The federal government is putting more money into turning cow manure into power. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports:
Transcript
The federal government is putting more money into turning cow manure into power. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently gave 6 Great Lakes states about 14 million dollars
for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects at rural sites. A large chunk of the money
will go to manure digesters, which separate liquid and solid waste and capture methane gas that
can be turned into electricity. Frank Frassetto heads the USDA’s rural development office in
Wisconsin. He says the manure digesters are a small step toward energy independence, as some
digesters can power about 200 homes apiece.
“That’s a pretty serious amount of energy to be putting back into the grid.”
Frassetto says he expects more farmers and rural groups to apply for these funds. He says the
USDA is trying to back projects that reduce odors and other pollution coming from larger farms
that may border developed areas.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Chuck Quirmbach reporting.