Roberts’ bipartisan bill incentivizes biogas production

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) on Sept. 24 introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage investment in anaerobic digesters, provide a new market for livestock producers, and reduce runoff — all toward creating incentives to bolster the nation’s production of biogas.

“This legislation promotes a commonsense way to turn waste into energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs and grow the economy,” said Sen. Roberts.

The senator cosponsored the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act, S. 2542, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified biogas property and qualified manure resource recovery property eligible for the energy credit and to permit renewable energy bonds to finance qualified biogas property, according to the congressional record summary.

Currently, farmers nationwide have a surplus of organic material, including manure, food scraps, agricultural residue, wastewater solids and liquids, all of which can be used to create biogas for producing heat, electricity and fuel that then may be injected into natural gas pipelines, according to a statement from Sen. Roberts’ office.

Such surplus also can be used to process wastewater upstream to decrease runoff and contaminants that impact potable water in communities like those around Lake Erie, according to the statement.

“The Warrior Biogas project near Dodge City is a shining example of what could happen across Kansas and America if we incentivize further development of these innovative technologies,” said Sen. Roberts.

The bill, which is supported by the American Biogas Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation, has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.