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Klobuchar Proposes Global Warming Initiative as Major Part of Upcoming Farm Bill

Ag Committee Chair Harkin: Klobuchar proposing "practical, common-sense policies for curbing global warming"

February 13, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today exercised her unique role as a key player in the global warming discussion by outlining the initiatives she seeks to be included in the upcoming farm bill. In preparing to introduce a climate change incentive program that she will work to include in the Farm Bill, Senator Klobuchar today sent a letter to the head of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), outlining her proposals and pushing for action. Klobuchar's initiatives would mark the first time the Agriculture Committee, which is scheduled to consider the 2007 farm bill by September 30, 2007, would consider climate changes provisions as part of the farm bill.

Klobuchar said, "Global warming and oil dependency are among the greatest challenges we face for our future. These two problems are interrelated, and our solutions need to be interrelated, too. With forward-looking farming practices, America's heartland holds great promise for homegrown solutions to global warming."

Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee said, "Senator Klobuchar is proposing practical, common-sense policies for curbing global warming. These pragmatic ideas will help farmers adopt stronger conservation practices, promote more production and use of renewable biofuels and enhance our nation's energy security, while increasing farm income, economic growth and jobs in rural communities."

To help farmers lower their energy costs and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, Klobuchar proposed to provide assistance for farmers seeking to make improvements to the energy efficiency of farm equipment and buildings, and seeking to increase their use of renewable resources to meet on-farm energy needs.

Klobuchar also emphasized that the Farm Bill should include incentives for farmers to grow perennial grasses and other biomass crops suitable for cellulosic ethanol production. Cellulosic ethanol refers to ethanol made from cellulosic plant material including grasses, wood chips, corn stalks and agricultural residue.

Senator Klobuchar holds a distinct position in advocating for climate control initiatives as a member of three committees currently addressing the issue of global warming: the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

The text of Klobuchar's letter is below:

February 13, 2007

The Honorable Tom Harkin

Chairman

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Global warming and oil dependency are among the greatest challenges we face for our future. These two problems are interrelated, and our solutions need to be interrelated, too. With forward-looking farming practices, America's heartland holds great promise for homegrown solutions to global warming. As a member of both the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, I respectfully request that agriculture's role in fighting climate change be made a major new focus of the next farm bill. In the coming months I plan to introduce a package of incentives that would allow farmers to improve the carbon sequestration of their farm operations, reduce fossil energy consumption and produce a new generation of carbon neutral biofuels.

To allow farmers to reduce consumption of fossil energy, my proposal will include assistance for farmers seeking to make improvements to the energy efficiency of farm equipment and buildings, and to increase their use of renewable resources to meet on-farm energy needs. These practices are encouraged to some extent under existing USDA programs, but too often these programs have been curtailed due to lack of funding.

My proposal will also include incentives for farmers to grow perennial grasses and other biomass crops suitable for cellulosic ethanol production. These crops would also assure the nation a sufficient supply of cellulosic feedstocks for the coming generation of biofuels facilities. And, because these crops are less fossil energy intensive to produce, the biofuels made from them can dramatically reduce carbon impact compared to gasoline, since the carbon released in the burning of the fuel is taken out of the air when the crop grows.

Finally, my climate change initiative would provide funding for the carbon sequestration research and extension projects created in the 2002 Farm Bill but never implemented. These projects were intended to allow USDA to work with universities to examine how agricultural and forestry practices affect the sequestration of carbon in soils and plants, and to implement on-farm demonstration projects. The information provided by this research will be vital in our ongoing efforts to encourage farmers to expand practices that store carbon in the soil.

In conclusion, I urge the Committee to use the opportunity offered by the farm bill reauthorization to examine the positive impact that agriculture can have on climate change. I look forward to working with you to craft meaningful legislation to this end in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Amy Klobuchar

United States Senator