Accomplishments of the Landfill Methane Outreach Program
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Landfill gas (LFG) energy projects prevent direct methane emissions from landfills and reduce indirect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by displacing energy generated from the burning of fossil fuels with LFG, an alternative energy source. Through the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), EPA provides landfill owners and operators a suite of tools and technical resources to help them overcome the obstacles to developing LFG energy projects. LMOP provides technical assistance to both smaller landfills not covered by EPA regulations and larger, regulated operations that are combusting their gas but not yet using it as a clean energy source.
Achievements in 2018
- Reduced methane emissions from hundreds of U.S. landfills and avoided CO2 emissions totaling approximately 40.5 MMTCO2e in 2018. Over the past 24 years, LMOP has assisted 682 LFG energy projects (the nationwide total of all projects operating during 2018 was 587). The 682 LMOP-assisted projects have collectively reduced and avoided more than 510 MMTCO2e since the program began.
- Welcomed 6 new LMOP Partners.
LMOP Annual Emission Reductions (2000-2018)
| Year | Methane and CO2 Emission Reductions (MMTCO2e) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.80 |
| 2001 | 12.42 |
| 2002 | 15.35 |
| 2003 | 15.69 |
| 2004 | 16.31 |
| 2005 | 16.68 |
| 2006 | 17.57 |
| 2007 | 20.39 |
| 2008 | 21.25 |
| 2009 | 22.93 |
| 2010 | 25.14 |
| 2011 | 27.61 |
| 2012 | 29.56 |
| 2013 | 40.26 |
| 2014 | 39.50 |
| 2015 | 38.88 |
| 2016 | 42.49 |
| 2017 | 42.67 |
| 2018 | 40.54 |
Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
It is helpful to think of the environmental benefits of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in more relatable terms by using EPA's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. The total estimated emission reductions from LMOP-assisted projects in 2018 (40.5 MMTCO2e) are approximately equivalent to either of the following:
CO2 emissions from nearly 4.7 million homes' energy use for one year
Carbon sequestered by nearly 670 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years