At its Leadership Awards event last week in Manhattan, the NGO Energy Vision recognized trailblazing leaders and projects that cut methane emissions.
The awardees include South Jersey Industries (SJI) for its massive Linden Renewable Energy anaerobic digester (AD) project; LoCI Controls and Landfill Group for their next-generation initiative to maximize methane capture from landfills; and Joanna Underwood, whose work sparked national interest in the organic waste-to-fuel strategy and made significant contributions to environmental progress over five decades.
The Linden Renewable Energy (LRE) project under construction is one of the largest AD projects in the US. Owned by SJI in partnership with RNG Energy Solutions and Captona, it will convert organic waste from the New York metropolitan area into biomethane, diverting it from landfills, and avoiding an estimated 120,000 metric tonnes of CO2e annually.
"Renewable energy development is an integral element to our strategic approach," said Steven Cocchi, SJI's Senior Vice President & CFO. "In addition to providing safe, reliable and affordable energy to more than 730,000 New Jersey customers, SJI is committed to investing in sustainability efforts."
LoCI Controls pioneered real-time data and control systems for landfills and works with Landfill Group across its nationwide portfolio to increase methane capture. At the Hamm Sanitary Landfill in Lawrence, Kansas LoCI's systems increased methane gas capture by an average of 32% over four years.
"LoCI is honored to receive this award and recognition from Energy Vision for our methane emission reduction work across Landfill Group's projects," said Peter Quigley, CEO and Chairman of LoCI Controls. "We're proud of our continued relationship with Landfill Group and appreciate their like-minded focus on sustainability in the industry — proving partnerships like ours can quickly and effectively minimize these harmful methane emissions."
"As a company, Landfill Group continues to focus on environmental stewardship and sustainability in our industry," said Mike Fenton, Landfill Group's Director of Sales & Project Delivery. "We're grateful for Energy Vision's recent recognition of our impact, made even stronger through early adoption of LoCI's innovative technology, to capture more methane for RNG and reduce emissions."
These award-winning projects are important models for reversing methane's rise. With more like them, the US could meet its commitment under the Global Methane Pledge of cutting methane emissions at least 30% by 2030, as Energy Vision showed in its report Meeting the Methane Challenge.
Joanna Underwood, founder, president emerita and senior adviser to Energy Vision, and founder and longtime president of the environmental group INFORM, was given a lifetime achievement award for pathbreaking environmental leadership.
"Joanna's career and impact are reflected in part by this year's other awardees," said Matt Tomich, Energy Vision's President. "Joanna was among the first in the US to recognize the need and opportunity to better manage our organic waste and the methane it produces through decomposition. We're thrilled to give her this recognition."
