Climate Change Policy

Ag Organizations Back Murkowski Disapproval of EPA Regulations - January 20, 2010Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

A coalition of 138 agricultural organizations, including NMPF, sent a letter to Senator Lisa Murkowski supporting her introduction of a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act regarding the decision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move forward on regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The groups stated that such regulatory actions would carry severe consequences for the U.S. economy, including America’s farmers and ranchers, through increased input costs and international market disparities.

The letter is available here.

 

NMPF Thanks Senators for Leadership on Agriculture-Climate Offsets - November 4, 2009

In a letter to Senators Debbie Stabenow, Max Baucus, Tom Harkin, Amy Klobuchar, and Sherrod Brown, NMPF expressed appreciation for ensuring that a robust agriculture offset market was part of any climate change legislation. The offset bill would reduce the overall cost of compliance and create revenue opportunities for dairy producers and provide them with incentives to participate in the overall effort to responsibly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while protecting the dairy producer community.

The letter is available here.


NMPF Statement on Passage of House Climate Change Bill - June 26, 2009

NMPF President & CEO Jerry Kozak issued this statement in response to the vote by the House of Representatives in favor of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill.

 

NMPF Statement on House Climate Change Bill - June 25, 2009

NMPF President & CEO Jerry Kozak issued a statement in response to the pending Waxman-Markey legislation the House of Representatives was expected to vote on Friday, June 26.

 

NMPF Officer Testifies Before House Ag Committee on ACES Climate Change Bill - June 11, 2009

NMPF Officer Ken Nobis (front) testifies before the House Ag Committee.

NMPF Treasurer and Michigan Milk Producers Association President Ken Nobis appeared on Capitol Hill to offer testimony to the House Agriculture Committee as it considered agriculture's views on the H.R. 2454 American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES). The bill, introduced by Representatives Waxman and Markey, would establish a cap-and-trade system. NMPF supported the concept of cap-and-trade as long as agriculture was not a capped industry. Nobis stressed that supporting cap-and-trade did not equal supporting all climate change legislation, which was why it was critical that Congress address a number of concerns before the bill became law:

  1. The bill must establish a strong role for USDA.
  2. The bill’s requirement for additional “performance standards” must be clarified so that CAFOs are not included in “back-door” climate regulation.
  3. The bill should shorten the time allowed for setting up offsets program standards.
  4. The bill must recognize and reward the avoided emissions efforts undertaken by agricultural leaders to reduce GHG emissions and/or sequester carbon.
  5. The agricultural sector should be provided with an allocation of allowances, or a portion of allowance auction revenues.
  6. Offset eligibility and compensation should be based on whether a project, technique, or practice sequesters carbon, or otherwise reduces greenhouse gases (GHG) from a date certain.
  7. Global Implementation of Climate Change Legislation.

 

House Ag Committee Moves Forward with Climate Change Legislation - March 11, 2009

As part of an effort to develop comprehensive climate change legislation, Collin Peterson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, considered drafting an Agriculture offsets bill to be included as a piece of the intended legislation. In order to best assess the needs of the agriculture community, the House Ag Committee issued a detailed questionnaire to help them develop the legislation. NMPF as an organization responded to the survey and encouraged its members to complete the survey as well. NMPF was fully engaged in the climate legislation discussions and also developed a set of principles to follow in relation to climate change legislation.

The draft legislation, entitled "The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES)," is available on the House Energy and Commerce Committee website.

 

Livestock Organizations Send Letter to EPA Commenting on Proposed Rules to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions - November 28, 2008

In a joint letter with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), and the United Egg Producers (UEP), NMPF responded to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s request for comments on the Agency’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions under the Clean Air Act.” The full letter is available here.

 

NMPF Submits Testimony to Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Climate Change Legislation - May 23, 2008

When the Senate Agriculture subcommittee on rural revitalization, conservation, forestry, and credit was holding a hearing on climate change, NMPF submitted testimony to help explain the important role that dairy could play in the future of such legislation. The press release is available here.

 

Background

There is overwhelming concern in the scientific and political community that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities are contributing to an increase in average global temperatures and adverse changes in the world’s climate and weather. GHG emissions include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane.

U.S. agriculture - and especially dairy - is poised to play a unique role in the climate debate. A cap on greenhouse gas emissions would increase fertilizer and energy costs to farmers as well as to other U.S. businesses. At the same time, cap-and-trade legislation could create an additional revenue stream for our industry. There would be opportunities for producers to voluntarily mitigate GHG emissions through methane capture or elimination, fertilizer management and possibly carbon sequestration in soils, there are still some questions on the measurement of this practice. Through the current proposed legislation, if an entity such as agriculture reduces GHG emissions, they can sell those credits to regulated industries which need to meet emissions requirements.

There are significant concerns over the cost to the economy and the unintended consequences of fueling the economies of China and India at the expense of the United States. Nevertheless, the conventional wisdom indicates that in one form or another, U.S. Climate Change legislation is inevitable.

Economic studies on this issue are not abundant, yet some have estimated that the gains to agriculture in additional revenue from cap-and-trade legislation to be in the order of $10 to $24 billion.