HERD ABOUT IT?

by Ana Grarian

A CNY county is trying to build a pipeline that will carry dirty biogas from anaerobic digesters on about 10 CAFO dairies to a industrial park near the county seat.

At the industrial park this dirty gas will be scrubbed and the resultant methane will be used to generate electricity. The heat from the generation process will be used to heat a county building. Additionally there is the possibility of generating some income via carbon credits and the capturing of other chemicals during the scrubbing process.
The county has authorized the expenditure of $150k to determine the economic viability of the project. Well actually they have authorized $25K. If the company they have hired for the feasibility study determines the project is viable – then the same company – will get the additional $125K to design the project.

What, huh?

Does anyone else see a glitch in that system?

If you determine the project is viable – you’ll get an even more lucrative contract on the project. If you don’t – you’ve just lost yourself $125K.

More good news…Out of the total $234K for the technical analysis ($84K for a lawyer), the taxpayer will pay less than $50K. The rest will come from state and federal grants.

Uhm……aren’t those grants paid for by taxpayer dollars?

So, county, state and federal taxpayers will finance a project to help 7-10 industrial dairies clean up the pollution they have heretofore claimed they didn’t make?

That’s fair….

And just to be nice these 7-10 ag businessmen will chip in about $14K.

(that’s $1400 each not $14K each)

I wonder if they got that money through federal grants too?

http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_03d6e032-a784-11e0-8ae0-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story