12/05/08 Cow and pig tax

The agencies we have let get out of control are trying to impose their authority on production agriculture again. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back with the details. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be more than happy to levy a tax on dairy, beef and pork producers under the guise of a permit requirement. Rick Krause, with the American Farm Bureau Federation has revealed the EPA has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in preparation of regulating automobile greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). This action automatically initiates a provision of the CAA that requires permits from anyone who emits more than 100 tons of a regulated pollutant, in this case, carbon, per year. There are millions of sources that emit this amount, but three of those sources happen to be producers with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cows or 200 hogs. That would impact 99 percent of dairy producers, over 90 percent of beef producers and 95 percent of hog producers in the United States. Now, what would a permit cost these producers? Well, if a state charged the EPA's 'presumptive minimum rate' the tax, I mean, permit would be $175 per dairy cow, $87.50 per beef animal and just over$20 per pig. Imagine, a permit to regulate carbon emission from cow and pig methane gases, which are natural and biological processes. I wonder if U.S. taxpayers will pay for permits for all our protected swamplands that are mega methane producers? I'm Jeff Keane. Western Ag Reporter 11/20/08