The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering regulations for dairy and livestock operations to reduce the impact of animal agriculture on the environment. The Board is weighing emissions data, mitigation strategies, and regulations as they consider a variety of regulatory approaches to reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.

Under a 2024 resolution, CARB’s Executive Officer was asked to develop a plan for livestock methane regulations. Dairy and livestock operations are California’s largest source of methane emissions, originating from manure and enteric fermentation, CARB reports.

Voluntary incentive programs allow farmers to reduce emissions without taking on the full cost of new infrastructure, says Michael Boccadoro, Executive Director of Dairy Cares. “We’re more than two-thirds of the way to achieving the dairy share of livestock methane emission reductions”. Boccadoro believes state and federal funding are central to that progress. He says some alternative manure management projects can be fully covered by grants, while many digesters are financed, owned, or operated by outside developers. In those cases, farmers may provide manure as feedstock without paying to build the project themselves and can receive a small revenue stream. “The beauty of the incentive program is it hasn’t impacted farmers financially, except in some cases in a positive way,” said Boccadoro. He says the projects can also offer additional benefits, including improved manure handling and water quality.