Why a WA lawmaker wants to collect data on cow farts and burps
(Photo by Dusty Pixel photography via Getty Images)
The latest beef in Olympia? Cow burps, farts, and poops. Washington lawmakers are considering a bill that seeks to gather better data on the scale and scope of methane emissions released by dairies and feedlots in the state.
House Bill 1630 is sponsored by Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, who was previously a veterinarian and has a Ph.D. in biochemistry. The bill received a hearing in the House Environment & Energy Committee on Thursday.
'I think data is a very good way to do policy,' Parshley said. 'If you don't have data, you're making policy based on assumption.'
Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and 37% of methane emissions from human activity come from livestock and agriculture practices, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
During a cow's digestive process, when food breaks down, it produces methane, which cows emit when they belch or fart. Methane can come from manure as well. Like other greenhouse gases, these emissions can contribute to global warming.
'Monitoring is not going to be looking at individual cows' farts [or burps], I'm going to call it out because that's what I've been hearing it called,' Parshley said. 'We're not going to ask farms to put things around the cows to measure how much they're emitting from methane.'
Even so, it may prove challenging to pass this gas-related legislation.
The bill has received explosive opposition from farmers and Republicans, who worry about the burden of data collection. Critics also question whether it's a step toward taxing cow toots and adding clean air regulations for dairies and cattle operations.
'As a farmer, I'm unsure on how to calculate emissions as farm practices vary greatly across our state, from feed to manure management,' said Leann Krainick, a farmer from Krainick Dairy Farms in Enumclaw.
'Putting a number on this effort would be inequitable,' Krainick added.
However, Parshley said that new techniques developed by the EPA and others would mean dairy farms or feedlots would only have to report the number of cows they have once a year, and what kind of manure process they're using to estimate the methane levels.
There are also concerns that if the methane reported exceeds certain amounts, farmers could become subject to the state's Climate Commitment Act, which requires companies to buy allowances for their air pollution.
Committee staff couldn't provide a definitive answer as to whether that would be the case. The climate law currently excludes dairy farms and feedlots.
Parshley said the data her bill seeks to gather could help to guide where the state goes from here on the issue of livestock methane emissions. 'If that data says this is not significant, we just monitor. If [the data] says it's significant, it will help us build accurate policy,' Parshley said.
Looking ahead, she said she hopes to build a policy that works toward limiting and capturing the methane because it could financially benefit farmers.
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