POLITICO

“Making the trash pencil out”

“TRASH-BENEFIT ANALYSIS: In the era of affordability, climate rules need to have bang for their buck. California just passed one Thursday that fits the bill.

California air regulators approved changes Thursday to the state’s 15-year-old standards for detecting and capturing methane leaks from landfills, the second-largest source of the potent greenhouse gas behind cattle farms.

Like all climate rules, the amendments come with a price tag: Officials estimate it will cost roughly 150 facilities across the state $12 million per year to comply, translating to a 31-cent yearly jump on residents’ trash bills.

That’s a relative steal compared to programs like the state’s emissions caps on major polluters and fuel producers, which add hundreds of dollars to household gasoline expenses each year.”