EPA to help lower methane emissions

The EPA is looking to remove methane emissions in agriculture

The Environmental Protection Agency has earmarked $7m (£4.7m) in grant funding for projects that can reduce methane emissions in transitional and developing countries.

The EPA has issued an RFP for methane reduction grant applicants under Methane to Markets, a global initiative designed to reduce methane emissions in four sectors: landfill, oil and gas, coal mining and agriculture. The agency, which forms the steering committee for the initiative, expects to award about 40 projects between $100,000 and $700,000 each in grant funding.

The agency is looking for projects including feasibility studies, methane emission databases and training. Study tours, conferences and country-wide methane reduction programmes are among others that will also be considered.

Projects will be considered in countries currently on the Methane to Markets member list, including Russia, the Ukraine, Thailand, China, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. Developing nations currently applying to join the partnership will also be eligible, but projects targeting US-based methane reduction will not be funded.

This is the latest in a series of annual funding rounds by the EPA as it seeks to drive down emissions of methane – a powerful greenhouse gas – in developing and transitional markets. Last year, the largest grant awarded by the EPA under the scheme was $700,000 for development assistance to reduce methane from swine farms in Thailand.

Methane to Markets hopes to reduce the amount of carbon emitted annually by 50 million tonnes in 2015.