COMING OUT IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. A NEW FACILITY IN OKEECHOBEE COUNTY IS LOOKING TO TURN LANDFILL WASTE INTO POWER. OUR CALEB CALIFANO IS IN OKEECHOBEE. WITH MORE ON HOW THE MULTIMILLION DOLLAR PROJECT COULD IMPACT BOTH THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY. THIS BRAND NEW FACILITY TAKES LANDFILL GAS AND TURNS IT INTO RENEWABLE NATURAL ENERGY, SOMETHING WASTE MANAGEMENT SAYS COULD POWER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMES IN THE AREA. WE GO. OFFICIALS FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT AND OKEECHOBEE COUNTY CUTTING THE RIBBON THIS MORNING ON A BRAND NEW RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS FACILITY IN THE AREA. WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A WALK THROUGH THE FACILITY TODAY, WHICH TAKES DECOMPOSING WASTE AT THE LANDFILL AND CONVERTS IT INTO RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS. NATURAL GAS GOES INTO THE PIPELINE, SO ANYONE WHO IS USING NATURAL GAS AT HOME MIGHT BE PULLING LITERALLY FROM FROM THIS PLANT, BUT IT GOES INTO THE PIPELINE AND IT’S DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE REGION. OKEECHOBEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TELL ME THE PROJECT HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING, TAKING A LANDFILL THAT ONCE BURNED OFF ITS GAS AND TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING THEY BELIEVE IS POSITIVE BY CUTTING DOWN ON POLLUTION AND PREVENTING TONS OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS EACH YEAR. NOW WE’RE CLEANING IT UP. INSTEAD OF BURNING THE GAS OFF, AND THE PLAYERS WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE IT, CLEAN IT AND PUT IT IN THE GAS LINE TO CREATE REVENUE. COUNTY LEADERS BELIEVE THE NEW FACILITY COULD HELP BRING EVEN MORE BUSINESSES TO THE AREA, SHOWING COMPANIES THAT OKEECHOBEE COUNTY HAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLEAN ENERGY TO WELCOME FUTURE GROWTH. IT HELPS THEM TO REALIZE OKEECHOBEE IS USER FRIENDLY, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM. THEY COME LOCATE YOUR BUSINESS IN OKEECHOBEE. WE HAVE FACILITATE GAS, BUT WE ALSO WELCOME CLEAN INDUSTRY SUCH AS THIS. WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS TO HAVE MORE RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS FACILITIES ACROSS FLORIDA, WITH ONE EXPECTED IN THE MIAMI AREA COME NEXT YEAR.