Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced last week that the Senate’s busy fall schedule may push any action on the cap-and-trade legislation to 2010. Reid explained the reasoning behind the statement saying health care and regulatory reform must come first on the Senate’s schedule.
"So, you know, we are going to have a busy, busy time the rest of this year," Reid said. "And, of course, nothing terminates at the end of this year. We still have next year to complete things if we have to."
He also said there is a possibility the Democrats could move the energy piece separately from the climate change portion to speed up the process, but admitted the chance was a slim one.
Understanding the costs
House Agriculture ranking member Frank Lucas continues to oppose cap and trade legislation. In a statement from his office, he reiterated facts from a report from CBS News which showed President Barack Obama administration's private analysis finding that a cap and trade system will raise energy prices and cost households an extra $1,761 a year in new taxes. Using the Freedom of Information Act, the Competitive Enterprise Institute obtained this previously unreleased analysis from the Treasury Department.
“I have said before and I will say again, the cap and trade bill is the single, largest, economic threat to farmers and rural Americans in decades. This report just emphasizes my point,” says Lucas.
Wheat changes position
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) flipped their previously supportive position on climate change legislation. Their board of directors voted 24-0 to remove existing resolutions relating to greenhouse gas regulation and an agriculture cap-and-trade program.
The new resolution reads: "NAWG is opposed to greenhouse gas legislation or regulation that has a negative impact on production agriculture. NAWG will strive for a net economic benefit to farmers, agriculture and food production. We believe neither greenhouse gas regulation nor legislation should take effect until the major carbon emitting countries of the world have agreed to regulate their own greenhouse gases in a like manner to ours. NAWG urges USDA to do a detailed economic analysis of any legislation or regulation before it becomes law. Furthermore, NAWG will oppose EPA regulation and will work to overturn the Supreme Court ruling."