President Obama is turning to poop as his latest gambit to fight global warming.
The White House is announcing $6 million in grants Monday to promote the use of a mix of garbage and/or animal feces to produce a renewable form of electricity to help fight global warming, as the president sets his sights on reaching a global deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Paris in December.
“As we look to Paris, today’s actions demonstrate America’s continued leadership in land management strategies that mitigate emissions and adapt to climate change,” a fact sheet from the White House reads. “Such actions include promoting soil health, improving nutrient and manure management, protecting sensitive lands, and encouraging renewable energy.”
The Obama administration made the announcement ahead of a climate change summit it is hosting Monday at the White House on using “smart” agriculture techniques to fight the effects of climate change. Many scientists blame greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels for driving manmade climate change.
The Department of Agriculture is taking the lead in promoting smart agriculture practices by funding “anaerobic digesters” that can use garbage and an array of waste from livestock to produce clean, renewable energy from the production of biomethane gas.
The gas can be used to run power plants to produce renewable electricity and biofuels to power cars and trucks. The White House says helping rural businesses and farmers deploy more poop-fueled power plants will help reduce costs.
The agency announced funding for more than 1,100 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that include a number of the manure digesters in their portfolio. The projects will “help rural small businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy usage and costs in their operations nationwide,” the White House said.
The agency is providing more than $102 million in federally backed loan guarantees and $71 million in grants through the Rural Energy for America Program, it says. “Among the projects, nearly $6 million is being awarded for 17 anaerobic digesters in California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington.”
“In total, the projects are expected to generate enough energy to power more than 83,000 homes for a year and reduce emissions equivalent of eliminating a year’s worth of pollution for more than 131,500 cars,” the White House says. The White House doesn’t say where the rest of the money is going, but just underscores its use in digesters.
The agency is also announcing the availability of eight regional climate assessments meant to help states understand how vulnerable they are to sea-level rise and flooding as a result of climate change. The assessments are being provided to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.
“The assessments provide land managers and agency partners with an introduction to the regional sensitivities and climate adaptation strategies, include a greenhouse gas emissions profile with mitigation opportunities, and offer an overview of how partner USDA agencies are being affected by a changing climate,” the fact sheet says.
The White House also will award 12 individuals for helping their communities adopt these agriculture practices. Even first lady Michelle Obama’s healthy-eating campaign is getting into the mix.
The White House is announcing that “it will plant cover crops in the White House Kitchen Garden this week to improve soil quality, reduce erosion and increase soil carbon.” The crops will be added to the garden the first lady planted in 2009 as part of her Let’s Move health campaign.
