A California Climate Policy Is Polluting Wisconsin

Big Ag took hold of the Midwest decades ago. And some of these trends—shrinking populations, farm consolidation, and local business closures—are common in rural areas across the country. But some residents and activists say a recent, allegedly pro-environmental policy is making things worse: A climate program implemented some two thousand miles away is encouraging farms in Wisconsin to turn manure into fuel using anaerobic digesters. The pollution problem is growing.

The California Low-Carbon Fuel Standard, or LCFS, is a climate program implemented in 2011 to incentivize the production of alternative fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state. It’s a key part of California’s climate strategy, and has issued more than $22 billion worth of credits for low-carbon fuels since 2013. One of the “low-carbon” fuels heavily incentivized by the LCFS is factory-farm biogas, a fuel source produced from methane released by manure and animal waste. Farmers are paid to install anaerobic digesters—giant machines that break down waste, capture methane, and turn it into natural gas used for electricity, heating, and fuel—and are awarded credits, which Californian transportation companies and fuel producers can buy to offset their carbon emissions. In 2024, the California Air Resources Board, the governing body of the LCFS, updated the program to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission infrastructure like digesters, which critics argue solidified factory-farm biogas as one of the program’s most incentivized fuels. Nearly 200 manure digesters across 16 states are now funded by the LCFS, according to an analysis from Food and Water Watch. Outside California, Wisconsin, Texas, and New York have the most LCFS-funded digester projects.

Biogas and biodigester technology are supported by a broad coalition of agricultural groups, fossil fuel giants, utility companies, and politicians across bipartisan lines. Supporters call it a game-changing technology that will cut methane emissions from the agriculture sector, while providing farmers a new source of income. Alongside the LCFS, a number of federal grants and state programs have been dedicated to building more digesters. With funding from former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, funneled over $150 million in subsidies to manure biogas projects in 2023 alone.