Idaho landfill gas project moves forward

A landfill gas to energy project has been given approval from the commissioners in counties that make up the Southern Idaho Solid Waste District. Commissioners in all but one of the seven counties voted on the facility, located at Milner Butte Landfill.

According to an article in the Idaho Mountain Express, the project would involve taking methane gas created by decomposing garbage and burning it for energy. The landfill is near Burley, Idaho, already captures methane and burns it off to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Commissioners from Blaine, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln and Twin Falls counties voted in favor of the move, with Minidoka’s commissioner abstaining. According to the article, the commissioner from Minidoka County abstained from voting until a final lease agreement was completed.

According to the report, the lease-agreement-in-progress is necessary because Idaho counties cannot accrue debt for more than a year for a non-essential project without a public vote. As a result, managers are reportedly working to lease the project from a finance corporation on a yearly basis.

The district will be finalizing the lease agreement and pursue an agreement for Idaho Power Co. to purchase the energy. Once the agreements are in place the district will sell the energy to the Idaho Power and send it to the electrical grid.

Construction is expected to start in March 2017 and operational by March 2018.