North Carolina bill creates general permit certain biogas systems

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on July 2 signed the North Carolina Farm Act of 2021. The legislation, in part, directs the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission to develop a new general permit for farms with digester systems.

Under the legislation, the commission is directed to develop a new general permit for animal operations that includes authorization for the permittee to construct and operate a farm digester system. The general permit is expected to make it easier for hog farmers to install on-farm biogas production systems.

The general permit is to become effective within 12 months of the bill becoming law and is set to expire by Sept. 30, 2024, or the effective date of the next version of the currently existing general permit for animal operations.

The North Carolina House passed the bill on June 24 by a vote of 47 to 60. The state’s Senate voted 35 to 11 in favor of the legislation on June 29. Cooper signed the bill on July 2. Additional information is available on the North Carolina General Assembly website.