California Tops 'Fart Chart' in EPA Dairy Cow Emission Study
Be proud, California -- we're the stinkiest. Mother Jones last week pointed out that we rank #1 for dairy cow emissions (ah, no wonder happy cows come from California).
Now it should be said that the report, analyzed and presented by Santa Monica-based ProCon.org (they nicknamed it the "Fart Chart"), is from 2009 based on even earlier data, but we thought it be still relevant today, considering that L.A. is a cheese-loving and alternative energy-debating kind of town.
Animal rights and environmental groups want the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) under the Clean Air Act. Citing a a study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 18% of greenhouse gases come from animal farm. "This is a higher share than transport," it noted.
Rounding out the top five dairy cow states is Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.