overview of the climate action reserve: opportunities for landfill operators

8/3/2019 Overview of the Climate Action Reserve: Opportunities for Landfill Operators

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Protocols

Overview o the Climate Action Reserve:Opportunities or Landfll Operators

| Max DuBuisson |

There is an acTive and growing markeT

or carbon credits in the U.S., and landll owners/

operators need to be aware o the opportunities that

this may present or their businesses. Though we

do not yet have a nationwide cap-and-trade system,

there is an active voluntary market or carbon credits

(millions o dollars and millions o credits were traded

in 2009) and momentum is gaining behind various

proposals or compliance systems. It is only a matter

o time beore we have a national compliance program

or greenhouse gas emissions, and this will likely

include a large market or oset credits.

Project ProtocolsThe Climate Action Reserve is a non-prot,

national osets program working to ensure integrity,

transparency and nancial value in the U.S. carbon

market. It does this by establishing regulatory-quality standards or the development, quantication

and verication o greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

reduction projects in North America; issuing carbon

oset credits known as Climate Reserve Tonnes

(CRT) generated rom such projects; and tracking

the transaction o credits over time in a transparent,

publicly-accessible system. Adherence to the Reserve’s

high standards ensures that emissions reductions

associated with projects are real, permanent and

additional, thereby instilling condence in the

environmental benet, credibility and eciency o

the U.S. carbon market.

The Reserve’s project protocols are developed in

an open, stakeholder-driven process, ensuring the

creation o uniorm standards with wide applicability

and acceptance, and building on the best practices

rom existing methodologies when available. The

Landll Project Protocol was originally adopted in

November o 2007, and is currently on version 3.0

(adopted December o 2009). This protocol allows orcrediting o the collection and destruction o methane

rom landll gas (LFG) at certain landlls. Methane

The Landfll Project

Protocol, originally adopted

in November o 2007, is

currently on version 3.0

(adopted December o

2009). This proTocolallows for crediTing

of The meThane gas

ThaT is collecTed

and desTroyed from

cerTain landfills.

The steps for Project Developers to earn CRTs through the Climate Action Reserve.

30 WasteAdvantage Magazine February 2010

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WasteAdvantage Magazine February 2010 31

is a potent GHG, 21 times more potent than CO2. Thus, each metric ton o

reductions in methane results in 21 oset credits.

As o mid-January 2010, 123 landlls have been submitted to the Reserveor consideration. O these, 20 have successully completed the verication

process and have received credits, and 82 have been publicly listed and are now

seeking verication. The Reserve has issued 1,212,088 landll CRTs (one CRT

is equal to one metric ton o CO2e).

Is Your Landfll Eligible?There are a ew basic eligibility requirements or every oset project protocol.

• Location: Landlls must be located in the U.S. or its territories (there is a

separate protocol available or landlls located in Mexico).• Start date: You must submit your paperwork no later than six months ater

the day your gas collection and destruction system became operational.

• Regulatory test: The installation o your active LFG system must not have

been required by any legally-binding mandate, be it local, state or ederal. I

you are subject to NSPS/EG (New Source Perormance Standards and Emission

Guidelines) under the USEPA, your eligibility ends on the date that the system

is mandated to be installed.

• Performance standard: Landlls must install an active gas collection system,

and the ultimate ate o the methane must be destruction. This includes both

onsite destruction (fares, generators, turbines, uel cells) and osite destruction

(pipeline, vehicle uel). I there was any pre-existing passive destruction

occurring on the landll, this must be deducted rom the gas destroyed in the

active system going orward.

• Regulatory compliance: Your landll must also be in compliance all otherapplicable regulations in order to receive credits.

How Does the Process Work?The process is very straightorward. Landll operators may want to develop

the carbon credits themselves, or they may want to work through a carbon

project developer. The rst step is to open an account with the Climate

Action Reserve and submit your paperwork. This includes a Landll Project

Submission Form and an Attestation o Title to the carbon credits. I your

project is eligible, it will then be publicly listed in the Reserve’s projectregistry. A landll is eligible to receive carbon credits or 10 years rom their

start date, or up until the date they ail the regulatory test, whichever is rst.

The next step is verication o the gas destruction. There are a number o

consulting rms that are approved verication bodies. Verication must occur at

least once every 12 months, but you may have it done more requently i you would

like to earn CRTs more oten. Ater you have destroyed the methane, you will

calculate your total based on the guidance in the protocol. The verier will then

visit your landll and go through your data to check your calculations. I they

agree with your total then they will submit the verication report and opinion to

the Reserve or approval, ater which the CRTs will be credited into your account.

Successul verication relies on clean, complete and accurate data keeping at

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the landll. The protocol requires that you meter the fow

o LFG to each destruction device in the system, as well

as the methane concentration (corrected or temperature

and pressure). There are also requirements that must be

ollowed regarding equipment calibration, inspection,

cleaning, etc. Each project must have a monitoring plan

detailing how you will be recording and storing your data.

How to Get StartedI you are considering installing an active LFG system and

seeking carbon credits, the rst thing you should do is read

the Landll Project Protocol v3.0. It is available or downloadrom at www.climateactionreserve.org/how/protocols/

adopted/landll/current-landll-project-protocol/. Make

sure you design your system and procedures to meet all the

necessary monitoring and metering requirements so that

you are not missing any data when it is time or verication.

The Reserve also oers a ree, introductory Webinar during

the rst week o each month; look or it on the Events

Calendar (www.climateactionreserve.org/news-and-events/

events/event-calendar/).

An average-sized landll can easily generate tens o

thousands o CRTs each year, which can be a signicant

source o revenue to help deray the capital costs o

installing the LFG system. Depending on your location

and conditions, there may also be opportunities or

revenues rom electricity or gas sales. There are numerous

consultants and project developers working on these

projects around the country. A list o all o the companies

that are participating in the Reserve program, as well as

projects that have been accepted, is available at https://

thereserve1.apx.com/mymodule/mypage.asp. From the

list o projects, you can also view the documentation or

other landlls in the program and see what inormation isrequired to submit your own project. | WA

Max DuBuisson is the Business Development Associate

for the Climate Action Reserve. Max works on the growth and

development of the Reserve through public outreach. He serves as

a source for inquiries and information for interested stakeholders,

especially concerning methane destruction projects. Max has

been with the Reserve since 2008. He can be reached at (213)

785-1233, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.

climateactionreserve.org/how/protocols/ for more information on

all of the Reserve’s project protocols.

32 WasteAdvantage Magazine February 2010

o t clt at r: otut Lfll ot

Offset projects that are either Listed or Registered with the Climate Action Reserve as of January 15, 2010. The updated, interactive version of thismap can be found at www.climateactionreserve.org/how/projects/.

organic

wasTe digesTion

These projects credit

or avoided emissions

by diverting MSW ood

waste rom landflls to

an anaerobic digester.

They can also include

certain agro-industrial

wastewater streams

or livestock manure

co-digestion.

composTing

The Reserve began

development o a

composting protocol in

December and expects

to have it fnished and

adopted this summer.

This protocol will give

credit or MSW ood waste

diverted rom landflls to

composting acilities.

Waste

DiversionProtocols

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©2010 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved.Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine.Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.

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