The bill addresses the issue of methane emissions from livestock, particularly focusing on dairy farms and feed lots in Washington State. It recognizes methane as a significant greenhouse gas contributing to climate change and highlights the lack of current reporting requirements for these facilities regarding their methane emissions. The legislature aims to fill this knowledge gap by mandating the collection of data on methane emissions from these agricultural operations.

To achieve this, the bill introduces a new requirement for owners or operators of dairy farms and feed lots to submit annual reports detailing the total metric tons of methane emitted in the previous calendar year. The first report will allow for estimated emissions based on a three-month average, and the Department of Ecology is tasked with adopting rules to implement this reporting requirement, including establishing a reporting schedule. The definitions of "dairy farm" and "feed lot" are also clarified within the bill.