SACRAMENTO /California Newswire/ — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today celebrated the opening of the world’s largest landfill gas to liquefied natural gas (LFG-to-LNG) facility in California, the Waste Management Altamont Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility in Livermore. The plant, put together by partners Waste Management, Linde-BOC and Gas Technology Institute, is designed to produce up to 13,000 gallons of LNG a day and is expected to reduce 30,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
“As California continues to move forward with its nation-leading policies to fight global warming, we need a diverse, dependable and environmentally sound mix of energy supplies to meet the needs of our people and our economy,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I am pleased to see the market responding as California continues to attract and grow more clean-tech and green-tech businesses and projects just like this LNG facility that will provide consumers with a cleaner-burning, alternative fuel source.”
The Altamont facility project is capable of creating clean vehicle fuel by collecting gas from the natural decomposition of organic landfill waste. The state helped bring this environmentally-friendly project to life with over $1 million in state funding, including a $600,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Alternative Fuels Incentive Program, which is intended to help promote the use of new fuel sources, and $740,000 from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
“I’m pleased to celebrate the opening of this new facility that’s quite literally turning trash into fuel, and helping us reach our environmental goals by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and creating a healthier atmosphere for all Californians,” said CARB Chair Mary Nichols, who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Altamont facility today.
The Governor has a strong and proven commitment to all clean energy that will create jobs, influence national policies and create a cleaner environment for future generations. Some of the Governor’s most ambitious actions include:
· Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32): AB 32 established a first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. The law will reduce carbon emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020.
· Million Solar Roofs Initiative: The Governor’s $2.9 billion incentive plan for home and building owners who install solar electric systems, now known as the California Solar Initiative, will lead to one million solar roofs in California by the year 2018, provide 3,000 megawatts of clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million tons.
· Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS): California’s LCFS requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in the state, dramatically expanding the market for alternative fuels. To start, the LCFS will reduce carbon content in all passenger vehicle fuels sold in California by at least 10 percent by 2020 and more thereafter.
· Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS): Governor Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order directing CARB to adopt regulations increasing California’s RPS to 33 percent by 2020.
· Automobile Emissions Standards: After years of fighting the federal government for the authority to implement our greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted California’s waiver and the Obama Administration adopted it for the country.
· Alternative and Renewable Fuels Vehicle Technology Program: In 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 118 by Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez which established the Alternative and Renewable Fuels Vehicle Technology Program to fund the Research and Development of new technologies.
To help meet the state’s landmark environmental goals, CARB also passed a regulation earlier this year that requires other landfills throughout the state not already capturing methane to do so by 2012, reducing 1.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere.
Governor Schwarzenegger also last week applauded Pacific Gas & Electric commitment to increase the amount of net metering for rooftop solar in its territory from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent to ensure that solar investment continues to grow.
