Involvement by dairy operators was spurred last year by passage of Assembly Bill 32, which will establish a comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms aimed at reducing California's greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.

The potential impact on the nation's most productive dairy state was the subject of a symposium last week in Modesto. Several hundred dairy producers, state regulators and vendors that market carbon credits met to learn more about the challenges and opportunities the new emissions reduction rules may offer.

Officials with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said there are more than 7,000 facilities in the valley emitting more than 2 pounds of greenhouse gases a day that must obtain permits in order to operate. Dairies and other farming operations are among those requiring permits.

With passage of AB 32, the operating environment of valley agriculture could get more complicated. The landmark legislation, called the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, is the nation's first legislation aimed at cutting global warming pollution in the United States.

When Gov. Schwarzenegger signed it into law, he said, "We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late...The science is clear. The global warming debate is over."

Dairy producers who decide they want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations must tackle a confusing array of problems and opportunities.

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation