Dive Brief:

• New Jersey legislature is mulling a bill that would provide renewable energy certificates to facilities that report losses stemming from gas-to-energy endeavors.
• The main focus of Assembly Bill 3358 is to to defray the costs associated with complying with the state’s environmental standards. According to lobbyist Fred DeSanti, New Jersey’s standards are four times stronger than federal regulations. 
• As a result of the stringent federal regulations, some landfills are requesting the aid in an effort to compensate for the high cost of maintaining older systems, which frequently experience ongoing issues due to outdated technology, but are necessary to meet regulations. 

Dive Insight:

According to DeSanti, New Jersey landfills only receive 5% of the credits needed to meet the state regulations. If the bill doesn’t pass, some landfills could be forced to stop methane capture, while others may be forced to end waste-to-energy projects.