Despite Missed Opportunity by Senate, Much Work Left to Help Environment and Farmers

The news of the recent Senate dismissal of negotiations on clean energy and climate change is a decision that will be felt, if not heard, round the world.  The failure to move forward with the viable approach to clean energy and climate legislation set forth by the House will set the course for an uncertain environmental future, one that continues to rely on foreign oil. A healthy environment is beneficial to us all but without proper legislation, it may be difficult to achieve.

This decision represents a missed chance to build on the momentum of the House passed bill, which seeks to benefit the environment and our nation’s farmers through a Renewable Energy Standard and opportunities for farmers to be paid for eco-friendly practices.  Rather than favorable circumstances to provide offset credits and other benefits, farmers must now confront the outlook of regulatory restrictions as managed by the EPA.  Regulation and climate variability are a precarious combination, bringing greater costs and risk without the chance to financially benefit farms.

Legislation, on the other hand, would address pressing environmental concerns while also minimizing costs to producers.  A majority of studies have shown that comprehensive GHG legislation has only single digit increases in production costs.  Creating a viable, useable, “real” offset system also benefits producers, as studies of efforts by the agricultural community in the House-passed bill and within the Stabenow-Baucus bill in the Senate have shown.  The benefits for agriculture of a larger Renewable Energy Standard have also been well documented through research.

Upsetting as the news may be, it is a reminder that despite the continued work of AFT and numerous agricultural organizations, our work is not yet done.  As the EPA follows Supreme Court order to take steps to regulate the threats of GHG, we must work to ensure that their efforts will support a healthy future for both our environment and our farms.  And, although the debate may have been passed over by the Senate at this juncture, this issue will be echoing through the halls of Congress again sooner rather than later.

About the Author: Jon Scholl is President of American Farmland Trust. Prior to AFT, he served as Counselor to the Administrator for Agriculture Policy at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Jon and his family operate a corn and soybean farm in McLean County, Illinois.