Nashville News Blog

Forgive Congress(man) Marsha Blackburn. She's a little confused again. You see, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to regulate greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change and global warming. Well, Blackburn thinks EPA wants to regulate another kind of gas emission--cow and pig farts to be precise--and, before anyone could set her straight, dammit if she hadn't already launched yet another of her madcap crusades to stop big government in its tracks.

Her exploits are chronicled on this crazy conservative website with a story headlined "The Cow Tax Causing a Stink." Blackburn is sponsoring H.R. 391 to amend to the Clean Air Act so that greenhouse gases are not subject to regulation by the EPA. According to the article:

Since cows produce a certain amount of methane and methane would be regulated under The Clean Air Act, then cows and pigs would be subject to a tax. Blackburn said projections she has seen suggest that for dairy cows the tax would be about $175 a head, $20 per pig and $88 for beef stock. Plus, a tax on farmers would also mean something to consumers. Blackburn said, "the cost of milk is going to go up and all of your dairy products."

This tax would also mean fewer jobs, because according to Blackburn, "they are going to be putting more money into compliance and regulation rather than putting that money into jobs creation." It seems counterintuitive, especially at a time when the economy is in a job crisis already.

This reminds Pith of the time Blackburn went on a fact-finding mission to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She stepped out of the plane, looked around and didn't see any wildlife. That convinced her that we ought to drill for oil there. Silly thing, she didn't know wildlife is sometimes hard to find. Because it's wild. She thought the Arctic was like Brentwood, where the Starbucks and the nail salon and everything is right there within easy driving distance in your SUV.