Environmental groups challenge biogas incentives they say favor factory farms over small livestock operations

A growing coalition of environmental advocates is pushing back against federal incentives for biogas production from livestock manure, arguing that current programs unfairly benefit large-scale factory farms while leaving smaller agricultural operations behind.

The controversy centers around biogas fuel created from dairy and pig manure, which agribusiness companies, utilities, and renewable natural gas developers promote as a climate-friendly solution to reduce emissions from livestock operations. However, environmental groups have spent years opposing government incentives for these projects, viewing them as problematic rather than beneficial for the environment.

The latest challenge comes in the form of a petition calling for the elimination of grants and loans for manure digesters from the Rural Energy for America Program. Critics argue that these biogas incentives create an uneven playing field that systematically favors industrial-scale factory farms, which have the resources and infrastructure to capitalize on such programs, while smaller livestock operations struggle to access the same opportunities.

This debate highlights a broader tension in renewable energy policy: while biogas from manure is technically a renewable fuel source that can reduce methane emissions, environmental advocates worry that incentivizing these systems may inadvertently support the expansion of large-scale livestock operations that contribute to other environmental problems. The petition represents a significant challenge to how federal programs balance renewable energy goals with support for smaller, more sustainable farming operations.