Methane leaks from Michigan landfills pose environmental threat

DETROIT – Methane gas is leaking from Michigan landfills and it poses an environmental threat that goes far beyond our state.

But there’s good news: technology is already available to help fix the problem – it’s just not being used.

At 80 times the potency of carbon dioxide, methane is a potent greenhouse gas. A new study found significant methane leaks at landfills across the country, “including several in Michigan,” according to Katherine Blauvelt, campaign director with Industrious Labs, the nonprofit environmental group that conducted the study. Blauvelt told Local 4 her organization’s in-depth study of landfill methane leaks revealed significant discrepancies between what the landfill operators themselves reported versus what the EPA found.

In Michigan, there are about 60 landfills, and according to the federal Clean Air Act, landfills self-report methane leaks. The EPA is not required to inspect landfills, but occasionally the EPA does conduct landfill inspections. Industrious Labs reviewed numerous EPA landfill inspection reports- including for several Michigan landfills. The group discovered that the EPA found many methane leaks than the landfills reported to the agency.

For example, at Brent Run landfill in Montrose Township, the EPA found excessive methane leaks along with potentially cancer-causing hazardous air pollutants. And at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Macomb County, an unannounced inspection by the EPA found failures of the landfill’s gas collection system and 19 excessive methane leaks.

The problem, according to Industrious Labs, is that federal rules for reporting leaking methane are seriously out-of-date. Landfills are only required to self-report the invisible methane leaks four times each year, using a handheld device.

Blauvelt offered a technical comparison: “I’d say the EPA standards are sort of like a Windows 2000 operating system.”

Carbon Mapper conducts airborne and satellite observation of methane leaks. The group documents the size and location of methane “plumes,” using special photography. Carbon Mapper’s documentation is available to the public; the group provides it for free to decision-makers.

“We can use known technologies to reduce these emissions. So why would we not want to do that,” Scarpelli said.

Landfills are the third biggest source of methane leaks in the U.S. Of all the environmental problems we face, Katherine Blauvelt says the issue of landfill methane leaks is “very solvable.” “It simply takes action by our federal regulators to make it happen,” she said. Local 4 emailed the EPA and asked whether the federal agency has plans to change anything it’s doing with regard to detecting landfill methane leaks. In response, the EPA said:

“Municipal Solid Waste Landfills are a primary focus of the National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative for mitigating climate change. By inspecting landfills, identifying excess emissions, and taking enforcement actions against noncompliant landfills, the Agency is reducing emissions in the sector. When EPA inspectors find exceedances of the surface methane standard during inspections, facilities are obligated to correct and re-monitor these exceedances according to the timelines under the landfills New Source Performance Standards.”

More information about EPA’s NECI plans can be found here.

Scientists who spoke with Local 4 said food waste is the number one cause of landfill methane, because it decays quickly, releasing methane in the process. Food waste makes up about 25 percent of everything that winds up in Michigan landfills.