Concern for the environment grew during the 1960s and 1970s, when many environmental regulations were introduced to reduce and prevent pollution and other hazards. For example, the Clean Air Act, established in 1970, aims to protect the public's health and welfare by regulating emissions of hazardous air pollutants. The act has been amended over the years and now mandates that landfills of certain sizes install and operate landfill gas collection and control systems. The recent focus on landfills is because they can be dangerous to the environment and people. They contain municipal solid waste that decomposes into organic waste that produces biogas. Biogas contains methane, which is flammable.
Municipal solid waste landfills can be a good source of energy. The methane that is produced as a byproduct of landfills is the "same energy-rich gas found in natural gas, which is used for heating, cooking, and producing electricity," according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Some landfills control the methane gas emissions simply by burning or flaring methane gas. Many landfills collect and treat biogas, then sell the methane, and some landfills generate electricity by using methane gas.
Companies today need methane/landfill gas generation system technicians to help them monitor, operate, and maintain landfill gas generation and collection systems and equipment. Their work helps to ensure that methane/landfill systems are operating correctly, efficiently, and in accordance with environmental regulations.
- Agricultural Scientists
- Air Quality Engineers
- Aquarists
- Arborists
- Biochemists
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biologists
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Botanists
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Business Managers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Civil Engineers
- Climate Scientists
- Coal Miners
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Divers and Diving Technicians
- Ecologists
- Electricians
- Energy Brokers
- Energy Conservation Technicians
- Energy Consultants
- Energy Efficiency Engineers
- Energy Transmission and Distribution Workers
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Consultants
- Environmental Economists
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Lawyers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Environmental Planners
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Environmental Scientists
- Environmental Technicians
- EPA Special Agents
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Foresters
- Forestry Technicians
- Fuel Cell Engineers
- Fuel Cell Technicians
- Futurists
- Geodetic Surveyors
- Geological Technicians
- Geologists
- Geophysicists
- Geotechnical Engineers
- Geothermal Production Managers
- Geothermal Technicians
- Green Builders
- Green Hotel/Resort Ecomanagers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Green Transportation Careers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Hazardous Waste Management Specialists
- Hazardous Waste Management Technicians
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Horticultural Technicians
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
- Hydroelectric Production Managers
- Hydropower and Marine Energy Industry Workers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Industrial Ecologists
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Landmen
- Landscape Architects
- Line Installers and Cable Splicers
- Marine Biologists
- Materials Engineers
- Meter Readers, Utilities
- Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators
- Microbiologists
- Mining Engineers
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- National Park Service Employees
- Naturalists
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Nuclear Engineers
- Nuclear Reactor Operators and Technicians
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Oceanographers
- Park Rangers
- Petroleum Engineers
- Petroleum Technicians
- Power Plant Workers
- Radiation Protection Technicians
- Range Managers
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Refuse Collectors
- Renewable Energy Careers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Rewilders
- Roustabouts
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Solar Energy Sales Representatives
- Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians
- Surveyors
- Truck Drivers
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and Technicians
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
- Wind Energy Engineers
- Wind Energy Operations Managers
- Wind Energy Project Managers
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
- Zoologists