Closure Financing―Will it Change as a Result of Bioreactors?

摘要

What effect will bioreactors have on closure financing? Landfill owners are required by Subtitle D to provide financial assurance for closure of their landfill sites. This assurance requires that the reserved funds must demonstrate the liquidity necessary and must be of sufficient value to enable the governing regulatory agency to cap and close the largest area requiring final cover at any time in the life of the landfill. The implementation of bioreactor technology at landfills is likely to postpone the capping sequence; thereby, potentially impacting the costs (positively or negatively) associated with these regulatory financial surety requirements. In direct contrast to the dry tomb approach of attempting to keep the waste mass as dry as possible, a key element of bioreactor technology is that the waste be kept at an optimum moisture content to enhance biodegradation. Therefore, the dry tomb approach to closing landfills as soon as final permitted grades are achieved may not be compatible with operating a bioreactor landfill. A sanitary landfill that is operated as a bioreactor will require much larger areas of the landfill to be open at any given time. The regulations covering financial assurance vary by state; therefore, the effects on the financial aspects will vary depending on the landfill location. In addition, most municipalities differ in their approach when compared to private industry. This paper will present the regulatory requirements for financing closure, and will discuss the potential effects on closure surety of operating a landfill as a bioreactor.