Anne Germain, the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Technical and Regulatory Affairs at the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), recently testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. During her testimony, she highlighted the industry's efforts to mitigate landfill gas emissions at a hearing titled "Avoiding, Detecting, and Capturing Methane Emissions from Landfills."
Germain expressed that the sector has been advocating for tax credits which have been instrumental in planning multi-billion-dollar investments in biogas processing infrastructure. She stated, "Our sector worked hard to advocate for this tax credit and has relied on the availability of it in planning multi-billion-dollar investments in biogas processing infrastructure." She further noted that substantial investments have been made in surface cover, landfill capping, and landfill gas collection systems that meet or exceed regulatory requirements. Germain added, "We have invested heavily in surface cover, landfill capping, and landfill gas collection systems that meet or exceed regulatory requirements."
Addressing the climate crisis, Germain acknowledged its urgency and expressed optimism about collaborating with Congress, the Administration, and other stakeholders. She said, "Our sector acknowledges that action to address the climate crisis is more necessary than ever, and we look forward to working with Congress, the Administration, and other stakeholders in the evaluation of meaningful policy solutions to capture greater amounts of methane that results from our industry’s provision of necessary and vital public services."
According to an NWRA press release following Germain's January 31 testimony, while acknowledging that addressing climate crisis requires action, she emphasized actions already taken by the industry such as monitoring emissions, making corrections and adopting technologies that convert waste into energy. The association's commitment towards achieving goals set by Global Methane Pledge was also underscored.
In her written testimony cited by NWRA press release , Germain revealed how members are exploring different aerial and ground-based methane emissions measurement approaches developed for other sectors. She also noted the challenges posed by fluctuating landfill emissions due to factors like age and amount of waste, waste composition and weather.
In her testimony, Germain refuted a circulating narrative that air emissions from landfills have increased. She cited Environmental Protection Agency data indicating a decline in landfill air emissions by nearly 45% between 1990 and 2021. Additionally, she discussed a recent proposal by the U.S. Department of Treasury which could significantly limit landfill biogas processing facilities' tax credit eligibility under the Inflation Reduction Act.
