Bristol plans public-private methane venture

By Associated Press

BRISTOL, Va. (AP) — Officials in Bristol, Va., are hoping to turn trash into cash.

City officials want to capture and sell methane gas generated by Bristol’s landfill instead of burning it off.

The venture would be a public-private partnership. City Council is expected to choose a company for the project at a meeting today.

Two companies are finalists for the partnership. One converts landfill gas to electricity. The other cleans the gas and sells it to natural gas distributors.

City Manager Dewey Cashwell tells The Bristol Herald Courier that the city could recoup between $300,000 and $900,000 a year.