September 25, 2009

Welcome to Weekly Update, a publication of Western United Environmental Services (WUES). Our goal is to provide you with the latest information about the WDRs from the water board and how our organization can help you with your environmental challenges. All previous publications of the Weekly Update can be found in the news section on our website at www.wuenvironmental.com.

Nation’s first greenhouse gas reporting system unveiled

On January 1, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will, for the first time, require large emitters of heat-trapping emissions to begin collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data under a new reporting system. This new program will cover approximately 85 percent of the nation’s GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities.  “This is a major step forward in our effort to address the greenhouse gases polluting our skies,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “For the first time, we begin collecting data from the largest facilities in this country, ones that account for approximately 85 percent of the total U.S. emissions. The American public, and industry itself, will finally gain critically important knowledge and with this information we can determine how best to reduce those emissions.” 

Western United Dairymen's Director of Environmental Services Paul Martin reported that an early examination of the new program shows that the threshold for dairy is 3,200 mature cows. "We will be working to make compliance as simple and convenient as possible," said Martin. "For the moment simply stay tuned.  Western United Dairymen will be working on behalf of producers along with a lot of other organizations across the country.”

Senate endorses plan to block 'cow tax'

The nation's farmers are a step closer to avoiding a tax based on the methane gas that their livestock produce. The Interior-Environment spending bill that the Senate passed Thursday in a 77-21 vote contains language preventing the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases produced by livestock. The $32.1 billion bill now must be worked out with a House version that has similar language in its spending provisions.

The so-called "cow tax" could cost farmers and ranchers thousands of dollars, but Environmental Protection Agency officials, including administrator Lisa Jackson, repeatedly said the agency has no plans to impose one. Farm groups raised concerns after a comment made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2008 when the EPA asked for response to its preliminary efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Agriculture officials wondered whether those efforts should include regulation of methane gas from livestock. Even if Congress passes the current bill, the cow tax ban is good only for one year because it's in a spending bill that expires Sept. 30, 2010. South Dakota Sen. John Thune is co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to make sure the ban is permanent.

Senator introduces amendment to restore Valley water deliveries

The Senate on Tuesday rejected a surprise amendment that was billed as a way to help solve the San Joaquin Valley's water problems. By a nearly party line 61-36 vote, the Democratic-controlled Senate rejected the amendment offered by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer both opposed the amendment, even though they were targeted by a last-minute e-mail lobbying campaign organized by Westlands Water District. On the Senate floor, a clearly unhappy Feinstein likened the surprise amendment to “Pearl Harbor” and she voiced dismay that it would be brought up without her prior knowledge. DeMint's long-shot amendment to a Fiscal 2010 Interior Department funding bill would have effectively restored full irrigation deliveries for a year. "What started out as a local water problem in California is quickly developing into a food problem for the nation," DeMint said. "If we don't address this problem now, not only will thousands of people remain out of work in California, but everyone in the country will pay higher food prices." <more> Sept. 22, 2009

Cost of climate change bill ‘impossible to predict’

A new report from the Congressional Research Service concludes it’s nearly impossible to predict the true cost of the House-passed climate change bill. The authors of the report analyzed seven studies on the projected cost of the legislation.  They found that the key driver in determining the cost to the economy will be the development of new energy technologies, such as carbon capture and advance wind and solar generation.  But they say it’s difficult to project costs up to the year 2030, much less beyond. Debate over the cost of climate change legislation is heating up at the Senate prepares to release its bill. <more> Sept. 22, 2009 Brownfield Ag News

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