No EPA Tax On Livestock Gas

Federal lawmakers have recently been expressing their opposition to a possible regulation suggested by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would place a tax on livestock — um, farts. In July 2008, the EPA issued an advance notice of a proposed rule in response to the a ruling made by the Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases, such as methane, are air pollutants under the federal Clean Air Act.
Members of both parties, have spoken out against a part of the rule that they feel would place a tax on methane produced in the digestive tracts of cows.

The National Cattleman’s Beef Association, said the report has been blown out of proportion and the EPA is not seeking to place a tax on cow emissions. The EPA did release a rule-making notice to highlight the implications of using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gasses. According to a statement from the EPA, “The Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making does not recommend the use of any particular Clean Air Act authority to regulate any emissions, nor does it commit to specific next steps to address greenhouse gasses.” ❖