1. San Joaquin Valley Dairies
GHG Reduction Opportunities
Energy Efficiency
and
Cap and Trade
By Felix Lopez for Interested Parties
Draft 1.0 Format

2. 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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3. San Joaquin Valley – 8 County Area
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4. 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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5. 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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6. Average Methane Production Per Cow
Cows produce the following:
• 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
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7. 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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8. Average Dairy Size in SJ Valley
• 1000 dairy cows
• 100,000 lbs of manure per day produced
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9. 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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10. 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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11. 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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12. 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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13. State by State Dairy Cow Populations and
Emission Levels in 2001
II. Chart: State by State Dairy Cow Populations and Emission Levels in 2001
Hydrogen
State
US 2001
Ammonia
Sulfide
Volatile
(Top 10 states
Organic
(NH3)
(H2S)
by cow
Dairy Cow
Compounds
population and
emission levels Population
Tons
Tons
(VOCs)
numbered
in bold red)
Tons
1. Alabama
31,452
1,707
270
99
2. Alaska
1,475
80
13
5
3. Arizona
169,005
9,175
1,449
531
4. Arkansas
51,089
2,773
438
161
5. California #1 2,264,980
122,956
19,414
7,119
6. Colorado
132,305
7,182
1,134
416
7. Connecticut 36,806
1,998
315
116
8. Delaware
12,287
667
105
39
9. Florida
192,471
10,448
1,650
605
10. Georgia
115,101
6,248
987
362
Particulate Nitrous
Matter
Oxide
(PM 10 & PM
(N2O)
2.5)
Methane
(CH4)
Tons
Tons
Metric Tons
54
3
290
87
3,883
227
63
21
330
197
21
1
114
34
1,529
89
25
8
130
78
5,032
236
27,041
8,174
362,397
21,169
5,889
1,966
30,795
18,416
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14. 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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15. ABP Process
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16. 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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17. Next Steps
•
•
•
•
Identify Prospects
Willing and financially able
Send RFP
Follow Up
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18. References
• Sources
– California Agriculture 63(2):79-83. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v063n02p79.
April-June 2009.
– http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume23/agric
ulture1.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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19. 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.
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