skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Critics: Biogas' Clean-Energy Claims Evaporate Under Scrutiny

play audio
Play

Thursday, July 11, 2019   

BOISE, Idaho – The breakdown of farm byproducts such as manure into energy is touted as a renewable fix for the future.

But critics say the clean energy dreams of biogas have fizzled out.

A new analysis from the organization Food and Water Watch says the process of anaerobic digestion to convert organic material into biogas actually releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants, potentially offsetting other greenhouse gas reductions.

The group also notes biogas is made up largely of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that can leak out during energy production.

"We see it as 'greenwashing' the fossil fuel industry that wants to move more gas around, whether it came from factory farm waste or from drilling, and we see big, environmentally damaging livestock operations that have too much manure in one place getting these really big-ticket facilities built that are just going to keep them around for longer," says Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch.

Lovera notes that biogas technology only is available on industrial-scale farms that have large sources of manure.

A North Carolina-based company announced in June that it plans to build six biogas production facilities outside Burley, Idaho, which are expected to bring nearly 100 jobs to the area.

Each facility is expected to produce enough natural gas to power 6,800 homes per year.

The facilities will have plenty of manure to work with. Idaho is one of the top five dairy producers in the country.

The six facilities outside Burley will cost about $240 million and the natural gas will be shipped via pipeline to California.

Lovera says biogas operations are expanding across the country and once facilities are built, we could be stuck with them.

"Once you invest that kind of money, you don't move away from that facility,” she stresses. “So it's locking us in to old choices, right? Not moving us towards better ones."

Lovera adds there are a lot of driving forces for biogas. Some states offer renewable credits for it. And a joint program between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency known as AgSTAR promotes biogas production as a way to reduce greenhouse gases and create energy independence for farms.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


The California Department of Conservation is holding a public meeting online on Sept. 24, to update the public on its progress in plugging abandoned oil wells. (Alizada Studios/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

The American Heart Association said caregivers often experience personal and spiritual growth, discovering their own resilience, competence and capacity for sacrifice as they help a friend or loved one. (Justlight/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021