Methane International

Issue 14, August 2009

Registration for the 2010 Partnership Expo in India to Open Soon

Registration will soon be available for the 2010 Methane to Markets Partnership Expo, scheduled to take place 2-5 March 2010 in New Delhi, India. The Partnership Expo will promote methane recovery and use project opportunities and technologies. Participants will be able showcase their methane mitigation projects and technologies as well as learn about the latest advances in the field. This second Partnership Expo will also facilitate interaction among participants and potential project partners, financiers, and high-level government representatives. More than 1000 attendees from around the world are expected!

Submit an Abstract
The due date for abstracts for the Expo is being extended! One-page presentation abstracts for the Partnership Expo are now being accepted through 30 October 2009. Pick from such topics as agricultural sources, coal mining, landfills, or oil and natural gas systems, or develop an abstract on any number of cross-cutting issues. All submitters will be contacted by 1 December 2009. Read more about how to submit an abstract or presentation for the Partnership Expo.

Call for Projects
The Methane to Markets Partnership has issued its call for projects. If you are interested in having your project showcased during the 2010 Expo, please download and complete the appropriate template for your sector and send it to the Administrative Support Group. Critical information about relevant projects will be prominently displayed in poster format in New Delhi. The deadline for project template submission is 15 November 2009.

Sponsor the Expo
The Methane to Markets Partnership Expo is the world's largest and most prestigious international gathering for methane professionals. Become a Partnership Expo sponsor and raise your organization's profile at this forum. You will receive prime space to display specific project opportunities and technologies and many other benefits. Application forms and details are now available (PDF, 4 pp, 56 KB).

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Welcome Gina McCarthy, New Steering Committee Chair

Please join us in welcoming a new Steering Committee Chair , Ms. Gina McCarthy. Ms. McCarthy has more than 25 years experience working on environmental issues, including serving most recently as the Commissioner for the State of Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection , where she played a leading role in creating the United States' first market-based greenhouse gas emissions cap and trade program. In her new post as Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation , Ms. McCarthy will help lead Methane to Markets as the Partnership renews the Terms of Reference and looks to build on its significant achievements.

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United States to Host Steering Committee Meeting

The next Steering Committee meeting will take place in Washington, D.C., on 10-11 September 2009. Participants will focus on planning for the future of the Partnership, continuing discussions begun at the January 2009 Steering Committee meeting that affect the Partnership and its strategic direction. Stay tuned for more details on outcomes from this important meeting.

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Subcommittee Meetings to Convene in September and October

All four subcommittees are preparing for their annual meetings. On 3 September 2009, the Agriculture Subcommittee meeting will be held in conjunction with the International Conference on Water Pollution Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation (PDF, 2 pp, 20 KB) in Guangzhou, China. The Oil and Gas Subcommittee meeting will be held on 14-16 September 2009 at Lake Louise, Canada. In addition to the meeting, attendees are invited to participate in a site tour and a technology transfer workshop. The Landfill Subcommittee meeting will be held on 21 September 2009 in conjunction with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) WasteCon 2009 in Long Beach, California. Finally, the Coal Mine Subcommittee meeting will be held on 12-13 October 2009 in conjunction with the 5th Meeting of the UNECE Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane in Geneva, Switzerland. Don't miss these opportunities to participate!

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Welcome, Georgia

On 6 August 2009, Methane to Markets welcomed its newest Partner Country, Georgia. Georgia joins 29 other Partner Countries working to reduce methane around the world. Georgia will be joining the Coal Mine and Oil and Gas Systems Subcommittees in an effort to reduce methane emissions from both coal mines and oil and gas production within the country.

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Ukraine Passes Coal Mine Methane Legislation

In June 2009, Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko signed important coal mine legislation that includes a tax exemption for Ukrainian coal mine methane projects. Starting in 2010 and continuing through January 2020, profits from the production and use of coal mine methane earned by Ukrainian enterprises will no longer be subject to taxation. Additionally, the Ukrainian National Electricity Regulatory Commission is authorized to set price limits for methane if its production is funded from the state budget. The government plans to grant state support and guarantees to the producers and suppliers of energy from coal mine methane to help increase the production and use of methane from coal deposits. Read more about this important piece of legislation .

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Methane to Markets at Copenhagen for COP15

The Methane to Markets' Administrative Support Group is preparing to have the Partnership featured at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's next meeting of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Last year, Poland sponsored a very successful side event featuring Methane to Markets, and the Administrative Support Group is looking for a sponsor for this year. The conference convenes on 7-18 December 2009. The application period for side events is early September.

Interested in sponsoring Methane to Markets at a side event? Please contact Ashley King at asg@methanetomarkets.org.

