Big turnout for Freedom Township biodigester meeting
Methane Plant Update meeting in Freedom Township Hall on October 22, 2025. Photo courtesy of Colleen A. Schoenfeld.
by Colleen A. Schoenfeld
On the rainy, dreary night of Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the Freedom Township Hall was packed. It was standing-room only by the start of the meeting, with residents eager to learn more about the potential for Freedom Township to be the location of a methane agrodigester/biodigester. The two terms seemed to be used interchangeably during the presentations to describe a process of using organic waste, like food scraps and animal waste, to convert them into useable fuel known as biogas (methane) and a nutrient-rich digestate that can be used as fertilizer. As the Mirror has previously published, while it sounds like a win-win for sustainable-energy production and waste reduction, there are many concerns residents have expressed about the actual process and what it means for the communities where these plants are located.
A major concern presenters and residents expressed is the concentration of industrial plants and hazardous materials already located in Freedom Township, and adding to that risk with yet another source of potential danger. Attendees expressed concerns about response times to any incident that might occur like a fire, explosion, or leaks. One presenter showed a slide that the quickest possible emergency response is 10 minutes, from the Manchester Fire Department. He stated that 10 minutes is optimistic because that time does not include how long it takes for the firefighters to get to the fire station because it is only the time it takes for them to travel from the fire station to Freedom Township. Further questions were raised by the audience about HAZMAT-specific capabilities and whether the nearest responding fire stations are trained and equipped to respond to those specific scenarios.
There was also concern expressed about the environmental effects of these digester and co-digester operations to the land, air, and water around the facilities. A presenter from Fremont Township joined in via Zoom to explain what her and her community’s experience was like when a similar plant opened in the Fremont area. She detailed the impact of the odors produced by the plant specifically but also mentioned contaminants like PFAS and microplastics that are distributed in the digestate biproduct from the plant. This digestate is sold as a fertilizer and spread on farm fields. Other information presented at the meeting explained that this digestate contains heavy metals, PFAS, and microplastics in addition to the advertised nitrates and phosphates that are attractive to farmers for higher yield crops.
MLive and WEMU published detailed articles last week about the meeting and presentations. WEMU was able to obtain a statement from a Vanguard representative that Vanguard was no longer pursuing a facility in Freedom Township but was still interested in doing business in Michigan. However, MLive spoke with a representative of the potential site of a co-digester facility in Freedom Township, who stated that they were still interested in pursuing a co-digester but until/unless state law changes, the potential to locate one on their farm is on hold.
Jill Hollister is a Freedom Township resident and an organizer of the Freedom Township Preservation Group, which has been spearheading the effort to inform local residents as well as state-level authorities about the negative impacts of biodigester facilities and operations. When asked for her response to both the Vanguard rep’s statement and the statement of the potential Freedom Township site rep, Hollister said, “It’s not over until it’s over. The site rep clearly stated they were still interested in potentially pursuing a co-digester if the climate were right. That Vanguard is no longer interested in constructing a co-digester in Freedom Township is questionable. We have no proof of that except for a single statement by a Vanguard rep that they are not going to pursue this project, that it’s really over. Southeast Michigan has the highest amount of food waste in the state, why wouldn’t they want to come here? Not only do we not want this in Freedom Township, we don’t want it in Washtenaw County, or Michigan. It’s detrimental to people, the environment, our land and lakes, and the state.”
Freedom Township Preservation Group is encouraging everyone to learn more about biodigesters and the potential negative impacts of their operations. They are also encouraging folks to reach out to their local and state-level representatives to bring awareness to this issue. They have also been actively engaging with our county-level officials to discourage Washtenaw County from approving the locating of biodigesters within the county.
Michigan counties, including Washtenaw, are currently tasked by the State of Michigan to develop Materials Management Plans (MMP). At the top of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Michigan.gov site, a banner reads: “New Materials Management Plans have officially been called for. New Materials Management Plans are in the approval and development process. The new law establishes statewide recycling goals and standards, and the Materials Management Plans will identify an implementation strategy to meet those goals. Current Solid Waste Management Plans will remain in effect until a new Materials Management Plan is approved.”
While MMPs use the term “materials” to replace the term “waste,” these MMPs are effectively waste-management/disposal plans. Washtenaw County is currently developing their MMP for consideration and approval by the County Commission. According to the Washtenaw County Water Resources website, “Every county in Michigan must have a Materials Management Plan (MMP). In 2022, amendments were made to Michigan’s solid waste statute. This includes Subpart 11 of Part 115 (PDF), which covers county Materials Management Plans. The focus used to be on having enough landfill space for our waste. The changes have shifted the focus to having stronger waste reduction, recycling, and composting.”
While the state’s goals and shift in focus from landfill space to reduction, recycling, and composting is laudable, according to presenters with the Freedom Township Preservation Group, the technology of biodigesters as a sustainable and renewable energy source is just not there yet and is not yet safe enough to balance against the known and potential risks; a sentiment echoed by Washtenaw County Public Works Director, Theo Eggermont, in the meeting.
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