Anaerobic biodigesters — biogas plants that turn animal and food waste into renewable energy — are raising a stink in Freedom Township.
During a township meeting on Wednesday, residents heard about groundwater and air contamination from biogas plants.
Jill Hollister is a spokesperson for Freedom Township Preservation Group. She says rural communities are increasingly fighting corporate-backed industrial biogas plants, like Vanguard Renewables. The company approached Horning Farms LLC over a year ago.
“Once we brought this to public knowledge, the company, which is owned by BlackRock, and the farm went absolutely silent.”
Vanguard Renewables Director of Government Affairs & Community Relations Billy Kepner was asked if the company is still considering Freedom Township.
“No. We do believe that Michigan is a great state to do business in. However, that area is not one that we're looking at.”
Kepner says they are considering other parts of the state that have more food waste to use as feedstock for digesters.
This summer the House Agriculture Committee passed bipartisan-sponsored legislation aimed at improving Michigan’s permitting process for anaerobic digesters. Critics like Hollister say this would threaten drinking water wells, and create toxic algal blooms.
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