidance materials, and software to assess a potential project’s economic feasibility.
Assistance in creating partnerships and locating financing for projects.
Informational materials to help educate the community and the local media about the benefits of LFG energy.
Networking opportunities with peers and LFG energy experts to allow communities to share challenges and successes.
LMOP consists of four Partner categories and an Endorser category designed to assist different sectors of the LFG community. Through these programs, LMOP works with landfill owners/operators, industry organizations, energy providers and marketers, state agencies, communities, end users, and other stakeholders to help them overcome barriers to LFG energy development.
LMOP Industry Partners provide technical and financial assistance, consulting services, and equipment to help develop LFG as an energy source.
LMOP Energy Partners include power providers, marketers, and energy end users. Power providers and marketers make LFG an attractive part of their green/renewable energy portfolio.
LMOP State Partners encourage coordination among permitting and regulatory offices to lower barriers and increase opportunities for LFG recovery.
LMOP Community Partners develop and publicize LFG use projects.
LMOP Endorsers are nonprofit organizations coordinating with EPA to publicize and promote the use of LFG among their members or constituents.
Benefits of Joining
When you become an LMOP Partner, you will join a vast network of industry experts and practitioners, and gain access to various technical and marketing resources. LMOP’s host of tools can help you identify, develop and promote the benefits of your LFG energy project. Whether you are a landfill owner, project developer, municipal representative, or corporation interested in using LFG, LMOP can provide resources to help you meet your needs. All LMOP Partners have access to some of the following services:
Network of 900+ Partners (and growing)
Newsletter and listserv
Direct project assistance
Technical and outreach publications
Project and candidate landfill database
Website
Support for ribbon-cuttings/other public relations assistance
Presentations at conferences
State training workshops
Becoming a Partner is free and provides additional exposure for your organization. When you join LMOP, you will also have access to the LMOP toolkit designed to help LMOP Partners communicate LFG energy benefits, highlight LMOP participation and develop outreach materials. The LMOP Online Toolkit features sample tools for outreach—including easy-to-use items such as logos, posters and press releases—that you can download. The LMOP Online Toolkit can help you share the good news about LFG energy projects with your community, employees, shareholders, customers, the media and other stakeholders.
How to Join
LMOP consists of an Endorser program and four Partnership programs:
Industry Partners include private landfill owners, developers, consultants, and equipment suppliers. These Partners promote economically and technically sound projects and educate others about the benefits of using LFG as an energy resource.
Energy Partners include power providers, marketers, and energy end users. Power providers and marketers make LFG an attractive part of their green/renewable energy portfolios. Energy end users provide information about the economic, environmental, and societal benefits of using LFG.
State Partners include state air and solid waste departments, energy and economic development offices, universities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These groups work to encourage coordination among permitting and regulatory offices to lower barriers and increase opportunities for LFG recovery.
Community Partners include local, county, and regional governments, public landfill owners, and nonprofit organizations that develop and publicize LFG use projects. Community Partners work to promote their projects and their participation in LMOP through the development of case studies and community outreach activities.
Endorsers include local, state, regional, and national nonprofit organizations with influence over land use, waste management, or energy use decisions.
You can complete your MOU or Agreement on line, or you can simply print the MOU or Agreement and mail or fax it to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change Division, Attn: Landfill Methane Outreach Program, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (MC 6207J), Washington, DC 20460-0001; Fax: 202-343-2202.
Expect to receive your welcome e-mail and hardcopy packet about six weeks after you submit your Partner MOU or Endorser Agreement. Your organization name and contact information will be listed on the appropriate LMOP Partner Web page six weeks to two months after you join.
For more information, call (202) 343-9391 or visit www.epa.gov/lmop.
Sidebar
International Activities
LMOP’s efforts to promote LFG recovery and use extends beyond U.S. borders. Internationally, LMOP works with organizations to promote LFG recovery and use by offering a variety of outreach, education, and technical assistance services to countries interested in LFG energy project development. LMOP has assessed the technical and economic feasibility of LFG energy project development at selected landfills in a number of countries around the world — conducting energy project assessments and outreach and trainings in major cities, as well as developing international LFG generation models.
More recently, EPA has been working with the Global Methane Initiative—an international initiative that focuses on advancing cost-effective, near-term methane recovery and use as a clean energy source. Since the Partnership’s November 2004 launch, nearly 40 countries and the European Commission countries have joined the initiative to target methane capture and use opportunities from landfills, agriculture, underground coal mines, and oil and natural gas systems. This voluntary initiative builds on the successful work done by LMOP as well as its sister programs, the Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP), AgSTAR and the Gas STAR Program.
If you are interested in learning more about our international efforts and are currently developing, or considering developing, LFG energy projects outside of the United States, visit www.globalmethane.org.
Sidebar
As of July 2011, there are 558 operational LFG energy projects in the U.S. and approximately 510 landfills that are good candidates for projects.
Of the 2,400 or so currently operating or recently closed MSW landfills in the U.S, more than 520 have LFG use projects. EPA estimates that approximately 510 additional MSW landfills could turn their gas into energy, producing enough electricity to power 690,000 homes.