NFU Addresses Agriculture’s Role in Climate Change
For Immediate Release: May 13, 2009
Contact: 202-554-1600WASHINGTON (May 13, 2009) – National Farmers Union is calling on members of the House Agriculture Committee to remember the unique role America’s farmers and ranchers can play as climate change legislation is considered in the coming weeks.
In a letter sent to Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., today NFU President Roger Johnson expressed the organizations priorities and concerns relative to the cap and trade section of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.
Johnson said that failure to pass climate change legislation could lead to regulation of greenhouse gas farm emissions by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“A purely regulatory approach to addressing greenhouse gas emissions will bring all of the downside of increased energy inputs and none of the upside of carbon offset opportunities. Balancing environmental goals with consumer and economic impacts is a difficult task, yet it is imperative for Congress to act,” Johnson said.
“Without a robust and flexible agriculture offset program, America’s farmers and ranchers will be unable to mitigate increased input costs that will occur as a result of a cap and trade program,” Johnson said. Johnson commended the legislation for not subjecting agriculture to an emission cap.
NFU policy supports a national, mandatory carbon emission cap and trade system, provided the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is granted control of the agriculture offset program; early actors are recognized; no artificial cap is placed on domestic offsets; carbon sequestration rates are based on science; and producers are permitted to stack environmental benefit credits.
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