FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

June 27, 2005

 

Contact:

Michael L.H. Marsh

Western United Dairymen

209-527-6453

 

Michael Boccadoro

CARES

916-441-3318

 

Dairy emissions recommendation seriously flawed

Regulators urged to base estimates on science, not politics

 

            Despite clear and convincing scientific evidence to the contrary, San Joaquin Valley air regulators today announced plans to sharply increase their estimates of smog-forming emissions from California dairy cattle. The tentative decision does a tremendous disservice to dairy families and other citizens of the valley concerned about air quality and public health.
 

            “We are frankly shocked, stunned and seriously disappointed with the tentative decision issued by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. This is a very important decision and they appear to have bungled it,” said Michael Marsh, CEO of Modesto-based Western United Dairymen, the state’s largest organization of dairy producers, with more than 1,100 members. “The district appears to have entirely ignored both the data and expert analysis of numerous researchers from the University of California, California State University and the California Air Resources Board.”
 

            The air district today proposed that emissions from dairy cattle be officially set at 20.6 pounds per cow, per year of smog-forming emissions known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). This means the district is proposing that dairy emissions are substantially larger than the previous estimate, still in use, of 12.8 pounds per cow per year.
 

            However, following a series of studies on actual California dairies by university and California Air Resources Board-funded researchers, scientists reported emissions of less than 6 pounds per cow, per year.
 

“This is clearly motivated by politics, not science – expert after expert after expert reported study results, data and analysis that clearly demonstrated lower emissions than previously thought,” said Michael Boccadoro, CARES spokesman. “Yet the district has ignored their own studies – funded, designed and overseen by California regulators. Instead, they’ve cut and pasted together a series of completely unsupportable conclusions based on a hodge-podge of preliminary, unverified data and foreign studies that don’t represent California dairy conditions. The only explanation is that the air district staff is purposely trying to overestimate emissions from dairies to trigger harsher regulations.”
 

            More than three-quarters of district’s proposed emission factor for dairies is a subclass of VOCs known as volatile fatty acids. Unfortunately, the air district’s recommended emission factor was based on questionable conclusions drawn from a journal article about a British dairy study (Hobbs et al, 2004). The article includes seriously flawed assumptions and provides no scientific basis for estimating emissions from California dairies, according to numerous U.S. scientists, including experts on livestock emissions (see attached statements from scientists). In addition, the district relied on incomplete, preliminary data from a UC Davis study, despite warnings from the researchers behind the study that the data could not be relied upon.
 

In contrast, a series of studies on actual California dairies, using actual California cows under actual California conditions produced remarkably different results, and showed clearly and convincingly that emissions from California dairies are less than previously estimated. Boccadoro noted that the lower emissions results were reported not by the dairy industry but by university and private researchers contracted by the California Air Resources Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the San Joaquin air district and others.
 

            “It’s amazing that they are ignoring the results of studies they paid for, which were done at sites approved by regulators and using protocols approved by regulators,” Boccadoro said. “While this research may not answer all our questions, it clearly is the best evidence to date to support California dairy emissions estimates.”
 

Today’s announcement sets the stage for a public workshop July 11 in Fresno to take comment on the tentative decision, with a final decision scheduled to take place no later than August 1. Boccadoro said CARES will strongly urge the air district to reconsider its tentative decision and will continue to work to further educate the District until it makes its final decision after the July 11 public workshop. He said CARES is investigating all options to persuade regulators of the importance of getting the emissions estimate right.
 

            “Using shoddy science does a disservice not only to dairy families, but to all residents of the San Joaquin Valley,” Boccadoro said. “Spending significant resources on pollution control technologies that are chasing after emissions that don’t exist – ‘ghost emissions’ – does nothing to improve public health. The district has to get the emissions estimate right so that future regulations are targeting the actual emissions from the dairy cows.”
 

Marsh said that the dairy industry has worked hard to cooperate with regulators throughout the process, but that it is difficult to continue to cooperate in the current environment.
 

“The district needs to know that we will not stand by for this blatant attempt to double the emissions estimate based on a discredited British research article and other work respected scientists have told us is not relevant, while ignoring more relevant work done right here in California and paid for by California regulatory agencies,” Marsh said.

 

 

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