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SALT LAKE CITY -- A group of Utah's farmers is voicing concern that new regulations on greenhouse gases could end up becoming a cow tax that could put farmers out of business.
Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed fees for business operations that emit more than 100 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The problem for Utah's farmers, according to Utah Farm Bureau CEO Randy Parker, is that cows and pigs produce a lot of CO2 through natural processes.
A hundred tons of CO2 isn't as big a number as it appears said Parker. "That would equate to a dairy with 25 dairy cows on it. That's virtually 100 percent of the dairies in the state of Utah. In addition, it's 92 percent of the beef cattle operations that are over 50 head."
Parker said the Farm Bureau has crunched the numbers and figured that if the fee came out to be around $175 per cow, it would cost Utah dairy farmers roughly $15 million a year. That would cut the farmers' profits by more than half. He argued that would cause farmers to fold and increase prices at the grocery store.
"Our quality of life suffers and the grocery store suffers," said Parker. "We become more dependent on outside sources for our most basic need and that's the food."
Some national environmental groups have heard similar outcries from farm bureaus around the country. They say the outrage is premature since the EPA has not outlined plans to specifically tax livestock.
Some in congress are even debating whether or not the EPA has the authority to regulate emission on livestock. Others have proposed that agriculture should be exempt from greenhouse gas regulations.
Parker said they've been encouraging Utah's delegation to support legislative action to put pressure on the EPA not to add regulations to agriculture.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
