Is One Cow’s Waste Another (Hu)Man’s Treasure? Exploring the Environmental and Energy Impacts of Manure Biogas

Authors

• Katie Thompson

Author Details

Katie Thompson, J.D., Lewis & Clark Law School.

First Page

1

Abstract

There is no question that manure biogas, a form of natural gas derived from animal waste, is quickly becoming the most valuable product supplied by factory farms, known also as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Manure biogas can be used to produce heat, electricity, or transportation fuel, but its greatest profit stream rests in the myriad government credits and subsidies it can garner. Although turning trash into treasure by giving waste a new life may appear laudable and worthy of such investment, this Article argues that manure biogas is far from a sustainable solution to the United States’ environmental and energy obstacles.

Indeed, this Article contends that its harms—from increasing enteric emissions to worsening air quality ten times more than natural gas—far outweigh its benefits—all of which are subject to criticism. Importantly, only CAFOs, not any regular farm, can produce manure biogas such that supporting manure biogas, in turn, is to support a system of violence and abuse. Still, in just the past few years, manure biogas has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in government support, detracting from investment in clean, renewable energy like solar and wind. Moreover, given that countless studies show the need to electrify everything to meet climate goals, this Article argues that natural gas has no future in the United States, and even still, far superior alternatives to manure biogas, like landfill biogas, exist to bridge the gap until we reach a truly renewable system.

Recommended Citation

Katie Thompson, Is One Cow’s Waste Another (Hu)Man’s Treasure? Exploring the Environmental and Energy Impacts of Manure Biogas, 31 Animal L. Rev. 1 (2025).
Available at: https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/alr/vol31/iss1/1