One Idaho Dairy Farm, Six Digesters, Zero Waste

At East Valley Cattle in Jerome, Idaho, more than 35,000 dairy cows are now contributing to something beyond milk production. Six anaerobic digesters capture methane from their manure before it reaches the atmosphere, converting it into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas that enters the interstate fuel supply

Clean Energy Fuels completed the facility in June 2026, calling it one of the largest single-site dairy RNG operations in North America. The plant handles more than 5 million gallons of manure each day, running it through advanced wastewater treatment and separation systems before biogas extraction. Once captured, the gas is injected directly into interstate pipeline infrastructure for distribution to transportation markets nationwide

The project was financed through CE bp Renew Co, a joint venture between Clean Energy and bp, and recorded its first revenue in the first quarter of 2026. It has been certified under both the EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard, qualifying it to generate Renewable Identification Numbers, and by the California Air Resources Board under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Dairy operations have long been among the most scrutinized agricultural contributors to methane emissions, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide over shorter time horizons. East Valley demonstrates what responsible capture can look like at commercial scale: high volumes, existing waste streams, and an output that displaces fossil fuel in heavy-duty transportation. The facility also processes digestion byproducts into fertilizer and livestock bedding for on-farm use, reducing synthetic fertilizer dependence while creating additional revenue streams

Still, the broader challenge remains replication at scale, extending this model to smaller farms and regions lacking existing pipeline access. The results from Jerome will shape how developers and financiers assess the next generation of agricultural RNG projects