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Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions both in the U.S. and globally. These emissions heat the atmosphere at about 80 times the rate of carbon dioxide over 20 years, but the methane that rises from the decomposing food and organic waste that ends up in landfills has thus far received much less attention in the fight against climate change than methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure. Under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is tasked with d...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s method of detecting methane leaks at landfills is flawed, and emissions of this powerful heat-trapping gas are likely much higher than what is being reported, according to a new study analyzing landfills in Illinois and seven other states.Released Thursday by the environmental nonprofit Industrious Labs, the study is the most recent of several reports that show landfill operators are likely understating their annual emissions to the federal government a...

Last month, Tom Koutroulis, director of Orange County Waste & Recycling, signed off on a grant request that he hopes could fundamentally change how America handles one of the oldest but least understood drivers of global warming: garbage.It isn’t a huge ask as these things go; $25 million from a $5 billion fund overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency. The money would pay for what Koutroulis calls the “Smart Landfill System,” essentially a cluster of new technologies (specially equipped d...

Most Americans are unaware that reducing methane emissions is the single most impactful action we can take right now to slow global warming.This super-pollutant’s ability to trap heat and warm the planet is about 80 times greater than carbon dioxide. When people think of methane, it’s often of belching cows or leaking pipes, but our trash piling up in landfills is actually the third largest source of human-caused methane pollution in the United States.The California Air Resources Board (CARB) se...

When it comes to clean energy policy, legislative solutions are often in the spotlight. While legislation has a vital role to play in advancing our energy transition, there is an equally crucial, and often much less visible, path away from fossil fuels and toward a brighter, cleaner future. That path runs directly through state energy regulatory bodies, like public service or utility commissions. Regulation is where some of the most impactful decisions on energy generation, costs, and consumptio

From passing a landmark 100% carbon-free commitment to expanding solar access, Minnesota has stood out this year as a national leader in advancing clean energy. These legislative victories were years in the making and have the potential to usher in a resilient, clean energy future for Minnesota. But passing bills — no matter how transformative — is only one piece of the pie. Building on our clean energy momentum also requires leadership from the state’s energy regulatory body, the Public Utilit