Sen. Haugen - SB 5797 Bill Signing

The list of items that can be fed into anaerobic digesters grew slightly more palatable today when the governor signed Senate Bill 5797 into law, allowing Washington farmers and ranchers to mix food byproducts into their biodigesters along with its primary fuel — cow manure.

Anaerobic digesters compost organic waste in a machine that limits access to oxygen. The oxygen-free environment lets microbes break down the waste, and the resulting digester gas is then burned as fuel to produce electricity, heat, and hot water. In addition to generating energy, the process reduces manure odor by destroying methane — a potent greenhouse gas.

Anaerobic digesters are great at changing waste products such as manure into energy, but they perform even better by using a combination of materials, and users can increase efficiency by mixing food waste in with animal manure.

Unfortunately, existing laws limit farmers ability to do this because manure is a dairy nutrient regulated by the Department of Agriculture while using food waste required compliance with extensive regulations under the Department of Ecology. Thats why I worked with a variety of stakeholders and government agencies to exempt anaerobic digesters from solid waste permitting requirements under specific conditions and guidelines.

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