Green Options

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has committed more than $1 million to assess the economic and technical feasibility of recovering and using methane from coal mines in China.

Among the many other distinctions San Antonio residents can point to, they can now add one more: their city will boast the first utility system in the U.S. to capture and sell methane gas generated during sewage treatment.

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) Board of Trustees last night approved what they call a “truly innovative contract” with Ameresco, an “independent energy solutions company” based in Framingham, Massachusetts. Under the 20-year lease and operating agreement, Ameresco will build the pipelines and other facilities needed to collect and distribute methane gas produced from the city’s sewage. In return, SAWS gets a 12 percent royalty on the open market methane sales.