Posted April 1, 2014
On Friday, the administration announced a proposal to
reduce methane emissions, including a plan to lower U.S. dairy greenhouse gas
emissions by 25 percent by 2020, according to an Agri-Pulse article available here.
The USDA, EPA, and the Department of Energy, along with
the dairy industry will release a “biogas roadmap” in June outlining voluntary
strategies to accelerate adoption of methane digesters and other cost-effective
technologies.
The plan would also cut methane emissions from
landfills, coal mining, and oil and gas systems. Methane emissions make up almost 9 percent of
all greenhouse gas emitted as a result of human activity in the U.S. Since 1990, methane pollution has decreased
by 11 percent, but “methane pollution is projected to increase to a level
equivalent to over 620 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution in 2030 absent
action to reduce emissions.”
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the
National Farmers Union (NFU) praised the administration’s announcement.
“This announcement validates the path the dairy
industry is on – one focused on proactive incentives that can increase farm
income, not punitive regulations that would add more costs,” said NMPF
president and CEO, Jim Mulhern.
“NFU is pleased that the administration’s strategy to
reduce methane emissions recognizes that farmers and ranchers are important
partners in the effort to solve our nation’s climate challenges,” said NFU
Senior Vice President of Programs Chandler Goule in a statement available here.
Oil and natural gas companies were less enthusiastic
about the announcement according to an article by the Wall Street Journal
available here. America’s Natural Gas Alliance and the
American Petroleum Institute did not criticize the announcement, but “pointed
out how the industry was already and will continue cutting its methane
emissions without new regulations.”
For more information on climate change, please visit
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
