In an article written by David William House for renewableenergyworld.com, David presents a compelling story.  Biogas is a very viable renewable energy source, yet biogas receives no respect in the political arena.  He cites various studies that show that biogas has a very high energy output to input ratio.  One study shows that the energy output of biogas from corn silage is 8 times higher than ethanol from corn.  David also cites another study that determined the sunlight to vehicle road miles efficiency of compressed biogas used in a vehicle is far higher than classic biofuels.  Another study states that the biogas from agricultural and municipal waste produces nearly four times the energy per unit of land as compared with corn based ethanol.  Biogas also had the lowest GHG emissions of any fuel studied.

This information leads us to think biogas should be a renewable energy fuel the United States should focus on and invest in.  However, this is not the case.  Corn based ethanol and biodiesel still dominate the scene.  Even reports by the DOE regarding biofuels fail to mention biogas at all.  This is something that needs to change.

This is a challenge the newly formed American Biogas Council could undertake.  The American Biogas Council is an industry group focused on promoting the awareness of biogas production from anaerobic digestion technologies and elevating its use as a viable renewable energy source.  The ABC has committees involved in legislative and regulatory affairs, as well as education and outreach.  The ABC, when fully formed, will tackle issues exactly like this.