Southern California Edison has proposed a collection of voluntary greenhouse gas reduction projects ahead of the state’s final climate change rules that are due in 2012.

SCE expects the California Air Resources Board will reward the company for the early action under a provision of the climate change bill. The projects, which include converting livestock waste and abandoned mine methane to energy, are expected to cost $23 million and avoid 3.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The company submitted the proposal to the Air Resources Board Friday, and expects to soon ask the California Public Utilities Commission for permission to include the projects’ costs in customer rates, which would represent 0.2 of 1 percent of current rates.

The program’s eight projects would take place in and outside California. One would convert 1,000 truck stop parking spaces to supply trucks cabs with heating, cooling, cable TV and electrical services for truck driver required to take rest breaks.

The program also includes projects that would replace diesel forklifts and agriculture pump engines with electric models. Seventy-thousand urban trees would be planted as part of one project, while another includes consumer rebates for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

One project aims to reduce sulfur hexafluoride emissions from high voltage electrical equipment. Two projects will convert methane from abandoned mines in neighboring states to power fuel and turning livestock waste from Central Valley dairy farms into energy.

As a company, SCE’s greenhouse gas emissions are below 1990 levels. Its energy portfolio consists of 50 percent natural gas, 21 percent nuclear, 16 percent renewable, 8 percent coal and 5 percent large hydro.