San Joaquin Valley Dairies

GHG Reduction Opportunities

Energy Efficiency

and

Cap and Trade

By Felix Lopez for Interested Parties

Draft 1.0 Format

Clean Air and Our Families

• Healthy air is essential to our day-to-day well-being and long term health. The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the federal law designed to make sure that all Americans have air that is safe to breathe

• California’s unique air quality challenge is due to the combination of the state’s weather patterns, topographical formations, rapid population growth, and pollution from vehicles and other mobile sources.

• The state’s role in Pacific Rim commerce also produces air pollution from aircraft and port operations, which include emissions from ships, cargo handling equipment, trucks, locomotives, and service equipment that are used to distribute imports and goods to the rest of the nation.

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San Joaquin Valley – 8 County Area

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Air Pollution Sources – San Joaquin Valley

• Contrary to popular belief, the majority of our air pollution is created right here at home. Data indicates that approximately 27 percent of the total air pollution in the northern portion of the District comes from the Bay Area. In the central portion of the District, the percentage drops to eleven and in the southern area, transport air pollution constitutes nine percent of the total air pollution inventory.

• The Valley is particularly vulnerable to air pollution formation because of its topography, climate, and growing population. Surrounding mountains trap airborne pollutants near the Valley floor where people live and breathe.

• In addition, the Valley’s hot, summer temperatures promote the formation of harmful ground-level ozone (also known as smog). Finally, as population levels increase, so does air pollution. More people equals more cars and more activities that contribute to poor air quality.

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Clean Air and Goals – San Joaquin Valley

• Large parts of California exceed the federal health-based standards for both ozone and PM2.5 by a significant margin.

• Reduce PM2.5 annual concentrations by 7% per year through regulatory action and accelerating the development of cleaner transportation. Achieve a total reduction of 34% from 2009 levels to reach attainment of PM2.5 standards by 2014.

• Reduce emissions by working with CARB and the District to develop comprehensive plans for attaining the 2006 PM2.5 standard (35 ug/m3) and the 2008 8-hour ozone standard (0.75 ppm) as early as possible. The PM2.5 plan is due to EPA by December 2012.

• Act on at least 10 San Joaquin Valley rules that will help obtain air emission reductions, including those concerning fumigants, and petroleum production and distribution.

• Convene venture capitalists, government agencies, and private companies in Bakersfield to accelerate the development and adoption of cleaner technology, including medium-duty battery-electric and hybrid trucks and vehicles.

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Average Methane Production Per Cow

• Approximately 1.22 pounds of methane produced per lactating cow per day.

• The mean emissions rate of methane from lactating cows and manure was 11.36 grams per cow per hour

Cows produce the following:

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Density of Dairies

• The Central Valley Dairy GIS Project identified areas with the highest densities of dairy cows

http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/agriculture1.html

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Average Dairy Size in SJ Valley

• 1000 dairy cows

• 100,000 lbs of manure per day produced

Factoids

• California is the leading dairy state in the United States, producing 21% of the nation's milk supply. The state's highest concentration of dairies is in the San Joaquin Valley.

• Excellent facts for the economy of the San Joaquin Valley. However we need to help the dairies and agri-buiness remain viable and sustainable.

• The San Joaquin Valley is a region that violates federal limits for ozone and particulate matter in the air.

• Can Cap and Trade help Dairy farmers?

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Barriers

What barriers and factors exist in investing in GHG Reductions Technologies?

•Regulatory understanding•Capital and Financial Mechanisms to fund the solution•Knowledge and Expertise to engineer the solution•The ability to focus on their core business while finding the time and expertise to implement the solution which takes time away from their normal operations.•Understand the business case•Securitization of the risk – what happens if the technology solution does not work?

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Methane

• "Methane is produced by microbial degradation of organic matter under anaerobic conditions...

• Of the various anthropogenic sources, the agricultural sector is the largest, with livestock production being a major component within this sector...

• The primary source of CH4 in livestock production is ruminant animals.

• In addition to enteric fermentation, CH4 emissions also occur during anaerobic microbial decomposition of manure…

• Methane is a greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming. Methane has a global warming potential 23 times that of CO2

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Density of Dairies

• The Central Valley Dairy GIS Project identified areas with the highest densities of dairy cows

http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/agriculture1.html

State by State Dairy Cow Populations and Emission Levels in 2001

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II. Chart: State by State Dairy Cow Populations and Emission Levels in 2001

State US 2001 AmmoniaHydrogen Sulfide Volatile

Particulate Matter

Nitrous Oxide Methane

(Top 10 states by cow  Dairy Cow (NH3) (H2S)

Organic Compounds

(PM 10 & PM 2.5) (N2O) (CH4)

population and emission levels  Population Tons Tons (VOCs) Tons Tons Metric Tonsnumbered in bold red)       Tons      1. Alabama 31,452 1,707 270 99 54 21 5,0322. Alaska 1,475 80 13 5 3 1 2363. Arizona 169,005 9,175 1,449 531 290 114 27,0414. Arkansas 51,089 2,773 438 161 87 34 8,1745. California #1 2,264,980 122,956 19,414 7,119 3,883 1,529 362,3976. Colorado 132,305 7,182 1,134 416 227 89 21,1697. Connecticut 36,806 1,998 315 116 63 25 5,8898. Delaware 12,287 667 105 39 21 8 1,9669. Florida 192,471 10,448 1,650 605 330 130 30,79510. Georgia 115,101 6,248 987 362 197 78 18,416

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Activated Bacillus Processor (ABP)

• Several SJ Valley dairies considering ABP

• The ABP system eliminates methane

• The process eliminated all pathogens and VOCs

• Agri- and waste wastewater applications

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ABP Process

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Reducing Livestock Emissions – Info Needed

• Need to list – Sources of Emissions– Best Available Control Technologies– New technologies– Prices – rules of thumb for budgeting purposes.

• Examples– Enteric fermentation and waste-water lagoons are two distinct

sources of greenhouse gases from livestock, especially methane emissions from dairies

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Next Steps

• Identify Prospects• Willing and financially able• Send RFP• Follow Up

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References

• Sources– California Agriculture 63(2):79-83. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v063n02p79.

April-June 2009.– http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/

agriculture1.html– http://map4change.org/maps/San+Joaquin+Valley+Dairy+Farms– State by State Dairy Cow Emissions

• http://milk.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=001154#chart

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About me:

• I work in San Francisco, California but I was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley. I studied the natural science of the San Joaquin Valley and Sierras while in college. I worked for the USDA San Joaquin Experimental Range, the UC Agricultural Extension Service, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation while in college. I also studied conservation and thus got hired by PG&E to work in energy conservation.

• I earned a BA Degree in Science and a Masters Degree in Business, with a Certificate in Urban & Regional Planning. I also hold many Certificates in Energy Management and Power Quality.

• My father owned a private business and this is where I became sensitive about the needs of business owners. The needs are many but mainly are: 1) the ability to get access to money to fund their business activities, 2)the ability to find good people, 3) regulatory hurdles, 4) and finding the time to get things done. My father was a WWII veteran and my grandfather a WW 1 veteran.