According to the US Energy Information Association, in 2016, bio-fuels made up a total of 2% of the country’s electricity generation. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to advancing technological solutions to promote and increase the use of clean, abundant, affordable, domestic, and sustainable bio-fuels to diversify our nation's energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce our dependence on oil. The Energy Independence and Security Act calls the U.S. to reduce natural gas consumption by 20% over 10 years which equates to approximately 36 billion gallons of bio-fuels by 2022.

• Contributes to an eco-friendly, low-carbon future

• Mitigates climate change through substitution of fossil fuels

• Increases soil carbon content with a deep root system

• Cools local surface temperature relative to annual crops

• Improves ecosystem services and biodiversity

• Can be grown on abandoned and degraded agricultural fields

• Prevents and reverts conditions of land degradation

• Reduces soil and water pollution

On average, every American uses about 60 gallons of water per day for purposes that include food preparation, flushing toilets, bathing and doing laundry. Most of the used water will eventually become wastewater that must be treated before it can be discharged into nature. Treatment uses a lot of energy, and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, water and wastewater facilities account for more than a third of municipal energy budgets. The residual, semi-solid material that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater is called sewage sludge, and it can be used as an input into a bio-gas production facility. There are many sewage treatment systems throughout the Hudson Valley which experience maximum or over capacity conditions on a regular basis. In many cases, this inability to properly manage the inflow of sewage results in an excess amount being expelled into the Hudson River. A bio-energy facility offers an opportunity to monetize this material and introduce a process that can return valuable nutrients to our agriculture sector while improving the health of the estuary.

Food waste occurs at the stages of production, retailing, and consuming. Globally, this amounts to between one-third and one-half of all food produced. In low-income countries, most loss occurs during production, while in developed countries, about 220 lbs per person per year is wasted at the consumption stage. This food, destined for land-fills or incineration, could be used as an input fuel source to produce renewable bio-gas for electricity generation. For the Hudson Valley, investments would need to be made in separate collection bins designated for bio-waste. This could start with large corporate institutions like malls and department store complexes. It could also include areas with high densities of restaurants. Collecting individual household waste may not be an economically viable investment at this time and the collection act itself may be an offsetting penalty in consideration of the materials needed to create all of the bins and the transportation. Local collection points may serve as an alternative option which could be implemented at schools to integrate the benefits of proper waste disposal into education.

One crop which demonstrates many attractive qualities as a source of bio-fuel is switchgrass. The US Department of Agriculture and the University of Nebraska have been conducting research on this plant since the mid-1930s. It is a summer perennial grass that is native to North America and has been seeded on millions of hectares of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands since 1986. As a valuable soil protection cover crop, it is familiar to many farmers as it binds loose soils and provides valuable wildlife habitat.

Progress has been made in switchgrass breeding and genetics, to promote northeastern establishment, fertility management, production economics, harvest and storage management, and a variety of ecosystem services. To date, net energy and sustainability research fully support the use of switchgrass as a bio-mass energy crop. It can take a few years for the switchgrass to become established to full productivity on a piece of land. Therefore, establishment of a supply network can coincide with the construction of a bio-gas facility.

A great deal of land in New York is suitable for growing switchgrass (Cornell). Cave-in-Rock is an upland variety that is generally recommended as it has been shown to do well in northern climates. Others include Forestburg, Blackwell, Nebraska, Pathfinder, Sunburst, Trailblazer, and Shawnee.

Fertilizers can be created from the bio-energy production byproduct and supplied to farmers. In effect, this replenishes the soil and avoids the high intensity impact of producing fertilizers elsewhere. Phosphorous resources are becoming more scarce throughout the world and the impact of extracting this crucial mineral from the earth can be very environmentally taxing. By returning this to the farmers, the fertilizer is integrated into a circular economy and thus minimizes the effects of eutrophication from the continuous importation of fertilizer products.

Plants absorb heavy metals that are in our soil. As such, these elements are also present in our municipal solid waste (MSW). There are extraction methods which can be introduced into the bio-gas facility which can recovers ferrous non-ferrous metals, such as steel and aluminum, respectively. As a result, these potentially toxic elements are collected from our environment and can be used for industrial applications.

Switching to biogas as vehicle fuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector between 60% and 80% compared to fossil-based fuels like gasoline and diesel. Transport accounts for about 30% of global energy use, making renewable transport crucial for a sustainable energy future. Cost reduction remains the critical challenge. Yet, increasing synergies with other power and transport technologies could further reduce biogas production costs. There are opportunities to integrate this energy source into local supply chains to provide cost efficient fuel for the region. Long-term contracts should be explored with county and state agencies that are looking to update their public transportation vehicle fleets.

NASA has determined that 50% aviation biofuel mixture can cut air pollution caused by air traffic by 50–70%. It is considered by some to be the primary means by which the aviation industry can reduce its carbon footprint. After a multi-year technical review from aircraft makers, engine manufacturers and oil companies, biofuels were approved for commercial use in July 2011. The focus of the industry has now turned to second generation sustainable biofuels (sustainable aviation fuels) that do not compete with food supplies nor are major consumers of prime agricultural land or freshwater. The Hudson Valley region has many airports that could be served with this type of fuel. Long-term contract agreements can be explored with a variety of airline companies to establish an eco-friendly and sustainable fueling option for the future.