Washington State Democrats have proposed a bill that would tax farmers for the amount of methane released by cows.
Under House Bill 1630, feedlots and dairy farms would be required to report the annual metric tons of methane emitted by cows the previous year.
“Beginning January 1st of the year following the year in which the department adopts rules to implement this section, each owner or operator of a dairy farm or feed lot in the state must submit an annual report to the department with the total metric tons of methane emitted from the dairy farm or feed lot in the preceding calendar year,” the bill says.
State Representative Joe Schmick (R) told Washington House Republican Radio that if officials “find that there was sufficient methane equivalent to 25 thousand metric tons of CO2 emissions, these facilities would likely come under the Climate Commitment Act as covered entities.”
The Climate Commitment Act is a 2021 law that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Washington Cattle Feeders Association executive director Jack Field said the bill “came out of left field without any consultation with the industry.”
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a taxing mechanism,” he stated.
American Faith reported that Denmark plans to implement the world’s first tax on agricultural emissions, including those from livestock.
The Danish People’s Party (DF) criticized the effort. “The so-called green tripartite agreement is not green – it is RED like a warning light. Red like the taxes and duties the government imposes on you and your family,” DF party leader Morten Messerschmidt wrote in a translated statement. “And who will be hit the hardest? Everyday Danes who cannot afford Mette Frederiksen’s fancy climate experiments.”
