ST. MARYS, Ohio (AP) — A Cleveland company has received a $1 million federal grant to help create a facility that would turn animal waste into energy near Ohio's largest inland lake.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Monday that Quasar Energy Group will use the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant for a methane digester near Grand Lake St. Marys. The $2.2 million facility would turn manure into methane that can be used for heating and converted into alternative vehicle fuel.
Manure and chemical runoffs from farms have led to high levels of phosphorus, which feeds blue-green algae at the nearly 13,000-acre lake and has led to a decline in tourism.
Brown says the digester project will also create clean-energy jobs near the lake between Dayton and Toledo.