The New Year is upon us and Members of Congress are back in town ready to start back where they left off last session. But what does this mean for the Senate Agriculture Committee?We know the committee will take up the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization, there will also certainly be budget battles to make sure 2008 Farm Bill priorities get funded, the committee will also be busy with regulation of the derivatives markets where agricultural commodities are traded, and of course the needs of rural America are always on the agenda. As has been the case over the last year, the big issues will be the most controversial for the committee. They are climate change legislation and food security legislation.
Climate change legislation is perhaps the more controversial of the two as the cap-and-trade system that has been proposed has drawn many critics who feel it will lead to less food production, which will cause more reliance on foreign sources of food and increased food prices, as well as other commodities. The agriculture community is going to play a role in climate change legislation, so the committee has to prepare to defend its turf.
To that end, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (AR) recently signed onto a resolution put forward by Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK). The resolution of disapproval is aimed at the recent actions of the administration in granting the Environmental Protection Agency the power to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the Clean Air Act. The resolution seeks to “suspend the authority” of the EPA to regulate GHGs, according to a press release from Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (GA), who is also supporting the Murkowski measure, as are too many agricultural trade organizations to name (roughly 150).
Chairman Lincoln called the new EPA rule heavy handed, and stated in a press release,
“I am very concerned about the burden that EPA regulation of carbon emissions could put on our economy and have questions about the actual benefit EPA regulations would have on the environment. Heavy-handed EPA regulation, as well as the current cap and trade bills in Congress, will cost us jobs and put us at an even greater competitive disadvantage to China, India and others . . .We can make immediate gains to reduce carbon emissions by sending the President bipartisan clean energy legislation produced by the Senate Energy Committee. This legislation, coupled with energy tax incentives, will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and incentivize renewable energy, all while improving the environment and creating much-needed jobs…We must focus on cutting the deficit, creating jobs and getting the economy back on track. Arkansans, and the American public, want Congress to take a breath, slow down, and thoughtfully come up with energy policy that makes common sense and will help grow our economy.”
Ranking Member Chambliss stated in his press release, “Some claim that EPA’s actions should scare Congress into passing a cap and trade bill, but I disagree. Congress should not be bullied into passing bad legislation and neither should it stand for an agency that is vastly overreaching. I strongly oppose EPA’s actions and intend to cosponsor Sen. Murkowski’s resolution of disapproval.”
It is worth noting that both Senators were critical, in their releases, of the climate change legislation moving through Congress. Chairman Lincoln has long stated that climate change should be dealt with through alternative energy legislation. With the opposition of the Senate Agriculture Committee as well as concerns from Senators from both manufacturing and energy producing states, it now looks like climate change legislation has some high hurdles to clear that could pit progressives against centrists and against conservatives. This sounds all too familiar.
Meanwhile, food safety legislation was very controversial in the House when it passed this past summer. Many contend the House bill harms agriculture and gives the Food and Drug Administration too much authority over production methods on the farm and too much authority to issue quarantines and recalls.
Regardless, given that we are now in an election year, we can expect the Senate Agriculture Committee to proceed with caution and with an eye towards member’s home states as the legislative year unfolds.
To read Chairman Lincoln’s press release click here.
