As part of the Methane to Markets Partnership, the US EPA – represented by deputy administrator Marcus Peacock and USAID acting administrator Frederick Schieck – and Secretariat of Environment of Natural Resources for Mexico Jose Luis Ledge will sign a letter of cooperation on Friday, March 24.

Mexico and the US are two of 17 participants in the Methane to Markets Partnership, established in November 2004. The initiative was developed to promote the advancement of methane gas recovery, capture and use as a “clean energy” source: methane is a clean-burning component of natural gas.

Earlier this month, government officials in Mexico approved regulatory improvements aiding private operators in the country to use methane extracted from their own mines to produce electricity for themselves. Commercialisation options would be available through the Bill if state-owned Premix is used as a distributor, according to a report released by Methane to Markets last week.

The Bill is on its second trip through the country’s government approvals process after being halted in 2003. The next step for the legislation reform is the Senate Upper House.

According to Methane to Markets statistics, Mexico’s methane emissions in 2000 were 2.2 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

EPA leads the partnership and coordinates efforts with several other US departments including the Department of State, Department of Energy, the US Trade and Development Agency and the US Agency for International Development.

Partnership countries include the US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.