05/28/08 Climate change legislation focus after farm bill

Farm and Ranch May 28, 2008 With the 2008 Farm Bill now nearly complete what will be the next focus for agriculture at the national level? Gaede: "Lieberman-Warner. It is going to be huge." That is Mark Gaede Director of Government Affairs Environmental Policy for the National Association of Wheat Growers. Lieberman-Warner is a climate change bill that would establish a cap-and-trade program and an agriculture allowance program for sequestered carbon. Gaede says NAWG supports the legislation. Gaede: "And we are developing a set of principles to circulate on the Hill on this. Because it is not a given that ag offset markets are going to be allowed in legislation. There are a lot of those on the extreme left who do not trust them as not being verifiable or credible. But I think the way Lieberman-Warner addresses that through very rigorous protocols for verification and measurement address that concern. And of course it is in our interest to have verifiable and credible credits to sell because that is what gives them value in the marketplace. And a lot of these big firms are not going to be willing to buy credits that are fly-by-night, willy-nilly things. So it is in our interest to have verifiable and credible credits to sell." Gaede says the National Association of Wheat Growers has also been examining the prospect of becoming a carbon aggregator, which is another reason to follow this legislation to see that it turns out well. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.