12-5-08 U.S. Government to charge for farts and belches

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
12-5-08 U.S. Government to charge for farts and belches

You can't make this stuff up

I say just keep on trucking idiots. This is simply more and more taxation.

Tax the people enough and you will have a revolution.

12-5-2008 Flatulence tax could bankrupt farmers

Belching cows and pigs could start costing farmers money if a proposal to charge fees for air-polluting animals becomes law.

Farmers so far are turning their noses up at the notion, which is one of several put forward by the US Environmental Protection Agency after the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases emitted by belching and flatulence amounts to air pollution.

"This is one of the most ridiculous things the federal government has tried to do," said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, an outspoken opponent of the proposal.

It would require farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 pigs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each pig.

The executive vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Ken Hamilton, estimated the fee would cost owners of a modest-sized cattle ranch $30,000 to $40,000 a year.

He said he has talked to a number of livestock owners about the proposals, and "all have said if the fees were carried out, it would bankrupt them".
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
34,809
8,916
136
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
12-5-08 U.S. Government to charge for farts and belches

You can't make this stuff up

I say just keep on trucking idiots. This is simply more and more taxation.

Tax the people enough and you will have a revolution.

They're begging for one at this point.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
What is your problem Dave? You want a big all encompassing govt. This is right up your alley.
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
0
lol, but you had no problem with a "windfall profit tax" which would have done nothing but hurt the people.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Genx87
What is your problem Dave? You want a big all encompassing govt. This is right up your alley.

Uh No, that would be your Republican hero's

Your denial runs deep.
 

jhbball

Platinum Member
Mar 20, 2002
2,917
23
81
Originally posted by: Genx87
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Genx87
What is your problem Dave? You want a big all encompassing govt. This is right up your alley.

Uh No, that would be your Republican hero's

Your denial runs deep.

Your clown shoes are big and floppy?
 

CADsortaGUY

Lifer
Oct 19, 2001
25,162
1
76
www.ShawCAD.com
Welcome to last month(or before). This isn't pending legislation and was really only 1 of many ideas in a report by the EPA. It would be political suicide for anyone to write a bill on this.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
Welcome to last month(or before). This isn't pending legislation and was really only 1 of many ideas in a report by the EPA. It would be political suicide for anyone to write a bill on this.

Well it's on the front page of Yahoo News today.

I hope they institute this tax and it zings Iowa the most.

12-5-2008Proposed fee on smelly cows, hogs angers farmers

By BOB JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Bob Johnson, Associated Press Writer ? Fri Dec 5, 4:43 am ET

EPA spokesman Nick Butterfield said the fee was proposed for farms with livestock operations that emit more than 100 tons of carbon emissions in a year and fall under federal Clean Air Act provisions.

Butterfield said the EPA has not taken a position on any of the proposals. But farmers from across the country have expressed outrage over the idea, both on Internet sites and in opinions sent to EPA during a public comment period that ended last week.

 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I think it's a good idea.

Attach fart sensors to asses and wear masks that detect belches.

This should be done for people too. Talk about windfall taxes.
The US could probably get back into the black doing it on you alone!
 
Dec 26, 2007
11,782
2
76
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
Welcome to last month(or before). This isn't pending legislation and was really only 1 of many ideas in a report by the EPA. It would be political suicide for anyone to write a bill on this.

Well it's on the front page of Yahoo News today.

I hope they institute this tax and it zings Iowa the most.

12-5-2008Proposed fee on smelly cows, hogs angers farmers

By BOB JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Bob Johnson, Associated Press Writer ? Fri Dec 5, 4:43 am ET

EPA spokesman Nick Butterfield said the fee was proposed for farms with livestock operations that emit more than 100 tons of carbon emissions in a year and fall under federal Clean Air Act provisions.

Butterfield said the EPA has not taken a position on any of the proposals. But farmers from across the country have expressed outrage over the idea, both on Internet sites and in opinions sent to EPA during a public comment period that ended last week.

Are you an idiot?

