Taxing cattle methane emissions, or, The Fart Tax


What FedGov bureaucrat thought this one up?

I thought I had covered this, but MaKai can't find a blog entry. So here we go with a hat tip to the Libertarian Party of Colorado Blog.

“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,” said 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.”

Any rancher with more than 100 head of cattle could be charged between $80 and $100 a head for methane and carbon dioxide production. Colorado’s ranchers could pay $240 million in federal taxes. The cost to the dairy industry would be $20 million and pork producers would pay $17 million each year.

“As it stands now, any industry emitting more than 100 tons of greenhouse gases per year would have to pay for the permit,” said Farm Bureau spokesman Shawn Martini. “It could be a significant expense, and it will drive American farmers out of business.”

You thought it was bad when the ethanol laws drove world-wide food prices sky high? Wait till the Fart Tax hits.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - December 28, 2008 at 03:04 PM  Tag


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