Bills’ Buried Provisions Favor Big Ag Over Environment

It’s been all-over the news: President Obama has officially signed the final government spending bill, averting yet another a near-complete government shutdown. Dubbed “cromnibus” it’s a continuous financial resolution that includes all kinds of random “kitchen sink” line items, and it reached an outrageous $1.1 trillion by the time Obama signed it last week.

What’s not so much in the news are some of the high-impact provisions that have been neatly tucked away inside the bill, including line items that prohibit the government from reducing salt in school lunches as well as  – you guessed it – some pretty big benefits for Big Ag.

Case in point: one provision specifically states that the government cannot require farmers to report “greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems,” or require permits for bovine “methane emissions.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “globally, the agriculture sector is the primary source” of methane emissions – and therefore, global warming. Essentially, through these new provisions, Congress has tied the hands of the EPA while enabling factory farming to continue contaminating our air, soil, and water. The spending bill also prevents the Army Corps of Engineers from regulating factory farms under the Clean Water Act, as well.

The benefits to Big Ag are bad news for our planet, public health, and animals.

Luckily, though, there is something you can do. If every American skipped even just one serving of meat per week, it would save the same amount of carbon emissions equivalent to taking about a half million cars off the road.

Imagine the benefits to the environment — and animals — by switching to an all-vegan diet!

The choices we make every day matter. Need help getting started? We’re here for you. TryVeg.com.