News for Release: Wednesday, April 11, 2007

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

International Clean-Energy Partnership Adds 20th Member: Viet Nam

Contact: Dave Ryan, (202) 564-7827 / ryan.dave@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. – April 11, 2007)  The Methane to Markets Partnership marked a major milestone this week as Viet Nam became its 20^th country member.  Methane to Markets is a public-private partnership that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane, while providing clean energy to markets around the world.

“Viet Nam is the 20th country to join Methane to Markets. This is an important milestone in our efforts to promote energy security and greenhouse-gas reductions around the globe,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA's acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation and chair of the Methane to Markets Steering Committee.  “With its rapidly expanding economy, Viet Nam will make valuable contributions to clean energy development in the region.”

"Joining the Partnership will be an opportunity for Viet Nam to learn and share experiences on reducing methane gas from the livestock sector," said Nguyen Van Tai, Deputy General Director of Viet Nam’s Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Viet Nam joins a growing number of Asian countries that are actively participating in Methane to Markets.  In particular, Viet Nam will bring into the Partnership its interest and experience in reducing methane emissions from livestock waste.

The Methane to Markets Partnership, which President Bush helped to launch in November 2004, is a public-private partnership to advance methane recovery and use projects in four sectors: agriculture, coal mines, landfills and oil and gas systems. Methane to Markets brings together the technical and market expertise, financing and technology necessary to advance near-term, cost effective methane recovery. Member countries work in collaboration with the private sector, multilateral development banks, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations through the partnership's project network.

With the addition of Viet Nam to Methane to Markets, the Partnership now includes countries that represent nearly 60 percent of the world’s human-caused methane emissions.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that is over twenty times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.  By 2015, Methane to Markets has the potential to deliver annual reductions in methane emissions of up to 50 million metric tons of carbon equivalent, which is roughly equal to the greenhouse gas emissions from 50 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants. 

More than 500 public- and private-sector organizations from around the world have joined Methane to Markets through the Project Network. In addition to Viet Nam, Methane to Markets Partner countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Information on the Methane to Markets Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/methanetomarkets

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