For a quarter century, waste-to-energy has enjoyed renewable status by virtue of the sustainable and indigenous nature of the municipal solid waste stream that fuels these power plants. With the high price of energy, federal and state governments turn to waste-to-energy and other renewable energy sources to alleviate the demand for energy. Unlike other renewables that only produce power, waste-to-energy provides waste disposal services (more than 30 million tons of trash per year) for communities across the country.
Waste-to-energy plants produce
approximately 17 billion kilowatt hours of electricity through the recovery of energy from non-recyclable trash that people leave on the curb.
This accounts for nearly 20 percent of all renewable
electricity generation in the United States. And because of the industry’s commitment to and investment in the most stringent environmental controls, waste-to-energy generates power “with less environmental impact that almost any other source of electricity,” according to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal Recognition as Renewable The Federal government has a long history of recognizing the electricity generated by waste-to-energy facilities as “renewable” and encouraging its further development. Over the last twenty-five years, waste-to-energy has been recognized as renewable energy through the Federal Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA), the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000, the Pacific Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act, the Internal Revenue Code, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Executive Order 13123, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulations. As evidence of this recognition, federal agencies have purchased renewable energy credits from waste-to-energy plants in order to reduce our Nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.
State Recognition as Renewable As states have deregulated the electricity market and sought environmental benefits from power generation,
twenty-three states and the District of Columbia, so far, have defined waste-to-energy as renewable power including
Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of
Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and
Wisconsin.
Private Recognition as Renewable As the market for renewable energy grows, consumers wish to voluntarily purchase power that is generated by renewable energy resources, such as waste-to-energy. Private entities, such as
LEVCO Energy in Connecticut provide consumers with the option to purchase renewable energy from environmentally friendly sources including waste-to-energy.
