Farm Bureau Addresses Climate Change Issues

The House Agriculture Committee has asked farm groups to complete a 29-question survey prior to hearings to be held on climate change. In reply, the American Farm Bureau Federation said it supports a market-based incentive program rather than a government-mandated program.

In the questionnaire, AFBF President Bob Stallman emphasized that Congress should not enact legislation mandating carbon emission reductions to levels not justified by sound, peer-reviewed science and that any legislation designed to reduce carbon emissions must make sure the costs don’t outweigh the benefits. Stallman said, - Congress should not enact a carbon tax, and a cap-and-trade program should be voluntary.

Stallman also said, - agriculture and forestry should not be regulated or capped under a carbon-reduction program. He said, - capping or taxing agriculture or forestry will only limit the potential sequestration benefits those sectors can provide. He pointed out - the relatively small amount of agricultural and forestry emissions come from thousands of producers, making any cap or tax difficult to administer and enforce.