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Lyon County approves conditional use permit for anaerobic digester at Smith Valley dairy
Summary
The Board approved a conditional use permit allowing CEA Dairy RNG Nevada LLC to recommission an existing anaerobic digester at a Smith Valley dairy, subject to conditions including state permitting and noise/light limits; NDEP will lead technical permitting and public-safety review.
The Lyon County Board of Commissioners on June 5 approved a conditional use permit allowing CEA Dairy RNG Nevada LLC to recommission an existing anaerobic digester at a Smith Valley dairy.
County Senior Planner Louis Carriola presented the request and said the tank and associated equipment already exist on the site and were previously permitted as accessory to the dairy. He said the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection’s Chemical Accident Prevention (CAP) program identified that a CUP was required under state law because the digester is treated as a manufacturing or processing activity for potentially hazardous materials. Carriola said additional permits will be required from NDEP and the Smith Valley fire district, and the county will require building permits before the system may operate.
Virginia Wise, representing the applicant, told commissioners the firm intends to be “good stewards and neighbors” while operating the facility and invited questions. Wise and company representatives said the operation will capture methane produced by anaerobic digestion of dairy manure and deliver renewable natural gas to a distribution facility the applicant already operates in Stagecoach.
The project includes the existing 2,200,000-gallon digester and compressors on roughly a 6.4-acre operational footprint within the larger dairy parcel. Carriola said the county’s review focused on land-use compliance because NDEP will handle technical permits related to hazardous-materials handling and potential explosive materials. Staff recommended conditions that limit the route and hours of tanker truck movements, require light fixtures to be full-cutoff, and impose daytime and nighttime noise-weighted averages drawn from the county code (65 dBA daytime, 60 dBA nighttime).
Commissioners asked about public safety, security, and insurance; company representatives said the operator maintains commercial insurance and performs process-hazard assessments. The board also added a condition that the county and sheriff’s emergency management be briefed on any system failures.
The board voted 5–0 to approve the conditional use permit (PLZ2025‑01) for the recommissioning of the anaerobic digester, subject to the staff-recommended conditions and the requirement that NDEP and the local fire district issue the necessary permits.
The county planner and applicant said the project will return to the Lyon County building review for required permits and inspections before operating.
