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My name is Mark Huising, and I am a Professor and Climate Advocate
at the University of California Davis, speaking here on personal
title. I encourage the members of the California Air Resources
Board to take decisive action to stop the loophole where methane
captured from manure at dairies and cattle feed lots will be
allowed to serve as an offset to continue to burn fracked fossil
methane gas. We are in our climate crisis because of enormous
amounts of GHG emissions from burned fossil fuels combined with the
emissions attributed to land use in support of large-scale
industrial agriculture. In California, the single-largest source of
methane is actually a cattle feed lot, not a fossil extraction
site. While letting that methane escape into the atmosphere is
arguably worse than capturing it, avoided methane crediting
monetizes and commodifies this pollution. This creates a cynical
incentive to produce more methane from manure, so that fossil fuel
companies can continue to extract fossil methane while claiming
that this is now an emissions-free source of energy. This amplifies
the perverse relationship between fossil fuel companies and
industrial ag that together are together pushing our climate
outside of safe planetary boundaries. The UN published large week a
very sobering assessment that we are far behind on our GHG emission
reduction goals compared to where need to be to remain on track for
even 2 degrees global warming. The only way to potentially get
ahead of this climate crisis is to stop emitting greenhouse gases.
This is simple, not easy. This means rapidly transitioning to
renewables, instead of enabling offsetting schemes that prolong
fossil fuel use and reward the incredibly polluting practices of
beef and dairy production. Avoided methane crediting schemes are
accounting tricks that will not lead to actual emissions
reductions. Please end these incentives so that we can work towards
the protection of our air and preserve a stable, livable climate
for all Californians.

Thank you for your attention, with respect,

Dr. Mark Huising