Today, Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan calling for a robust allocation of federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) toward improving and refining techniques to monitor methane emissions from landfills.
According to a study from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, emissions from landfills in four major cities worldwide were about twice as high as previously estimated. This suggests a concerning undercounting of landfill methane emissions.
"Recent federal investments provide the opportunity to improve national measurement and monitoring techniques for methane emissions from landfills and other key emission sources," said Rep. McEachin (VA-04). Notably, Section 60105 of the Inflation Reduction Act appropriates $20 million specifically for monitoring methane emissions. As EPA works to implement this historic legislation, I urge you to allocate adequate funding towards the development of methods to measure and monitor methane emissions from landfills more accurately."
Methane emissions are one of the largest and most severe contributors to global warming. Over the last two centuries, methane concentrations in the atmosphere have more than doubled, largely due to human-related activities.
"Within the Fourth District of Virginia, there are several key sources of methane emissions which may present useful test cases as EPA develops it methane monitoring capabilities," continued Rep. McEachin (VA-04). "These include the Atlantic Waste Disposal Landfill, Charles City County Landfill, and Shoosmith Sanitary Landfill. In addition to landfills, agricultural operations are known to be key methane emitters and hog farms in Virginia and in the Southeast may present an opportunity to pilot improved measurement methods."