Printer-friendlyEnvironment DEC
From the March 2008 issue
Funding Available for Landfill Closure Projects
Nine communities across New York State will receive $7.5 million from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to complete landfill closure and gas recovery projects. The grants will help communities buy and install equipment to protect public health and to explore alternative energy opportunities that will use recaptured landfill gases. DEC's grants for landfill closure and gas recovery are provided through a combination of the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act, the 1986 Environmental Quality Bond Act (EQBA) and the state Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), which supports a variety of important, ongoing environmental efforts, including municipal waste reduction and recycling projects and municipal landfill closure projects.
The landfill projects will promote alternative energy
Program Eligibility
The landfill closure program is for municipalities with inactive solid waste landfills or landfills that will be inactive within 18 months of application. The landfill gas recovery program is for municipal owners or operators of landfills who have incurred costs associated with design and construction of active landfill gas collection and treatment systems. The policy for implementing the landfill gas recovery program was issued in 2004, and legislative changes provided additional funding for the program in 2005. While some grant applications from municipalities were received prior to the policy's approval, DEC has been distributing funds as they are made available.
State assistance grants for these projects are capped at a maximum of $2 million or 50 percent of total project cost, whichever is less. Municipalities with populations of less than 3,500 can receive 90 percent reimbursement of total project cost for landfill closure projects. All projects are subject to a final eligible cost review and final eligible cost approval.
