EPA statement on “cow tax”
By Dairy Herd news source
| Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The following statement explains EPA’s position on claims that it plans to tax dairy, beef and hog producers for methane emissions:
“EPA is not proposing a cow tax. The CAA (Clean Air Act) does not include a broad grant of authority for EPA to impose taxes, fees or other monetary charges specifically for GHGs (greenhouse gases) and, therefore, additional legislative authority may be required if EPA were to administer such charges (which we will refer to collectively as fees)). In response to the April 2007 finding in the Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) in July 2008 to solicit comments about a number of options and questions to be considered for possible greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act. The period to submit comments on the ANPR ended on November 28, 2008.
“The ANPR does not recommend the use of any particular CAA authority to regulate any emissions, nor does it commit to specific next steps to address greenhouse gases. The ANPR provides a comprehensive, in-depth exploration of the opportunities and challenges that the application of CAA authorities would present. It examines the interconnections among CAA provisions and the implications of applying particular CAA authorities to reduce greenhouse gases."
To learn more about the ANPR, click here. EPA is currently reviewing the public comments and does not yet have a timeframe for next steps.
Source: EPA
