The commonwealth is making highway right-of-ways available for landfill gas pipeline projects, further encouraging and promoting the recovery and use of this emerging source of renewable energy. "Putting landfill gas to use to power our economy gives us a clean, cheap energy supply that businesses can use to keep utility costs down and keep jobs in Pennsylvania," Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. "Supporting the increased development of landfill methane gas is another example of the Governor's commitment to using environmental protection to drive economic development."

DEP and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are taking additional steps to make landfill methane available to users by streamlining the permitting process for methane gas pipeline projects. The agencies partnered to facilitate the use of state highway right-of-ways for landfill gas pipelines.

"By developing guidelines for use of state right-of-ways for pipelines, PennDOT is able to both protect drivers and our roadway assets and to assist with projects that enhance economic competitiveness and energy independence," PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler said.

The demand for expedited permitting was demonstrated by the Lanchester Landfill Gas Utilization Project developed by Granger Energy, which was named Partner of the Year in 2005 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

The Lanchester project was the first in Pennsylvania to deliver landfill gas to multiple users. By providing customers a clean, reliable and affordable energy source, the venture has been important to ensuring the competitiveness of and retaining jobs at four major manufacturing enterprises --- Dart Container, Advanced Food Products, L&S Sweeteners and New Holland Concrete --- in southcentral Pennsylvania.

The project comprised 13 miles of pipeline and required many environmental and construction permits. The pipeline route encompassed both active and former railroad lines that traverse farms, parks, commercial and residential developments, and a historic community. Land easements along the railroad were complicated by century-old deed restrictions and land rights. The completed pipeline crosses over 75 land easements and 35 road crossings en route to its customers.

Governor Edward G. Rendell has focused efforts on capturing the methane and piping the landfill gas directly to serve businesses to keep jobs in Pennsylvania. DEP previously streamlined permitting processes both for landfill gas recovery systems and end users to encourage and foster use of the resource.

Pennsylvania provides a wide array of support to landfill gas recovery projects and to end users of landfill methane. EPA recognized Pennsylvania as the State Partner of the Year in 2005, citing the commonwealth's financial and technical support for developing landfill methane use.

Through the Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant Program and the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, Governor Rendell has invested more than $1.5 million in landfill gas projects. The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants program has provided another $1.3 million for development of landfill gas as a transportation fuel.

Pennsylvania is home to 24 operational gas-to-energy projects. DEP estimates these projects generate 60 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 38,000 homes for a year. The state's landfill-gas-to-energy projects reduce emissions equivalent to taking 47,027 cars off the road, offset the use of 1,202 railcars of coal, prevent the use of 570,332 barrels of oil and equal the beneficial effect of planting 72,448 acres of forest.

Additional Pennsylvania support for development of landfill gas projects includes the Pennsylvania Landfill Methane Database to catalog landfills and landfill gas projects so that access to this energy feedstock is made easy. The DEP also worked with EPA to develop a Primer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Developing Landfill Gas Utilization.

Landfill gas was also included as a preferred energy source in the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard created by Governor Rendell and the legislature. The standard ensures that 18 percent of the state's electrical power will come from alternative energy sources within 15 years. By including landfill gas in the standard, Pennsylvania gave electricity providers a strong incentive to invest in landfill gas projects.

For information about landfill methane gas, visit DEP's Web site at http://www.depweb.state.pa.us, Keyword: "Energy." For more information on PennDOT highway occupancy permitting, visit its Web site at http://www.dot.state.pa.us and search for "Occupancy Permit Information."