Senate Climate Bill, Flood Season & Food Aid
Senate Climate Bill, Flood Season & Food Aid plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.
Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry have issued their version of climate change legislation. Like the House-passed bill - the proposal favors a cap-and-trade system. The vast majority of allowances would be given away for a transition period of 20 years to ease burdens on energy-intensive industries and consumers in states relying heavily on coal for electricity. But when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions - the Senate draft is more ambitious than the House measure. They want emissions reduced to a level 20-percent below 2005 emissions by 2020 compared to 17-percent sought by the House this summer.
Flood season is here for the Pacific NW. With snow and rain falling in the mountains it is time to start monitoring local streams and rivers. Fair warning.
During his trade mission in Asia, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack pledged to help the thousands of typhoon victims in the
VILSACK: $8.5 million dollars in the form of rice and non-fat dried milk. We estimate that it will provide food for approximately 438-thousand people for a period up to 60 days. This is in addition to the assistance USAID announced previous and in addition the military assistance we provided immediately after the storms hit.
Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.
With Halloween quickly approaching most pranksters are frantically searching for the best costume to scare, shock, and terrify a “suspecting” public. There are some things though that scare me far more than any goblin, ghost, or vampire, they include, but are not limited to, radical animal rights activists hiding their true agenda under the guise of animal welfare, food police telling American consumers what to eat or what not to eat to be more precise, anti-agribusiness activists, scare tactic reporting by the media, and well meaning but uninformed voters who pass damaging legislation into law. Oh, and lest I forget, politicians who milk public sympathy for their own private gain; (truly what could be spookier than Al Gore showing up at your door this Halloween?!). So as you’re passing out tricks or treats to all those adorable little spooks this year remember that Halloween as it’s celebrated now is a time for children to dress up, pretend and get some sweet treats. The truly scary and macabre will be right there waiting to confront you in your morning paper November 1st.
Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
