Senator Charles Schumer paid a visit to the SUNY Morrisville campus Tuesday to help promote the schools Anaerobic Digester Program.
The Anaerobic Methane Digester creates energy by breaking down the methane found in cow manure and converting it to energy. SUNY Morrisville's president Raymond Cross estimates the anaerobic digester saved the school $30,000 a year in energy costs last year.
" The secret is keeping the bugs happy. If you keep the bugs happy they produce," he says. In addition to saving dairy farmers money, anaerobic digesters can help save the environment by keeping methane gas out of the atmosphere.
Senator Schumer is working on legislation that would use federal funds to help make Anaerobic Digesters more affordable for small farmers. " What we want to do is make it easier for small farmers to take animal waste and turn it into cold hard cash," Schumer says.
For more information, click this SUNY Morrisville link.
