U.s. announces new steps on waste methane at cop28
It’s been a big moment for action on global methane emissions, with the U.S. announcing finalized rules to slash methane emissions from oil and gas sectors, along with many other actions as part of the COP28 Global Methane Pledge Ministerial. The U.S. State Department’s just-published fact sheet on the Ministerial lists those global actions, and addressing landfill methane emissions made the list:
“The United States announced new steps on waste methane. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning a rulemaking to review and, if appropriate, revise its Clean Air Act emission standards for new and existing municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, considering new monitoring technology, incentivization of organics waste diversion, and emissions controls at landfills not covered by current regulations. In 2024, EPA will release updates on emissions estimates for MSW landfills. In addition, the United States released for public comment a draft national strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics in line with its 2030 50% food loss and waste reduction goal.”
After so many organizations and elected officials have been calling for action, it’s particularly heartening to see a direct acknowledgement of specifics needed such as addressing the fact that many landfills producing methane aren’t under current regulations, the need to divert organics and include modern monitoring technology. We’re glad the Biden Administration is seriously considering common-sense solutions to curb methane emissions from landfills. Now, we need them to move quickly from consideration to action.
