The EPA, which initially fought the Supreme Court's April 2, 2007 decisions on regulating carbon emissions, is now planning on licensing fees aimed at livestock operations with more than 100 tons of carbon emissions per year, according to Nick Butterfield, speaking for the EPA, quoted by Bob Johnson, AP, published in the Washington Post - EPA Targets Farmers. The farmers are against this. Ken Hamilton, of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation says it will cost owners of a modest sized cattle ranch $30,000 to $40,000 per year. This seems correct - when you do the math, the fee is $30,000 for 172 dairy cows.
To this suburban non-farmer, the fee seems high and skewed against dairy farmers and cattle ranchers. It reaches $30,000 per year with only 172 dairy cows, 343 head of beef cattle, and 1,500 hogs. However, by generating popular support against carbon emission regulations, this seems really designed to support the coal industry, and to develop antagonisms between environmentalists on one side and dairy farmers and ranchers on the other.
The fee structure:
* Dairy Cows: $175.00 per head, 25 or more - $4,375.
* Beef Cattle: $87.50 per head, 50 or more - $4,375.
* Hogs: $20.00 per head, 200 or more - $4,000.
Head of livestock for $30,000 annual fee:
* Dairy Cows: 172
* Beef Cattle: 343
* Hogs: 1,500
While I understand that too much of American agriculture is non-sustainable, and while I am in favor of regulating carbon emissions, I would start with Coal, Nuclear, and factory farms, and increasing the CAFE standards and auto mileage requirements, not by taxing modest ranches of 25 or 50 head of cattle.
I also recognize a distinction between carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, the nuclear fuel cycle, the environmental effects of mining, and driving SUV's, and carbon emissions from cattle ranching and hog farming, especially from organic dairy farming and small and sustainable family farms. I therefore suggest that the EPA create a carbon offset program that would allow ranchers and hog farmers to offset the carbon emissions of their livestock with trees, wind turbines, and photovolotaic solar installations.
I originally posted this on Popular Logistics, at (click here).