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 resource. 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 2021
- Reduced methane emissions from hundreds of U.S. landfills and avoided CO2 emissions totaling approximately 27.1 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2021. The nationwide total of all projects operating during 2021 was 546; LMOP provided assistance to a subset of these projects.
- Over the past 27 years, LMOP has assisted a total of 712 LFG energy projects which have collectively reduced and avoided more than 608 MMTCO2e since the program began.
- Welcomed seven new LMOP Partners.
LMOP Annual Emission Reductions (2000-2021)
| 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 |
| 2019 | 37.37 |
| 2020 | 33.83 |
| 2021 | 27.07 |
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 2021 (27.1 MMTCO2e) are approximately equivalent to either of the following:
