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Farmers and ranchers who made a collective sigh of relief last year when the U.S. Senate agreed to put of any climate change legislation decisions until the New Year will be watching closely what lawmakers do regarding the controversial cap-and-trade provisions so heavily favored in the House.

"This is no doubt one of the worst policies to come out of Washington in some time," said Adrian Schulze, of the Blanco County Farm Bureau. "Not only will this raise the cost of everything energy-related, science has shown it will do almost nothing to resolve the global warming issue."

The house approved its version of the climate bill last fall. It including language that would establish the cap-and-trade system in the United States, establish a cap on emissions companies are allowed to emit, forcing them to purchase offsets should they exceed their defined limit.

For large corporations like energy firms and automakers, the need for offsets would be almost permanent, Schulze noted.

"Proponents of the climate bill claim those offsets would be of direct benefit to farm producers," he said. "But nowhere do they account for what is sure to be cost increases on our fuel, our equipment and our fertilizers. By establishing these caps, we’re doing nothing but trading the security of our future in agriculture, especially when no one else in the world is willing to go along with such measures."

For more on the climate bill debate as it develops, watch www.txfb.org for updates on Texas Ag Daily, Texas Farm Bureau’s daily online update of agriculture news for Texans.

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