By Andy Kerstetter, Idaho Mountain Express.

The Milner Butte Landfill in Burley—where all of Blaine County’s garbage ends up in addition to that of Cassia, Jerome, Minidoka, Gooding, Lincoln and Twin Falls counties—could become a new electric power center for the region.

Southern Idaho Solid Waste, which manages the landfill and takes care of the municipal solid waste from the seven counties, is designing a landfill gas-to-energy project that would convert gas produced as a byproduct of waste decomposition into electricity.

Southern Idaho Solid Waste CEO Josh Bartlome and engineer Stephen Fryberger gave a presentation of the project to the Blaine County commissioners at their regular meeting Tuesday. The commissioners made no decision but will wait until later in the year when the other counties’ commissioners have been filled in.