The farm industry doesn't make much on farming as is, taxing them for that would hurt a lot. It would raise the costs of those meats, because they farms would raise the price they sold them at. That means that a big part of that will be passed on directly to consumers. What a great idea that one is....
 

m1ldslide1

Platinum Member
Feb 20, 2006
2,321
0
0
I remember reading that the most severe environmental impact from livestock came from their massive amounts of fecal waste. I read some crazy figure in Fast Food Nation, to the effect of how just one of these super-ranches puts out more waste than the entire city of Chicago, which is devastating to the local environment considering the lack of an equivalent waste treatment and disposal service. I probably have the city wrong, but the idea is right. This waste itself is what makes present-day cattle ranching udderly unsustainable and destined for a very long and unpopular fight to stay at current levels of production.
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
I remember reading that the most severe environmental impact from livestock came from their massive amounts of fecal waste. I read some crazy figure in Fast Food Nation, to the effect of how just one of these super-ranches puts out more waste than the entire city of Chicago, which is devastating to the local environment considering the lack of an equivalent waste treatment and disposal service. I probably have the city wrong, but the idea is right. This waste itself is what makes present-day cattle ranching udderly unsustainable and destined for a very long and unpopular fight to stay at current levels of production.

Manure is typically turned into fertilizer. Try running a ranch\farm without it.

Nice play on words ;)
 

Wheezer

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
6,731
1
81
well you know the whole issue about farm animal flatulence was NEVER an issue until some group of idiots, in a grasping at straws attempt tried to pin global warming on farting cows...so if you are going to blame anyone you can start by blaming the morons who are so desperately trying to make "global warming" a front stage issue that they are blaming farting barnyard animals.
 

m1ldslide1

Platinum Member
Feb 20, 2006
2,321
0
0
Originally posted by: Genx87
Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
I remember reading that the most severe environmental impact from livestock came from their massive amounts of fecal waste. I read some crazy figure in Fast Food Nation, to the effect of how just one of these super-ranches puts out more waste than the entire city of Chicago, which is devastating to the local environment considering the lack of an equivalent waste treatment and disposal service. I probably have the city wrong, but the idea is right. This waste itself is what makes present-day cattle ranching udderly unsustainable and destined for a very long and unpopular fight to stay at current levels of production.

Manure is typically turned into fertilizer. Try running a ranch\farm without it.

That makes sense, but I left out the part where all of this waste was not being processed and instead is just sitting in giant cesspools until it eventually ends up in the rivers. Also if we're talking waste of this magnitude, I wonder how feasible it would be to process most or all of it into fertilizer, especially in an economic sense? I would imagine that a waste treatment facility built to process this quantity would have to cost a huge amount of money, and I wonder if the payoff from fertilizer use/sales would justify it?

Anyhow, if the interpretation I read is correct (obviously I'm no authority), then I would of course much rather see this issue addressed in whatever way necessary than the freakin' methane. The only way to eliminate the methane is to eliminate the cows, which isn't going to happen any time soon. I can think of ways to help ranchers implement waste-to-fertilizer processing facilities, either through subsidies (blech) or through punitive taxation (blech). Maybe an attractive Option C could be devised..


Nice play on words ;)

Yeah, I couldn't help myself. :)
 

Genx87

Lifer
Apr 8, 2002
41,091
513
126
I could be wrong but I think some of that manure is actually sold. Every year in the fall and spring manure trains roll through the midwest leaving a wonderful smell of cow and horse shate where they go. I only assume they are going to other farms.

I also believe a new thing to do on farms is to collect it in giant pools, cap it, and burn the methane from the decomposition to run the farm.
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
0
Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
I remember reading that the most severe environmental impact from livestock came from their massive amounts of fecal waste. I read some crazy figure in Fast Food Nation, to the effect of how just one of these super-ranches puts out more waste than the entire city of Chicago, which is devastating to the local environment considering the lack of an equivalent waste treatment and disposal service. I probably have the city wrong, but the idea is right. This waste itself is what makes present-day cattle ranching udderly unsustainable and destined for a very long and unpopular fight to stay at current levels of production.

I see what you did there......
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: Genx87
I could be wrong but I think some of that manure is actually sold. Every year in the fall and spring manure trains roll through the midwest leaving a wonderful smell of cow and horse shate where they go. I only assume they are going to other farms.

I also believe a new thing to do on farms is to collect it in giant pools, cap it, and burn the methane from the decomposition to run the farm.

Both of those sound yummy!
 

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
Just because you trivialize something by saying "gubberment charge farts hur hur hur" doesn't mean it's not legitimate. Sounding funny doesn't make it different from any other pollution. Pollution from farms affects all of us, but there is no penalty built in to the market right now. The government's responsibility is to build that cost into the capitalist system that it facilitates.