California Air Resources Board

The Dairy and Livestock Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Working Group (Working Group) formed three subgroups—Subgroup #1: Fostering Markets for Non-Digester Projects; Subgroup #2: Fostering Markets for Digester Projects; and Subgroup #3: Research Needs, Including Enteric Fermentation. Each subgroup was tasked with developing policy recommendations in their specific areas. To fulfill this goal, each subgroup held public meetings that included participation from dairy industry representatives, environmental justice advocates, public utilities, academia, and other interested stakeholders. The subgroups provided final recommendations from all subgroups to the Working Group in November 2018.

Subgroup #2 was tasked with developing a roadmap to significantly expand the number of dairy and livestock digester projects in California and Subgroup #3 was tasked with prioritizing dairy and livestock research projects and improving knowledge of GHG and other pollutant emissions from California dairies and livestock facilities. The roadmap was to identify both commercially ready and emerging technologies and approaches for converting manure and digestate into energy and other value-added products. The subgroup sought to identify and suggest solutions to potential impacts, benefits, and barriers to scaling up digester projects.  Stakeholders were brought together to consider funding sources and infrastructure, procurement, and environmental policies that can achieve a sustainable model. The subgroup met at 11 public meetings in 2017–2018 and finalized the Subgroup #2 final recommendations to the Working Group in October 2018. One of the deliverables from the subgroup #2 process was a dairy digester emissions matrix which outlines the potential GHG and criteria pollution emissions that might result from different uses of dairy biogas.

Subgroup #2 Mission Statement

Establish a roadmap, attentive to the Senate Bill 1383 dates of July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2024, to significantly expand the number of livestock digester projects in California that support the State's climate and air quality goals. The roadmap will identify both commercially ready and emerging technologies and approaches for converting manure and digestate into energy and other value added products. This will be accomplished by assembling a comprehensive overview and discussion of dairy digester projects, including identification of potential impacts, benefits, and barriers to scaling up digester projects. Through the process, the subgroup will bring State agencies and stakeholders together to identify and recommend the necessary infrastructure, and procurement and environmental policies, as well as funding sources, to achieve a sustainable model for the dairy and livestock industry.

Subgroup #2 Members