By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times.
Tapping methane produced from decaying garbage in landfills to generate electricity was among California’s earliest experiments in renewable energy.
But in order to comply with a new regional rule to cut another pollutant — the one that often leaves Southern California blanketed in a layer of smog — a Riverside County landfill has decided to shut down its generators and will simply flare the methane, sending tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.