Air pollution from large, concentrated New Mexico dairy farms causes an estimated $217 million annually in health costs, with most of the toll coming from ammonia emissions that form dangerous particulate matter, according to a new study.
A proposal to build a mega-manure digester in a small Washington state community is sparking uproar among citizens who say the project to convert waste from dairy cows into fuel will add to the region’s already significant pollution problems.
A Wisconsin biogas facility billed as climate-friendly is emitting nearly 5,000 metric tons of methane a year — equal to 30,000 gas cars. Such digesters are meant to cut emissions, but critics say leaks, pollution and hidden costs raise serious concerns.
A Wisconsin project dubbed the “world’s largest manure biogas project” emits nearly 5,000 metric tons of climate-warming methane annually, roughly equivalent to emissions from 30,000 gasoline-powered vehicles, according to state data that adds to concerns about the impacts of large-scale manure digesters.
Farmers across the US are leaving potential energy lying on their fields, and have the ability to reap billions of dollars in revenue by turning animal manure, crop and food waste into natural gas, according to two industry reports released this month.
A proposed dairy CAFO in mid-Michigan is fueling a heated fight over clean water, manure pollution and the future of industrial farming — as supporters tout jobs and renewable energy, and critics warn local rivers are already overwhelmed.
By Keith Schneider
President Donald Trump’s campaign to carve up federal environmental agencies and paralyze statutes that cleared the air, cleaned US waters, and protected wildlands marks the opening of MAPA, the new era to Make America Polluted Again.
SUNNYSIDE, Washington – Waters from the snowpack of the Cascade Mountains support orchards, vineyards and dairies here in the Yakima Valley of eastern Washington State, boosting a flourishing farm economy and helping to stock store grocery shelves nationwide.
EDON, OH – For 60 years, this one stoplight Ohio town has been known as a place where time appears to stand still. With more than 400 Amish residents settled in and around the rural community that straddles the Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan state lines, it has been common to see large families traveling by horse-drawn black buggies to and from farms where they milk dairy cows and grow corn.
A recent state court decision could transform how animal agriculture is regulated in Michigan, and potentially influence how other state and federal regulators oversee the industry’s mammoth waste stream, according to environmental lawyers and activists.