Committee hears bill to require methane reporting from dairies and feedlots; industry and scientists urge caution

House Bill 16-30, a proposal to require annual reporting of methane emissions from dairies and feedlots to the Washington Department of Ecology, drew a mix of support and concern at a committee hearing.

Matt Sterling, staff to the committee, explained the bill’s intent and the statutory context. "Under state law, greenhouse gas reporting is regulated by ecology under the state Clean Air Act," Sterling said, and he summarized that Ecology currently collects GHG reports from large facilities and may charge a fee for reporting.

The bill would require owners and operators of Washington dairies and feedlots to submit an annual methane report to Ecology. Representative Partially, the bill’s prime sponsor, said she brought the measure because "we need to start with data," stressing that monitoring would rely on established algorithms and not on direct sensors attached to animals. She said monitoring could show whether the dairy sector is a material portion of state emissions and noted that management practices…