Nov 15, 2016 By Paul Whipkey 1 min read

A recent commentary in your newspapercalled to task the recently enacted California legislation (SB 1383) as being absurd: an attempt to regulate by legislation the methane gas produced internally by cows.

That thought in itself is absurd and should have clued readers of this opinion piece that something was missing. What are missing are the facts.

This legislation is an attempt to regulate the emission of short-lived climate pollutants, methane gases being one of them. Specifically mentioned in the legislation are methane emissions associated with the disposal of organic waste in landfills (Pennsylvania regulates this also), and methane emissions from manure management operations for both livestock and dairy (manure management being a topic of importance in Pennsylvania as well).

Nothing is mentioned in this legislation about the gases produced directly from the livestock and dairy herds.

Let us thank Mark Twain once again for his humorous wisdom: “Get your facts first; then you can distort them as you please.”

Paul Whipkey is a resident of Connellsville.