“Understand and Prepare Now for the CARB Landfill Methane Rule Amendments” is a detailed technical review and summary by Patrick Sullivan, BCES, CPP, REPA. The paper below, along with the companion educational video and slide set, is available free of charge to the public and can serve as a starting point for owners, operators, compliance staff, field technicians, and engineers in landfill and gas management, including energy recovery and renewable natural gas facilities, to begin planning for these amendments.
The rules target steep emissions reductions through enhanced surface monitoring, including drone-mounted scanners, robotic sensors, and remote monitoring, as well as stricter wellhead thresholds, among other measures. The CARB-proposed amendments will have significant impacts on landfill and gas collection and control systems (GCCS). Landfill owners and operators will need to plan and implement measures to comply with these new requirements, including proactive measures that can be deployed to minimize impacts, planning for additional staffing support to complete all of the new monitoring, new or modified GCCS equipment, and other infrastructure that will be needed, and new technology necessary to meet new deadlines. These changes will likely require additional budget and capital investment to meet extensive surface and leak-monitoring and repair protocols, tighter regulatory timelines for installing GCCS, and more frequent and extensive monitoring and analysis of cover integrity, temperature, oxygen, and liquid levels.
This paper and the additional educational resources below are intended to be shared.
The companion educational video and slide set are available free of charge to the public and can serve as a starting point for owners, operators, compliance staff, field technicians, and engineers in landfill and gas management, including energy recovery and renewable natural gas facilities.
