It will be interesting to watch how the recently submitted EPA rules to the White House drive new dialogue among business leaders on how reporting requirements will affect bottom lines. How will the new “tailoring rules” ultimately apply?
The Wall Street Journal reports: “EPA officials say the agency wants to finalize the rule by the end of April, but that timetable may slip into May. The EPA said earlier this year that the first phase would likely target facilities that emit more than 75,000 to 100,000 tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent a year starting in 2011. The agency hasn’t yet made clear the exact first-phase threshold.”
Landfills may be particularly impacted and would present a valuable opportunity for municipal leaders to explore how the SWAP could be implemented to safely and cheaply process landfill gas (LFG) for power. A recent article from the New York Times delves into the broad potential impact of these rules.
In the United States alone, there were more than 3,500 landfills in operation as documented by the EPA in 1995. In 2003, we generated 236.2 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), an increase of 15 percent above 1990 levels and 168 percent above 1980 levels. The number of landfill gas projects that generate electricity on-site, supply industrial gas-fired boilers, or produce substitute natural gas rules, such as compressed natural gas (CNG) jumped from approximately 400 in 2005 to 519 in 2009.
Many landfills are now accepting large quantities of construction and demolition debris in addition to MSW, which in sufficient quantities results in landfill gases with relatively high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). H2S is generally the byproduct of bacterial decomposition of construction wastes, particularly drywall containing calcium sulfate. There is an interesting article from Environmental Leader on H2S and potential reporting requirements this month.
Landfill gas cleanup is likely to experience significant growth in the future as a renewable energy option. Each landfill is normally a stand-alone operation close to an urban location. Integrating SWAP technology at these locations, it is believed, would require minimal interface activities with existing processes.
H2S, sometimes known as “sewer gas,” is the oil and gas industry’s enemy No. 1. A chief part of the refining process is removing sulfur and H2S from raw streams to be able to bring refined natural gas to market. So yes, natural gas should play a fundamental role in any low-carbon policy proposed. But this is possible only if more attention is paid to technological advances in refining it.
As we look toward 
But there is obviously another force at work that will likely impact the world markets outside he supply question – Congress is considering legislation to mandate lower emissions from industry either through European “cap and trade” schemes or an outright tax. Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson said in a speech at an APEC summit in Singapore that he advocates for a carbon tax rather than carbon trading.
