The Air Resources Board has denied a request to enact new regulations on methane emissions from dairies and other livestock operations.
In March the advocacy group Climate Action California argued that “far too few dairy farmers” are investing in dairy digesters or alternative manure management practices to meet the state’s goal of cutting emissions 40% by 2030. Under California’s pioneering methane law SB 1383, that would trigger CARB to implement regulations requiring the industry to take steps to reduce their emissions. The group had pushed CARB to immediately open the rulemaking.
The dairy industry and renewable natural gas companies derided the petition as reaching incorrect conclusions and misrepresenting the success of the incentive programs.
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Last week CARB shot down the request. The board estimated the state will not only meet its goal but exceed it, achieving a roughly 56% reduction.
In a statement to Agri-Pulse, Dairy Cares Executive Director Michael Boccadoro called the administration’s commitment to the incentive-based approach well reasoned. He appreciated the “tremendous progress” made in just seven years, as CARB laid out in its response, and called the agency's letter “a roadmap for ongoing cooperation with the state’s dairy farm families.”
