Update on proposed "Cow Tax"

[okcc]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_climate_bill_cow_tax

 

[knabe]

the problem i have with these proposals, is the criteria is based on costs that are not easily measured.  these regulations pit one side who say it will cost too much and it will be passed on to the consumer, with disruption to existing capital and those who say the damage is going to be huge and cost a lot more than not fixing it.

then, how to create a market for methane.  cap and trade which imposes rationing which will artificially inflate the price of utilizing the methane onto other cost structures, and it theorhetically works faster than waiting for solutions from the market.

if that's the case, i'd like to see a little more prototyping before making changes that affect the whole country.  the more we study methane, the more we find sources we didn't know existed and the more sinks and uses we find.

i guess on one hand, the studies have already been "done" and are conclusive that we are doomed.  most of these studies NEVER say anything about limiting population which is the logical conclsion.

from what i can tell, the bison heard at it's max was probably 60-75% of the existing cow herd in the US (90-100 million). we are the predators of the cow herd and we supposedly process it biologically better as we use at least the same if not more of the cow than the indians and buzzards did.  i'm sure the indians used the rumen fur balls for some sort of game.

probably someone has done a study showing that bison produced less methane since they ate grass their whole lives.

i guess i just give up.  i just wish more people who write these laws had a little more hands on.