In a bold move to defend the agriculture community, Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was one of three Senate Democrats to co-sponsor a Resolution of Disapproval to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gases under the authority of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

With Congressional action on Climate Change Legislation unlikely in the foreseeable future, the EPA is pressing ahead on issuing a rule to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.  The agency finalized last week a scientific finding that greenhouse gases qualify as endangering pollutants in a move to push forward with the regulations.
Chairman Lincoln strongly believes that the CAA was not intended to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

“I am very concerned about the burden that EPA regulation of carbon emissions could put on our economy and have questions about the actual benefit EPA regulations would have on the environment. Heavy-handed EPA regulation, as well as the current cap and trade bills in Congress, will cost us jobs and put us at an even greater competitive disadvantage to China, India and others,” Lincoln said in a press release.

The Joint Disapproval Resolution was introduced in the Senate on Thursday by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Cosponsors of the resolution, which included 3 Democrats and 36 Republicans, acknowledged that the EPA-approach to regulating greenhouse gases is dangerous for US businesses on all fronts, particularly in the midst of an economic downturn.

“We must focus on cutting the deficit, creating jobs and getting the economy back on track.  Arkansans, and the American public, want Congress to take a breath, slow down, and thoughtfully come up with energy policy that makes common sense and will help grow our economy,” Sen. Lincoln added.
USRPA joined with 138 agriculture organizations in a letter [ATTACHEMENT BELOW] to Senator Murkowski supporting the Disapproval Resolution.
“Such regulatory actions will carry severe consequences for the U.S. economy, including America’s farmers and ranchers, through increased input costs and international market disparities,” the letter states.

The letter goes on to undermine EPA’s actions to regulate greenhouse gas emissions:

 “The compliance costs for these CAA programs would be overwhelming as millions of entities, including farms and ranches, would be subject to burdensome CAA regulations…EPA’s finding puts the agricultural economy at grave risk based on allegations of a weak, indirect link to public health and welfare.”

Dwight Roberts, President and CEO of USRPA, strongly supports the Disapproval Resolution:

“We are proud of Senator Lincoln and her bold move to cosponsor this resolution to block EPA’s regulating authority.  She has demonstrated her strong support not only for rice producers in Arkansas and across the nation but also for all agricultural producers who would face complex federal rules and crippling costs.  Agriculture is fortunate to have a leader such as Sen. Lincoln as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee to interject common sense into this process and fight for us.”

2010-01-20 Murkowski Disapproval Resolution Support Lttr.pdf

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