Environmentalists oppose legislation to classify factory farm ‘biogas’ as clean energy

Factory farms already get billions annually in federal government subsidies

By Michael Betzold

Jan 17, 2024 at 1:36 pm

Image: Factory farms have recently begun using mechanical anaerobic “digesters” to turn some of the animal waste they generate into “biogas.”

Factory farms have recently begun using mechanical anaerobic “digesters” to turn some of the animal waste they generate into “biogas.” Shutterstock

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In a major “greenwashing” offensive, many factory farms — the highly profitable hubs of industrial agriculture that produce almost all the meat and dairy products sold by fast-food franchises and supermarkets — have recently begun using mechanical anaerobic “digesters” to turn some of the animal waste they generate into “biogas.” And provisions in recently introduced bills in Lansing would certify that such a gas would meet Michigan clean fuel standards.

A coalition called Michiganders for a Just Farming System (MJFS) is battling big ag and oil company lobbyists to oppose these bills. Tom Progar, head of Veg Michigan, the organization that formed MJFS, says that if the biogas from the digesters is certified as a clean fuel, it would let factory farms with the digesters get lucrative carbon credits from the state, bringing here even more factory farms and their dire environmental, atmospheric, and economic consequences.

Factory farms — officially termed concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) — already get billions annually in federal government subsidies. They operate mostly in poor rural areas and out-compete traditional family farms. Runoff from their toxic lagoons filled with animal waste has for many years caused widespread algae blooms in Lake Erie. And CAFOs generate a third of all methane emissions (mostly generated by cow burps) and more than three-quarters of nitrous oxide emissions. Both are greenhouse gasses much more potent than carbon dioxide, contributing significantly to atmospheric warming.

Across the U.S., CAFOs produce millions of tons of manure and other waste daily. To add to that, factory farm biogas produces ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and smog-forming nitrogen oxides. Biogas facilities emit methane when they store digestate (the leftovers after waste is converted to gas) in open tanks. And biogas transport infrastructure — including pipelines and truck engines — leaks huge amounts of methane, compounding the already egregious factory farm impact with dirty energy production, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Food & Water Watch. The F&WW has monitored this same CAFO biogas scheme that’s been successful in California, which now has thousands of its own anaerobic digesters.

To try to keep Michigan from following suit, MJFS has been organizing a letter-writing and phone-call campaign to legislators to oppose Senate Bill 275 and a companion measure in the state house.

“We can’t let this fly under the radar,” says Progar. “It’s far too consequential for our quality of life in Michigan.”