“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” – this could be the motto of countries around the world that are taking their residents’ garbage and turning it into useful energy. It’s a lesson that some states are heeding as well.

Norway, for example, has waste-to-energy plants that convert garbage into heat and electricity for residents to use, reports an article from The New York Times. The garbage includes waste from households, businesses, and even hazardous waste from hospitals, notes the article.

In addition to foreign countries, various states in the United States offer tax credits and incentives for producing energy from waste.

For instance, Minnesota has a methane digester loan program that offers loans to help businesses finance the purchase of necessary equipment and the construction of a system that utilizes manure to produce electricity.

In addition, Alabama has a biomass subsidy program that offers financial assistance to qualifying projects, including biomass fuel unloading, storage, and transport equipment. The fuel must be derived from landfill waste, logging, animal production, or manufacturing processes involving logging or agricultural products.

For more information about these tax credits, check out Bloomberg BNA’s Green Incentives Navigator.


In other developments . . .

California Governor Jerry Brown announced a budget plan proposal that would eliminate the state’s Enterprise Zone (EZ) tax credit program and replace it with more targeted tax incentives, according to a Bloomberg BNA Weekly State Tax Report article.

By:  Kathleen Caggiano

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