The U.S. EPA has announced that for the very first time, a U.S. manufacturing facility will be built adjacent to a landfill, specifically so that the plant can use the landfill methane for fuel. Jenkins Brick Company is building a $56 million plant in Alabama next to the landfill, which will initially obtain 40% of its energy from the landfill. As the landfill grows in size with added trash, the plant intends to satisfy 100% of its energy needs via the landfill methane; this should happen within about 10 years. This project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equivalent to planting 14,700 acres of forest. This project was accomplished through the EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program and the pairing of Jenkins Brick and Veolia, owner of the landfill.

This project will add some jobs--about 55--but the economic reach of this concept could be far greater. Imagine having companies throughout this country using solely renewable energy and having no reliance on foreign oil or other fossil fuel supply for their stability and growth. It doesn't sound like Jenkins Brick is a publicly traded company, but for others that are, having a plant positioned next to a landfill could mean a lot of reassurance to investors and the stock market in general. No matter what the political climate and the effect on global energy supplies, there will always be garbage that creates methane--this we can definitely count on. As such, Jenkins Brick can probably expect fairly stable energy bills, since its source is right next door. There doesn't seem to be much volatility or concerns about how it will continue operations if its energy needs increase, as the landfill will correspondingly increase in size with added garbage.

In terms of the environmental standpoint, this project sounds great, as well, given that this manufacturing plant will actually work to clean the air, by reducing a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. Along with that huge bonus, placing factories near landfills seems like a great idea as it could serve to buffer residential areas; without these plants being proposed, landfills might otherwise be placed near homes, which creates the risk of groundwater contamination and other pollutants entering these residential communities.

All in all, I am very excited about this landfill project and I hope that other industries will do the same rather than looking to coal or oil to supply energy for their operations. Rather than compounding pollution problems, industries now have a chance to actually reduce air pollution by using methane from landfills.