Freedom Township residents concerned about possibility of a biogas plant

Freedom Township, July 9, 2024, board meeting was well attended by residents upset over the possibility that a biogas plant could be built in the township. Photo courtesy of Shaun Andring.

by Sara Swanson

Freedom Township had more than 100 residents attend the July 9 board meeting after one resident mailed out a postcard to their neighbors raising concern over a proposed Vanguard Renewables biogas plant near Lima Center Road. See Mirror article: Horning Farms using latest technology to be good neighbors

What is biogas? “Biogas” refers to methane created when anaerobic digestion breaks down organic matter in a “digester,” converting (in this case) a mixture of animal manure produced locally and food waste that would be trucked in. The methane produced would be used like conventional natural gas.

Biogas is frequently pitched as an environmentally friendly, renewable energy option but the reality is less straightforward than something like a solar farm. Biogas is still burned to create energy, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, its source is renewable and has much less of an environmental impact than fracking, the method that produces about 2/3 of the natural gas used by the US. Additionally, biogas also helps mitigate methane emissions that would have otherwise escaped from landfills or manure lagoons. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and using it as a fuel dramatically reduces its climate impact compared to it escaping directly into the atmosphere.

At the meeting residents expressed more immediate environmental concerns about the possible impact the plant would have on the community’s drinking water and Pleasant Lake from the by-products created, increased traffic on the roads from the food waste that would be trucked in, associated smells, and explosion risks as the methane would either be piped away from the facility and connected to existing pipelines or trucked out.

Supervisor Larry Lindemann and Clerk Valisa Bristle shared that Vanguard representatives had reached out to the township last March with questions about building a biogas plant on agriculturally zoned land and were directed to speak with the township planner. The township planner, Rodney Nanney, advised after review of the township zoning ordinance that an operation like this would not be allowed on agricultural land and only be permissible with a conditional-use permit approval in an industrial zoned district. In January of this year another representative asked to discuss the project and the township planner let them know that there is no path forward for the project as currently envisioned on agriculturally zoned land in the township. Vanguard has not contacted the township again.

Clerk Bristle emphasized, “No application, site plan, survey, or any other paperwork have been submitted (from Vanguard, Horning Farms, or any other associate on their behalf) to the township regarding this project.”

Another concern raised at the meeting was whether recently passed Michigan Public Act 233, which gives a state-level commission siting authority over utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage facilities under specific conditions, would apply to a biogas plant and allow the state of Michigan to overrule the township. It does not.

This topic will be on Freedom Township’s agenda at their August 13 board meeting at 8pm at the township hall, 11508 Pleasant Lake Rd.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.