A new study released last week by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that farmers and ranchers may have the ability to earn billions of dollars annually with the passage of climate change legislation.
The study focused specifically on the House-passed American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009 – H.R. 2454 - and the potential impacts of the legislation on the U.S. agricultural sector.
“While the study shows that farmers and ranchers may experience a brief and relatively small increase in operational costs due to climate change legislation, USDA predicts that farmers and ranchers may stand to earn an additional $100 million annually by 2012,” said ELPC Government Relations Specialist Mindi Grieve.
USDA’s long-term economic predictions for agriculture are greater, Grieve says, with the potential for the agricultural sector to generate an additional $20 billion from carbon reducing measures by the year 2040.
“The members of the North Dakota Climate Solutions Partnership recognize the importance of North Dakota’s agricultural sector and the need to mitigate economic concerns of producers and agricultural organizations,” Grieve said. “This study should ease some of the fears over the potential impacts of climate change legislation.”
The USDA study is available at www.usda.gov/documents/PreliminaryAnalysis_HR2454.pdf. Additional information, including a link to the USDA study and more, can be found on the North Dakota Climate Solutions Partnership website at www.ndclimatesolutions.org.
Crookston —
