The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has announced plans to change regulations “to provide a clear and reliable pathway for the development of anaerobic digestion facilities” according to this recent article on their website.  The opportunity for AD development in the state is siginficant; over 1 million tons of organic waste is generated annually, with about 90% of it being thrown away or combusted.  MassDEP has a goal of diverting an additional 350,000 tons of organics by 2020, which they say would be equivalent to closing an entire large landfill. 

The development of clean technologies such as AD will address environmental challenges as well as spur job creation.  Several initiatives are underway including establishing an infrastructure for organics collection, identifying key metrics such as financial and volume data, and keeping municipalities and their citizens informed.