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News and Announcements

• New Methane to Markets Web Site to Debut Soon. Our new Web site is coming soon! The redesigned Web site will include new features to better serve our multi-national, multi-lingual, and multi-disciplinary community. New Web 2.0 features will allow users to share Methane to Markets activities with others as well as translate content into dozens of languages. Updates will also be made to home pages, country detail pages, and the sector landing pages to make information easily accessible.
• Partnership Accomplishments Report. Work is underway to publish the first Methane to Markets Partnership Accomplishments Report later this year. The report will summarize the Partnership's collective accomplishments and global impact since 2004. It will describe representative projects and activities and present the latest statistics. Additionally, the report covers Partner Country activities as well as an overview of subcommittee actions and achievements

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Recent Developments

• U.S. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) Participates in International Activities. In April 2009, LMOP conducted a training session on landfill operations in Cordoba, Argentina. The session was organized by the Association for the Research of Solid Waste and the Secretariat of Environment . While in Argentina, LMOP also met with representatives of the Secretariat of Environment and the Secretariat of Energy to discuss strategies for developing landfill gas (LFG) projects and offering additional training. LMOP also promoted the development of LFG energy projects in Brazil and discussed developing landfill assessment reports and conducting training workshops in the future.
• Article in New Scientist Highlights Need to Reduce Methane. In June 2009, New Scientist published an article titled, "Methane Controls Before Risky Geoengineering, Please." The article explains the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions other than carbon dioxide (CO₂), such as methane. Since methane traps heat more than CO₂ and has a shorter lifespan, methane is a good target for emission reductions. According to the article, "the technology already exists, and [methane] reductions would be politically and economically easier to implement."
• Anaerobic Digestion (AD) in Argentina. In June 2009, Methane to Markets, along with the Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable , Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca y Alimentos , Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria , and Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial held a workshop about AD project opportunities in Argentina. The workshop included presentations as well as a site tour to an anaerobic digester in Marcos Paz, Argentina. This coincided with a new Methane to Markets report on AD in Argentina, entitled "Resource Assessment for Livestock and Agro-Industrial Wastes-Argentina (PDF, 76 pp, 2MB)." The report identifies the potential for incorporating AD into livestock manure and agro-industrial waste management systems and illustrates how these measures reduce methane emissions and provide a domestic, renewable source of energy. The report includes a resource assessment, discusses the most attractive sectors and locations, and prioritizes the sectors by potential methane emissions reductions.
• Methane to Markets Visits the Poland to Co-Host LFG Workshop. In July 2009, Methane to Markets-in partnership with the Oil and Gas Institute in Poland (Instytut Nafty i Gazu)-hosted a workshop for municipal landfill operators and public works officials. Held in Krakow, Poland, the workshop focused on LFG project operations, management improvements, assessment, technologies, and financing. More than 12 municipalities, representing different regions throughout Poland, participated.
• Methane to Markets Helps Develop the Philippines' Implementation Plan. In July 2009, Under Secretaries from the Philippines Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources met with project developers, representatives from the World Bank , and other stakeholders to develop a coordinated program to reduce methane emissions from the livestock and agro-industrial waste sector. They also toured a local distillery and swine farm facilities.
• U.S. EPA Releases New Landfill Gas Model. In July 2009, the U.S. EPA released its China Landfill Gas Model , built using data on climate, waste characteristics, and disposal practices as well as conditions at disposal sites in China. The U.S. EPA incorporated components of the 2007 U.S. EPA LMOP Central America Landfill Gas Model and the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Waste Model into the model. The model is available in either English or Chinese and has a detailed User's Manual.
• International Energy Agency (IEA) Publishes Paper on Methane Policy. IEA's recently released paper, "Energy Sector Methane Recovery and Use- The Importance of Policy," reviews policy options for advancing methane recovery and use in the energy sector. During the last few years, the IEA has conducted a series of analyses and studies researching this topic. The paper references Methane to Markets assistance to countries, such as Mexico, with methane emissions reduction strategies and provides policy makers with examples of best practices in methane mitigation policy design and implementation.
• Methane to Markets Presents at Conference in Brazil. In August 2009, Methane to Markets presented an update on LFG efforts at the Fifth Seminar: Integrated Solid Waste Management in Espirito Santo, Brazil. Participants discussed on-going efforts to support the development of LFG projects internationally and in Brazil. Other seminar presentations focused on pending solid waste legislation and the state's focus on the development of regional landfills. Methane to Markets' grant recipient, Fundacao Promar, also presented its work to develop an inventory of the state's landfills and to identify LFG project opportunities.

Send in your announcement for our next quarterly issue. Also, visit the news and events page for information on past Methane to Markets' gatherings.

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