Kings County, CA: Hanford forum will discuss dairy biogas plan
By John Lindt, The Sentinal.
California Division of Food & Agriculture will soon award between $29 million and $36 million for the installation of dairy digesters in California, which, they say, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Existing milk producers and dairy digester developers can apply for funding of up to $3 million per project for anaerobic digestion projects that provide quantifiable greenhouse gas reductions. The program requires a minimum of 50 percent of total project cost as matching funds.
One developer, Maas Energy Works, is holding a community meeting June 8 to discuss a Kings County project that could pipe biogas from five to six dairies to a central digester – then be injected in the SoCal gas pipeline as renewable natural gas. The meeting will happen tonight at 6 p.m. at the Comfort Inn Sierra Room in Hanford. Founder Daryl Mass expects to lay out a plan to be done in phases, starting with two local dairies he would help build a digester at their ranches if their projects are funded through CDFA. Applications and all supporting information must be submitted by June 28. Awards will likely be announced by September and Maas expects some projects could be online by the end of the year.