A landfill is receiving carbon offsets for emissions that were avoided in 2008. Carbonfund.org is certifying the carbon offset project by Casella Waste Systems Inc for a process to capture methane emitted by a landfill in New York.
The Clinton County Landfill Methane Project, near Plattsburgh, N.Y., is receiving credit for methane diverted from January through September 2008, according to a press release. During that time, about 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided, or the same as that emitted by 18,300 cars.
The landfill, which has a system to burn the gas, accepts up to 175,000 tons of solid waste annually.
Carbonfund.org is touting this as the first-ever such project approved by the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program. The approval process began in February of 2009, said Ivan Chan, director of marketing and communications for Carbonfund.org.
The reason that the offsets are being added retroactively has to do with EPA certifying the emissions reduction over a set period of time that must be monitored, Chan said.
Recent improvements at the landfill include a generator that converts the methane into electricity, providing up to five megawatts of power, or enough to power 5,000 homes in the area.
Methane is about 23 times more potent than CO2, according to the release.
