“These systems represent a real breakthrough in addressing the challenges that poultry and livestock farmers across Maryland and the country are facing when managing manure resources,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “We are excited to be part of a solution that focuses on providing farmers with alternatives for managing and using manure resulting in a sustainable agriculture industry and a healthy Chesapeake Bay.”
A $1.4 million Animal Waste Technology grant was awarded to Clean Bay Renewables of Maryland to construct and operate a manure-to-energy plant in Somerset County. The plant will generate electricity by processing 80 tons per day of poultry litter as feedstock. The system has the capacity to produce 2 megawatts of electricity per hour. The plant will use a thermophilic anaerobic digester to convert organic matter into biogas (a mix of methane and carbon dioxide) and simpler chemical compounds in an oxygen-free environment. Importantly, the system captures and separates nitrogen and phosphorous contained in the byproduct, creating a marketable product that farmers can use to fertilize their crops, comply with Maryland’s Phosphorus Management Tool regulations, and protect local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay from excess nutrients. The poultry litter feedstock for the plant will be supplied by a Somerset County manure broker. Clean Bay Renewables has received approval to build the manure-to-energy plant from PJM, the utility grid operator serving Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and 11 other states, and has the support of the Somerset County Economic Development Commission. The state’s $1.4 million grant will supplement $15 million in investments already secured by Clean Bay Renewables.
Veteran Compost of Harford County and O2 Compost of Washington State were awarded a $350,300 grant from the Animal Waste Technology Fund to develop a compost demonstration project and public education/training facility for livestock farmers in Anne Arundel County. The project—which is aimed primarily at horse operations—will demonstrate Aerated Static Pile (ASP) composting technology systems at three levels: small scale (1‐4 horses or livestock equivalents); medium scale: (5‐20 horses); and large scale: (20‐40 horses). All three compost systems will be solar powered to demonstrate off‐grid sustainability. The small and large systems will include storage tanks to retain roof water for use in the composting process. Public education and outreach is a major component of the project and will include formal classes and hands‐on workshops, public tours for students in kindergarten through college, and alliances with government agencies and non-profit environmental organizations. In addition, a Compost Cooperativewebsite will be developed to bring together producers and end users of the finished compost products.
MDA issued a request for proposals in December 2015 and received 13 bids which were reviewed by a five-member technical review subcommittee. The subcommittee represented diverse skill sets and backgrounds, and its members were chosen from the 20-member Advisory Committee for the Animal Waste Technology Fund.
Reauthorized in 2013, the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Animal Waste Technology Fund provides grants to companies that demonstrate innovative technologies on farms and alternative strategies for managing animal manure. These technologies may generate energy from animal manure, reduce on-farm waste streams, or repurpose manure by creating marketable fertilizer and other products and by-products. To date, the program has issued $5.4 million in grants. For more information on additional grant projects, visithttp://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/innovative_technology.aspxor visit mda.maryland.gov and type “Animal Waste Technology Fund” in the search box.
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14 comments:
More welfare for the poultry companies!
Conservatives should be outraged and demanding answers why taxpayer dollars are being spent to clean up these big poultry companies mess!
Mr. Albero, if I remember correctly you had a manufacturing company before retiring? Did you take responsibility for your waste material or did you have the taxpayers take care of it? I am certain you ran a responsible company.
It amazes me that Conservatives defend this welfare and irresponsible companies.
There are a lot of us now who have become aware of what poultry has and is doing and we are fighting back and winning.
4:46, We recycled everything. Not that I'm any kind of tree hugger, waste material could be used to manufacture other parts.
As for taxpayers, I never took a dime or hand out from the government. Mind you, I had been offered incredible deals, including Governor Glendenning offering me a huge building in Baltimore for $5.00 to be a part of their Inner Harbor Revitalization but I refused to take gifts.
In fact, my company was based in New Jersey and I relocated it to Maryland without ever asking Maryland or the County we relocated to for any financial deals. I was an 84% net profit manufacturer and felt there was no reason to ask for anything.
Disgusting that tax payers are footing the bill for this. The poultry companies should be responsible for their own waste. But when you don't have any morals this doesn't bother you. Everyone acts like these are some companies. As much as I can't stand Obama-Perdue, Tyson, Mountaire etc didn't build their companies-The Tax Pays did and continue to do so. When you factor in all the hidden costs like this that chicken everyone eats (which if you ask me isn't fit for a rabid dog's last meal it smells and tastes so putrid) probably costs $10/lb or more.
But I thought the manure was so needed for fertilizer and was so valuable. This is the lie constantly told by DPI and the growers.
I can't wait to hear from the people that are going to be living next door to this operation. All that chicken crap being hauled down their street and processed next door. Be that will smell nice!
The growers have to say that or they lose their contract.
The best use of poultry manure is to apply it to unsaturated fields which there are plenty of in Maryland. Processing 80 tons per day of poultry manure by anaerobic digestion has never been done. Attempting to do so in Somerset will destroy the air and water. The Economic Development Commission must be on the take to support this plan.
I don't know whats worse, our Eastern Shore produced crapola or the crapola produced by Capitol Hill.
Something tells me Capitol Hill has our Eastern Shore beaten by "PILES"!
(snicker!)
The growers (and NO they are NOT farmers and their chicken farms are NOT family farms by anyone's stretch of the imagination) are up against it because they all took out huge loans and because of lack of competition are stuck with having to get contracts. Anyone can go to mdlandrec.net and see that there isn't one chicken grower around who doesn't owe huge amounts of money. It's a bad investment unless you like making slave wages, living in stench and compromising both your own health and worse yet the health of your children. It's not like it's rocket science. If there was even a little bit of money to be made the companies themselves would own the farms afterall they own everything else except for the farms and the waste. What's funny is how the factory farm cheerleader that always can't wait to run their mouth is silent on this one-more proof how both the companies and the growers are nothing but welfare cases who wouldn't have been able to make it if not for tax payers money.
Has anyone Googled Greenbay Rewables,LLC?
Has anyone Googled Aquifer?
Those living within 4 miles will smell the manure while toxic particulates infiltrate their lungs. This project is in close proximity to Washington High School and Somerset Intermediate so it will impact every student in Somerset at some point. Unless this is the other chicken manure plant that is planned on Somerset's border with Pocomoke. Do you think Worcester County Commissioners realize that Somerset's bad decisions are going to make Pocomoke a stink bomb?
they really need that manure management money in Annapolis!
I wonder what relatives of the county commissioners are benefitting this time.
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