Thursday
Jul232009
Great Plains GOP Senators Say No To Cap And Trade
Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 2:08PM
By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service
Three GOP senators from Great Plains states criticized the cap-and-trade bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives, and is currently being reviewed in the Senate.
According to Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Ky.), the bill is a "wet dog that is not welcome in the farmhouse or the ranch." Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) firmly said that "this bill is not going to work in the Senate," and claimed that it lacks "even a 5% chance of being successful."
Sen. Johanns, formerly the Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush, said that the legislation would hurt the economy, especially in agricultural communities. "The average farmer will never buy into the idea that maybe, just maybe, if they pay higher production costs and go through this regimen that is going to be established, that they might do better," he said.
The Senators dismissed testimony given by the United States Department of Agriculture to the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. "The USDA analysis...has holes enough to drive a grain truck through," said Sen. Roberts. He said it was based on assumptions of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], which he argued is "driven by their agenda. I don't think it is driven by accurate assessment...as to the effect on farmers and ranchers in rural, small-town America."
Sen. Johanns said he has worked with the economists of the USDA in the past, and that they produce "excellent work." He maintained, however, that this analysis is "tragically incomplete" and it is "remarkable how deficient it is in analysis."
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) questioned how effectively the legislation could protect the environment, arguing that other carbons will not act to cut carbon emissions, thus stripping the U.S. of competitive advantage in the marketplace. He said that the "costs are real and the savings are theoretical."
The GOP Senators suggested that another piece of legislation could gain bipartisan support. "We ought to be serious abut reducing CO2 emissions," said Thune. He emphasized "incentives for rural renewable energy production," which he said would avoid a "crushing economic burden on American business."
Three GOP senators from Great Plains states criticized the cap-and-trade bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives, and is currently being reviewed in the Senate.
According to Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Ky.), the bill is a "wet dog that is not welcome in the farmhouse or the ranch." Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) firmly said that "this bill is not going to work in the Senate," and claimed that it lacks "even a 5% chance of being successful."
Sen. Johanns, formerly the Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush, said that the legislation would hurt the economy, especially in agricultural communities. "The average farmer will never buy into the idea that maybe, just maybe, if they pay higher production costs and go through this regimen that is going to be established, that they might do better," he said.
The Senators dismissed testimony given by the United States Department of Agriculture to the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. "The USDA analysis...has holes enough to drive a grain truck through," said Sen. Roberts. He said it was based on assumptions of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], which he argued is "driven by their agenda. I don't think it is driven by accurate assessment...as to the effect on farmers and ranchers in rural, small-town America."
Sen. Johanns said he has worked with the economists of the USDA in the past, and that they produce "excellent work." He maintained, however, that this analysis is "tragically incomplete" and it is "remarkable how deficient it is in analysis."
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) questioned how effectively the legislation could protect the environment, arguing that other carbons will not act to cut carbon emissions, thus stripping the U.S. of competitive advantage in the marketplace. He said that the "costs are real and the savings are theoretical."
The GOP Senators suggested that another piece of legislation could gain bipartisan support. "We ought to be serious abut reducing CO2 emissions," said Thune. He emphasized "incentives for rural renewable energy production," which he said would avoid a "crushing economic burden on American business."
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