To address climate change and meet requirements from Senate Bill 21-264 and House Bill 21-1238, the Air Pollution Control Division (Division) proposed recovered methane protocols for demonstrating greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from recovered methane projects that may be included in public and municipal gas utilities’ Clean Heat Plans, as well as a crediting and tracking system for GHG reductions from recovered methane projects. Recovered methane is methane from certain sources that would have gone to the atmosphere and contributed to climate change if it was not recovered and put to use. In November 2022, the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) adopted the Division’s proposed rule to establish recovered methane protocols and a crediting and tracking system for recovered methane in Colorado.
The recovered methane rule adopted by the AQCC is available here.
Recovered Methane Protocols
The recovered methane rule includes protocols for recovered methane projects from livestock manure management systems, municipal solid waste or landfills, wastewater treatment, coal mines, and gas utility system leaks. Details on each protocol can be found in the recovered methane rule fact sheet.
Recovered Methane Crediting and Tracking System
The Division is currently working to establish the system in which greenhouse gas reduction credits from recovered methane projects may be registered and tracked for use in clean heat plans for gas distribution utilities, municipal gas distribution utilities, or small gas distribution utilities. The Division anticipates this system will be available by August 1, 2023.
The credits must be generated pursuant to the relevant protocols outlined in Section I.C. of the recovered methane rule. The requirements for a gas distribution utility or recovered methane project developer/operator seeking issuance of credits to it in the Division’s recovered methane crediting and tracking system are detailed in Section I.D. of the rule and outlined in the recovered methane rule fact sheet.
AQCC Recovered Methane Rulemaking Hearing Documents
The agenda, presentations, and other materials from the recovered methane rulemaking hearing can be found here.
Recovered Methane Stakeholder Meetings
Three public listening sessions were held prior to the rulemaking to gather input on the rule concepts.
Recording and presentation slides
Recovered Methane Protocols Technical Work Group
To help meet the requirement to develop recovered methane protocols, the Division convened a technical work group for a series of 10 meetings prior to the rule proposal before the AQCC.