Manure digesters clash with air quality requirements Cracking
down on methane labs: When animal manure decomposes, it releases
methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide
(on a mass basis). To avoid these emissions, some are installing
manure digesters, in which bacteria convert the waste to methane
gas. The methane is then burned in an internal combustion engine
or a gas turbine to create electricity, resulting in a lower
overall greenhouse gas emission rate and low-cost electricity.
P.J. Huffstutter, the L.A. Times' new agriculture reporter,
writes about how some California dairy cow operations have hit a
major bump: air-quality agencies are refusing to give permits
for the systems as they emit too much nitrogen oxide gas, which
is a precursor to smog. California's dairy country has some of
the worst air quality in the nation, so regulators are extra
tough on any new sources of pollution. Unfortunately, this has
caused trouble for some of the digester pioneers, who've had to
upgrade their