Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Senators say global warming bill will harm agriculture

U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) today raised issue with testimony delivered by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Chief Economist Dr. Joseph Glauber before a House Agriculture Committee hearing last week on the economic impacts of pending climate change legislation. The Senators have repeatedly said Waxman-Markey and Kerry-Boxer cap and trade bills will have profound and substantial impacts on the U.S. agriculture sector. The long-awaited USDA analysis confirmed initial concerns raised in July when U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack first testified in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee on the same issue. As noted in Dr. Glauber’s testimony, cap and trade will increase the food consumer price index (Food CPI) by nearly 5 percent by 2050. The beef sector will see a 10 percent decline, while the hog and dairy sector will see reductions of 23 percent and 17 percent respectively. Additionally, cap and trade will take 59 million acres of cropland and pasture out of production. In short, according to USDA and other testimony at the hearing, cap and trade will increase food prices, reduce production and likely put farmers out of business. “This testimony confirms what we’ve known for some time: the cost of producing crops and livestock will increase, and energy prices will go up,” said Sen. Johanns, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee...read more

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