The Environmental Protection Agency has distributed $2 million for biogas projects in China, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria and Ukraine, under the Methane to Markets Partnership.

The partnership, launched by President Bush in November 2004, links 20 countries and 600 public and private organizations to support projects involving the collection and utilization of methane. The polluting greenhouse gas can be captured from the manure in dairy farms, as well as coal mines and landfills, and can be turned into energy.

In January, the EPA and its partners established "guidance" that can help farmers manage livestock waste and boost farm earnings by producing biogas from manure. The guidance provides a standardized method that allows farm operators and investors to compare the effectiveness of available waste methane recovery systems. Note – no financial assistance.

Wake up and smell the poop. Why does the United States choose to fund projects globally when we have ripe opportunities right here at home? According to Al Morales, formerly of Environmental Power Corporation, whose subsidiary Microgy, Inc. builds digesters that harness methane, the biogas industry needs much more support in America. Currently, biogas receives none of the subsidies that biodiesel and ethanol get, and it only gets a credit if energy is used to produce electricity, and then it's only half of what wind and solar receive.