First-ever EPA Climate Leader-approved offset project battles climate change

Carbonfund.org has just announced the launch of the first-ever EPA Climate Leaders approved carbon offset project- the Clinton County Landfill Methane Project. Within nine months the project prevented over 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from over 18,300 passenger vehicles.

Carbonfund.org, a leading nonprofit carbon offset and climate solutions organization, is offering offsets from the project to businesses and individuals at the organization’s website, www.carbonfund.org/climateleaders.

The project, located near Plattsburgh, NY, is a landfill methane collection and destruction system. Recent improvements to the project have added a gas-to-energy plant producing approximately 5 megawatts of clean energy that can supply the electricity needs of 5,000 households. Casella, a charter member of the EPA Climate Leaders program and the only solid waste and resource management company in the program, developed the project.

“We are excited to support the first-ever EPA Climate Leaders approved carbon offset project,” said Eric Carlson, president of Carbonfund.org. “Climate change affects every one of us, and we all must be part of the solution. Projects like Clinton County are reducing emissions today and hastening our transition to a low-carbon future.”

The Clinton County Landfill Methane Project is located at a 70-acre facility permitted to accept 175,000 tons of solid waste per year. At the site, decomposing organic material such as paper and food produce landfill gas, a portion of which is methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is about 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. By combusting the gas, the project keeps the methane out of the atmosphere, thereby dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The offsets currently available through Carbonfund.org represent methane destruction that occurred between January and September 2008. It is estimated that over 100,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided in the period, equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from over 18,300 passenger vehicles.

The EPA Climate Leaders program is a partnership between industry and government that works with companies to develop climate change strategies. Partner companies commit to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions based on a quality management system, setting reduction goals, and annually reporting progress on emissions reductions to EPA.

To learn more about the project, check out www.carbonfund.org/climateleaders.