This West Michigan Company Wants To Bring Cow Poop To Your Gas Tank

With gas prices at an all time high, most people are ready for any solution that could bring down the price at the pump.

While we can always go electric or hybrid, those options still have their problems. But what if someone came up with a solution to turn something we consider waste into something we can power our every day lives?

That's what BerQ investments of Finchville is trying to do. Or, maybe I should say doo doo.

This week, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Strategic Fund Board approved the first step for BerQ US Investments, LLC to seek up to $165 million in private financing, in order to help cover the cost of buying and installing equipment that’ll create compressed natural gas from farm manure. This natural gas would then go to the pump and hopefully help power cars around the country for less money, while also helping the environment comparatively to oil based fuel.

BerQ plans to source from several farms, according to WoodTV, "BerQ would source the feces from four farms: Brook View Dairy farm in the Barry County village of Freeport, Scenic View Dairy farm in Fennville and Schaendorf Cattle Co. farm in Hopkins, both in Allegan County; and Green Meadow Farms in Elsie, located in Clinton County."

When will we see cow poop fuel at the pumps?

It won't be immediate, this is the first set of steps in order to allow this process to be completed. While we all are anxious to save money at the pump, it's going to take up to two years just to get the funding to complete this project.

Will this actually help the environment?

Yes - while the natural gas fuel itself doesn't make a huge difference in general emissions from vehicle to vehicle, however the project itself is expected to eliminate approximately 33,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, with a 20-year “useful life,”. That means over the life of this project, it could cut over 600,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

So while it may be awhile before you see a change, it's pretty cool to think that your car gas could be fueled by something a little closer to the gas you pass after dinner in the future.