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CFB warns against the consequences of regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air ActColorado According to an EPA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, for the first time ever, carbon dioxide, methane and other gases may be regulated as pollutants under the Clean Air Act, effectively transferring American food production to foreign nations and endangering food safety. These actions are a result of an April 2007 Supreme Court decision that concluded greenhouse gases meet the definition of an air pollutant under the Clean Air Act. While the Supreme Court ruling addressed tailpipe emissions from motor vehicles, a decision to regulate GHG emissions for cars impacts whether other sources of GHG--including natural emissions of CO2 and methane--would need to be regulated as well. "Because cows and hogs emit gases resulting from natural biological processes, the EPA is now considering whether or not producers may have to control those gases," explained Alan Foutz, president of the Colorado Farm Bureau. "With the amount of livestock we have in this state, this regulation would cost the agriculture industry hundreds of millions of dollars. We simply can't afford that." Should the rule be implemented, a provision of the Act that would automatically be triggered is Title V. This requires that any entity that emits more than 100 tons of a regulated pollutant per year to obtain a permit. Should permitting be required for livestock production, the estimated annual cost to the Colorado dairy, beef and pork industries would be $20 million, $240 million, and $17 million, respectively. With the tight margins that livestock producers currently operate with, this de facto tax could bankrupt livestock production across the country and make American consumers more dependent on foreign sources for their food and fiber. The Colorado Farm Bureau earlier this week sent letters to Colorado's Congressional delegation asking Congress to explicitly exempt the regulation of greenhouse gases from the Clean Air Act. "We are obviously very concerned with the actions the EPA is considering. The regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act would have severe financial impacts on the agriculture industry and could put America's food security at risk," said Foutz. Colorado Farm Bureau is a free, independent, non-governmental, voluntary organization with its roots in agriculture. As the states premier grassroots organization, the Colorado Farm Bureau promotes the future of agriculture and protects rural values. 12/15/08 Date: 12/10/08 Advertisement
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