Cow fart tax? Maybe.

We all know we need to do something to curb global warming. Some have proposed curbing carbon emissions from cars, others have focused more on conserving resources and recycling, but the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a measure to charge for cow farts! In 2007, the United States Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases that are emitted by belching and flatulence of farm animals contribute to air pollution.

The proposal would require farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each hog, according to the AP.

“The executive vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Ken Hamilton, estimated the fee would cost owners of a modest-sized cattle ranch $30,000 to $40,000 a year. He said he has talked to a number of livestock owners about the proposals, and "all have said if the fees were carried out, it would bankrupt them."” (AP)

The proposal, seemingly intended to cut down on beef consumption, could be weathered by corporate farms, but family farms would almost certainly cease to exist. It certainly poses a new contemplation of cow pies.

Has the EPA gone too far? What do you think?