Not from the tractors, mind you, but from the cows.  Hat Tip Pink Flamingo:

“…The proposed EPA initiative would force family farmers in New York to pay a permit fee  in order to continue to operate, claiming that farm animals are emitting massive amounts  of greenhouse gases.

Apparently someone finally noticed that methane is more dangerous than CO2… 

“We know that the industrial and transportation sectors emit an overwhelmingly large  percentage of greenhouse gases when compared to livestock farms, but farms are being painted with the same broad brush,” said Lincoln.

The tax for dairy cows could be $175 per cow, and $87.50 per head of beef cattle.  The tax on hogs would upwards of $20 per hog.  Any operation with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would have to obtain permits.

This would cover about 99 percent of dairy production, more than 90 percent of beef production, and more than 95 percent of all hog production in New York, according to USDA statistics.

I had to check to make sure this wasn’t a joke, but it is real.  Cow farts are the new enemy of the green lobby.

I think though that this is a case where it attacks multiple goals.  Not only would you curb err…gases, but also meat prices would rise curbing consumption, which would lower demand and curb slaughter.

So the Eco-Nazis, the Vego-Nazis and and the Peta-Nazi’s all score a win.  Something for everyone, except the local steak house.

The real result?  Bigger government, more cost in regulation and higher food prices.

Americans enjoy the safest, most  abundant, and most affordable food  supply in the world. Our farmers are extraordinarily productive, using technology and good management practices to sustain increased yields that keep up with growing populations, and they are good stewards of the land they  depend upon for their livelihoods. Because of their care and ingenuity, the United States is projecting an agricultural trade surplus of $30 billion in 2008. Unfortunately, the approach suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency (‘‘EPA’’) staff’s draft Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ‘‘Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions under the Clean Air Act,’’ which was submitted to the Office of Management and Budget on June 17, 2008 (‘‘June 17 draft’’ or ‘‘draft ANPR’’), threatens to undermine this landscape. If EPA were to exercise a full suite of the Clean Air Act (‘‘CAA’’) regulatory programs outlined in the draft ANPR, we believe that input costs and regulatory burden would increase significantly, driving up the price of food and driving down the domestic supply. …

Is Cow fart abatement worth the resulting food shortages and intrusive government regulations?

And granted this is New York only, so the impact is limited.  But how long till the fad catches on in California or other greenly fanatical states?

Soon we will be force fed tasteless soy products for our own good, masked under saving the environment.

Screw that.  Gimme a steak, hold the soy.

Trackposted to , Rosemary’s Thoughts, Allie is Wired, third world county, Political Byline, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s World, Rosemary’s News and Ideas, The Pink Flamingo, and A Newt One/ American Truth Warriors, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.