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Cattle Producers Celebrate Supreme Court Decision to Rein in Administrative Overreach

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision in the case Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo—a decision that reins in the legal concept of Chevron deference and reduces overreaching regulations from federal agencies that lack congressional authority.

“Our elected officials in Congress should be making our laws, not unelected bureaucrats at federal agencies,” said NCBA President Mark Eisele, a Wyoming cattle rancher. “Cattle producers have experienced numerous instances of federal agencies enacting overreaching regulations on our farms and ranches, exceeding their authority granted by Congress. I am glad the Supreme Court is reining in these federal agencies and putting power back in the hands of those elected to represent us in Washington.”

While the case of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo does not directly involve cattle production, the case challenged a legal concept known as Chevron deference, which gives federal agencies the authority to interpret statues they consider vague. Chevron deference takes its name from the Supreme Court case Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council where the court decided that as long as Congress has not directly spoken on an issue and legal statutes are open to interpretation, courts should defer to federal agencies. Federal agencies have frequently used Chevron deference to implement a number of regulations without specific legislation being passed by Congress.

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Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.