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California regulates cow farts
GALT, Calif. (AP) — California is taking its fight against global warming to the farm.
The nation's leading agricultural state is now targeting greenhouse gases produced by dairy cows and other livestock.
Despite strong opposition from farmers, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation in September that for the first time regulates heat-trapping gases from livestock operations and landfills.
Cattle and other farm animals are major sources of methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas. Methane is released when they belch, pass gas and make manure.
"If we can reduce emissions of methane, we can really help to slow global warming," said Ryan McCarthy, a science adviser for the California Air Resources Board, which is drawing up rules to implement the new law.
Livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, with beef and dairy production accounting for the bulk of it, according to a 2013 United Nations report.
Since the passage of its landmark global warming law in 2006, California has been reducing carbon emissions from cars, trucks, homes and factories, while boosting production of renewable energy.
In the nation's largest milk-producing state, the new law aims to reduce methane emissions from dairies and livestock operations to 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, McCarthy said. State officials are developing the regulations, which take effect in 2024.
"We expect that this package ... and everything we're doing on climate, does show an effective model forward for others," McCarthy said.
Dairy farmers say the new regulations will drive up costs when they're already struggling with five years of drought, low milk prices and rising labor costs. They're also concerned about a newly signed law that will boost overtime pay for farmworkers.
"It just makes it more challenging. We're continuing to lose dairies. Dairies are moving out of state to places where these costs don't exist," said Paul Sousa, director of environmental services for Western United Dairymen.
The dairy industry could be forced to move production to states and countries with fewer regulations, leading to higher emissions globally, Sousa said.
"We think it's very foolish for the state of California to be taking this position," said Rob Vandenheuvel, general manager for the Milk Producers Council. "A single state like California is not going to make a meaningful impact on the climate."
Regulators are looking for ways to reduce so-called enteric emissions — methane produced by bovine digestive systems. That could eventually require changes to what cattle eat.
But the biggest target is dairy manure, which accounts for about a quarter of the state's methane emissions.
State regulators want more farmers to reduce emissions with methane digesters, which capture methane from manure in large storage tanks and convert the gas into electricity.
The state has set aside $50 million to help dairies set up digesters, but farmers say that's not nearly enough to equip the state's roughly 1,500 dairies.
New Hope Dairy, which has 1,500 cows in Sacramento County, installed a $4 million methane digester in 2013, thanks to state grants and a partnership with California Biogas LLC, which operates the system to generate renewable power for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
Co-owner Arlin Van Groningen, a third-generation farmer, says he couldn't afford one if he had to buy and run it himself.
"The bottom line is it's going to negatively impact the economics of the California dairy industry," Van Groningen said of the new law. "In the dairy business, the margins are so slim that something like this will force us out of state."
State officials say they're committed to making sure the new regulations work for farmers and the environment.
"There's a real opportunity here to get very significant emissions reductions at fairly low cost, and actually in a way that can bring economic benefits to farmers," Ryan said.
http://www.fox5ny.com/news/220448846-story
The nation's leading agricultural state is now targeting greenhouse gases produced by dairy cows and other livestock.
Despite strong opposition from farmers, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation in September that for the first time regulates heat-trapping gases from livestock operations and landfills.
Cattle and other farm animals are major sources of methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas. Methane is released when they belch, pass gas and make manure.
"If we can reduce emissions of methane, we can really help to slow global warming," said Ryan McCarthy, a science adviser for the California Air Resources Board, which is drawing up rules to implement the new law.
Livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, with beef and dairy production accounting for the bulk of it, according to a 2013 United Nations report.
Since the passage of its landmark global warming law in 2006, California has been reducing carbon emissions from cars, trucks, homes and factories, while boosting production of renewable energy.
In the nation's largest milk-producing state, the new law aims to reduce methane emissions from dairies and livestock operations to 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, McCarthy said. State officials are developing the regulations, which take effect in 2024.
"We expect that this package ... and everything we're doing on climate, does show an effective model forward for others," McCarthy said.
Dairy farmers say the new regulations will drive up costs when they're already struggling with five years of drought, low milk prices and rising labor costs. They're also concerned about a newly signed law that will boost overtime pay for farmworkers.
"It just makes it more challenging. We're continuing to lose dairies. Dairies are moving out of state to places where these costs don't exist," said Paul Sousa, director of environmental services for Western United Dairymen.
The dairy industry could be forced to move production to states and countries with fewer regulations, leading to higher emissions globally, Sousa said.
"We think it's very foolish for the state of California to be taking this position," said Rob Vandenheuvel, general manager for the Milk Producers Council. "A single state like California is not going to make a meaningful impact on the climate."
