Regulating Bioreactor Landfills to Decrease Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Provide an Alternative Energy Source

Most household garbage in the United States is disposed of in landfills. The decomposition of our nation's trash in landfills creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. This gas could be captured and used as a source of energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of dirty energy sources like coal-fired power plants. Bioreactor landfills make landfill gas-to-energy facilities more profitable by using liquid to speed the decomposition of waste and creation of methane. Current Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") regulations, however, restrict the use of liquids in landfills, limiting the application of this technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. This Note argues that EPA should amend its landfill regulations to provide an exception to the liquids restriction, allowing for the use of bioreactor technology to create landfill gas energy. This would encourage landfill owners and operators to build more gas-to-energy facilities, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing an alternative source of energy. Bioreactor technology provides additional community, environmental, and economic benefits that could be realized through the proposed regulatory change.