About 100 local government leaders in China took a step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their cities by participating in a workshop conducted by ICMA and co-hosted by the city of Changsha. The workshop focused on management practices and technology for recovering methane gas from landfills for use as a clean energy source.

The workshop was part of ICMA’s Landfill Gas: Creating Green Energy in China program, a public-private Methane to Markets (M2M) Partnership supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). To implement the program, ICMA is working with the Zhongguancun Environmental Protection Industry Promotion Center (Z-Park) as a local partner. Preparation for the workshop was supervised by Lily Luo, Executive Director of China Star, another ICMA partner in China.

Workshop presenters included Robert Agee, former city administrator in Annapolis, Maryland; James Law, SCS Engineers; Judit Deilinger, Director of New Initiatives, ICMA International; Ted Samaras, Executive Director, GPS; Rachel Goldstein, Team Leader, EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program; and representatives from the city of Beijing and from Xebec Engineering Adsorption Solutions.

Topics covered included landfill gas (LFG) capture systems, landfill operation, management issues and techniques, and financing methods. Case studies from Annapolis and Beijing provided examples, and a landfill tour showcased local gas recovery practices.

The ICMA landfill gas program employs the ICMA CityLinks model to share practices developed in U.S. cities and counties with municipalities in other countries. CityLinks partners exchange lessons learned from experience and convey technical information through education, peer assistance, and demonstration. The program is designed to respond to the growing environmental concern about landfill gas emissions by

•  Increasing awareness, knowledge, and technical expertise among Chinese officials about LFG capture and recovery systems and facilitating the implementation of these systems in China
• Leveraging the experience of U.S. local government practitioners to develop cost-effective solutions to reduce methane emissions through the capture and beneficial use of methane from landfills  in China
• Providing avenues for transfer to China of appropriate best practices and technologies from the United States
• Leaving in place a network that will provide a support system among individuals in China and the United States after the program ends.

The EPA/ICMA program supports the Chinese government’s Renewable Energy Policy encouraging the exploitation and use of clean or renewable energy sources.

The goal of USEPA’s M2M program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane and providing clean energy. The goal complements ICMA’s commitment to build sustainable communities.