Regulators are looking for ways to reduce so-called enteric emissions — methane produced by bovine digestive systems. That could eventually require changes to what cattle eat.
But the biggest target is dairy manure, which accounts for about a quarter of the state's methane emissions.
State regulators want more farmers to reduce emissions with methane digesters, which capture methane from manure in large storage tanks and convert the gas into electricity.
The state has set aside $50 million to help dairies set up digesters, but farmers say that's not nearly enough to equip the state's roughly 1,500 dairies.
New Hope Dairy, which has 1,500 cows in Sacramento County, installed a $4 million methane digester in 2013, thanks to state grants and a partnership with California Biogas LLC, which operates the system to generate renewable power for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
Co-owner Arlin Van Groningen, a third-generation farmer, says he couldn't afford one if he had to buy and run it himself.
"The bottom line is it's going to negatively impact the economics of the California dairy industry," Van Groningen said of the new law. "In the dairy business, the margins are so slim that something like this will force us out of state."
State officials say they're committed to making sure the new regulations work for farmers and the environment.
"There's a real opportunity here to get very significant emissions reductions at fairly low cost, and actually in a way that can bring economic benefits to farmers," Ryan said.
http://www.fox5ny.com/news/220448846-story
When this news broke locally, most people thought it was a joke in my area. Good Old Governor Moonbeam doesn't want to face the facts that the 39 million + people living in Ca. are doing way worse damage to the environment and air than the cows (around 4 million) ever could... Everyone Farts...
5 Comments
Good Old Governor Moonbeam is a fiscal conservative who oversees the world's sixth largest economy - with a budget surplus, and a rainy day fund to deal with the upcoming recession. He's had a forty year career telling people they can't have everything they want. I don't see him having a problem with facing facts.
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160627/gov-jerry-brown-signs-california-budget-of-more-than-122-billion
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160627/gov-jerry-brown-signs-california-budget-of-more-than-122-billion
California's economy is still in the toilet with Gov. Brown ~ that's another topic altogether...
Methane GHG is very similar to carbon dioxide. We can't measure how much methane is in each cow fart, but we do know that the methane they expel definitely contributes to the emission problem in the world. According to the Ca. Air Resources Board, California emits 447 mil. tons of carbon dioxide per year. The largest amount 38% comes from transportation, such as cars and trucks. 21% comes from electrical plants, and 19% comes from industrial plants. Agriculture and natural events make up 12%. Commercial and residential buildings contribute 10%. Basically all emissions are a threat to the climate...
According to the EPA, since the start of the Industrial revolution, humans have increasingly affected the climate by releasing billions of tons of heat trapping greenhouse gas into the air. This has accounted for the majority of warming since the mid 20th century. With that being said, I think Brown is running a scam and driving dairy out of Ca.
americancowboychronicles.com/2016/11/California-to-tax-cow-farts-and-bullsh*t.html
Methane GHG is very similar to carbon dioxide. We can't measure how much methane is in each cow fart, but we do know that the methane they expel definitely contributes to the emission problem in the world. According to the Ca. Air Resources Board, California emits 447 mil. tons of carbon dioxide per year. The largest amount 38% comes from transportation, such as cars and trucks. 21% comes from electrical plants, and 19% comes from industrial plants. Agriculture and natural events make up 12%. Commercial and residential buildings contribute 10%. Basically all emissions are a threat to the climate...
According to the EPA, since the start of the Industrial revolution, humans have increasingly affected the climate by releasing billions of tons of heat trapping greenhouse gas into the air. This has accounted for the majority of warming since the mid 20th century. With that being said, I think Brown is running a scam and driving dairy out of Ca.
americancowboychronicles.com/2016/11/California-to-tax-cow-farts-and-bullsh*t.html
No, California's economy is not in the toilet and it is the world's 6th largest economy. We have the motion picture industry, agriculture and the tech industry. We do have a problem with affordable housing but that's another issue.
And the americancowboychronicles is your basis for this silliness ??? Stick to real news.
orphanedhawk, I'm happy to have helped broaden your viewing scope on relevant news. Perhaps you would appreciate it if I used the term 'cow flatulence' instead of COW FARTS ~ but cow farts is much sillier ;) HEHE HEHOHO
Having grown up around meat and milk factories and the giant mountains of waste they produce in rural North/Central California, I'm happy to see my tax dollars used to abate this stank. Besides it's a 'shi++y' use for agricultural land that could be put to better uses. If the factory farmers and their lobbyists don't like it, they can take their cheeseburgers down the road to Kansas or some other environmentally unconscious, 'business friendly' state and see how their stock do drinking fracking waste.
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