Anaerobic Digester Legislation
Update: the legislature adjourned and did not pass these bills.
There are two bills concerning Anaerobic Digesters that are still alive in the Iowa House. Anaerobic digesters are a method of creating biogas from manure and other waste. In Iowa, digesters are being pitched as a method to deal with Iowa’s massive manure problem but really, they are just a bandaid on a bigger problem with our agricultural system.
The process breaks down manure and other wastes to create biogas, mostly a mix of carbon dioxide and methane. Anaerobic digesters can be either “on farm” or a “community system”. ‘On farm’ digesters are located on the farm where the manure is produced. ‘Community systems’ are located centrally and animal feeding operations pipe their manure to the shared community digester.
The Iowa House has introduced bills to regulate and incentivize on farm and community system digesters. HF987 is a ‘community system’ digester bill. HF989 is an ‘on farm’ digester bill.
It’s been clear for decades that Iowa has a manure problem, and therefore a water quality problem. Iowans have been working to hold the concentrated animal feeding operation industry accountable for its pollution and transition our ag system away from this model of raising livestock.
The industry responded with digesters as the solution to our manure and water crisis - a bandaid on the problem. Anaerobic digesters, whether they are on farm or community systems, create a whole host of new problems. For example:
The current bills have inadequate separation distances from homes, businesses, and communities. Digester facilities could have a much bigger impact on surrounding neighbors and should have larger separation distances than animal feeding operations.
The current bills require the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to issue a final decision on the permit within 60 days. If the DNR does not issue a decision within 60 days, the permit is automatically approved. The DNR is underfunded and understaffed and does not have the capacity to adequate reviews of permits to ensure the safety and accuracy of large scale projects like these.
Anaerobic digesters encourage larger and more animal feeding operations to ensure enough volume of manure. This could create massive concentrations of livestock facilities in areas around digesters, destroying the quality of life for the community.
Anaerobic digesters create the potential for pipelines and eminent domain to transfer the manure and captured gas to the end location.
Ask your State Representative to vote NO on HF987. To look up your House member, see www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/house and to find your legislators, see www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find
HF989 has already passed the House. Ask your State Senator to vote NO on HF989. To look up your Senate member, see www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/senate and to find your legislators, see www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find
