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 Documents, Tools and Resources
Green Knight Economic Development Project
Developing Local Economies and Protecting the Environment
The towns of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl, and Plainfield Township in Northampton
County, Pennsylvania, are known as the “Slate Belt.” In recent
years, local industries that once provided jobs and economic stability
to residents, such as quarry, textile, ladies garment, and railroad industries,
have declined. A number of local initiatives are underway to help boost
economic development, including a landfill gas energy (LFGE) project.
Waste Management, Inc. (WMI) owns and operates a local landfill where
landfill gas had been flared for years. WMI, however, was looking for
ways to put the gas to more productive use. While they could have captured
the gas and sold it for profit, WMI chose to involve and benefit the local
community. A volunteer task force, comprised of residents served by three
municipalities and WMI, conceived the innovative idea to create an independent,
nonprofit corporation—the Green Knight Economic Development Corporation
(GKEDC)—that would own the power production facility and use the
revenue from the sale of the electricity to fund local economic development
efforts. This project earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA’s) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) Project of the
Year Award in 2000.
GKEDC’s mission is to promote economic development within the
three towns. Each town has equal representation on the board, which determines
how to invest the revenue from selling the gas. Because GKEDC is a nonprofit
organization, they are also eligible for project development grants and
subsidies.
WMI’s Grand Central Sanitary Landfill generates more than 6.5 million
cubic feet of landfill gas daily. WMI designed and operates a 10 MW power
plant on site, which GKEDC owns. GKEDC received a $9.2 million loan from
a local bank to construct the LFGE facility, with WMI guaranteeing the
loan. GKEDC sells the power to a local utility, then uses the proceeds
to develop projects that benefit the three municipalities comprising the
Pen Argyl School District. In March 2001, GKEDC began selling energy to
Exelon Power Team, an energy marketer. GKEDC used the profits from the
sale to fund local economic development and civic/educational projects.
Because the plant was designed and constructed to be readily retrofitted
with heat recovery equipment, it has the potential produce thermal energy
that can be sold to any industry sited nearby.
This project resulted in economic, social, and environmental benefits.
GKEDC’s nonprofit status allows them to perform important actions
that would not be viable for WMI, such as soliciting donations, seeking
grants, and applying for government subsidies. Most importantly, GKEDC’s
organizational structure puts the local community in charge of its own
economic redevelopment. In addition, the project reduces methane emissions
from the landfill and generates a source of clean, renewable energy.
Summary of Benefits
- Provides funding for local economic development
- Empowers the community
- Promotes public-private cooperation
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Generates clean, renewable energy
What Is Landfill Gas?
Most of the waste we generate ends up in landfills,
where it decomposes and produces landfill gas. Landfill gas released
into the air smells bad, contributes to local smog, and is an explosion
hazard. Additionally, landfill gas is about 50 percent methane,
a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change.
However, this methane is also a reliable and renewable fuel source
that, if not collected, goes to waste. |
LMOP is a voluntary program that assists project developers, utilities,
landfill owners/operators, energy users, and communities to encourage
new LFGE projects. LMOP has developed a variety of tools (e.g., profiles,
fact sheets, project development manuals, and software) to facilitate
the development of LFGE projects. Hundreds of landfills across the country—and
around the world—are good candidates for a LFGE project. To find out more, please contact LMOP.
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