Hybrid Living

Yesterday, Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin spoke out about the upcoming formation of a US climate bill, saying that the bill needs an “off ramp” built into the bill itself in case other nations fail to meet their climate legislation’s goals. This “off ramp” should, according to an article by Reuters’ Charles Abbott, “allow the United States to relax its greenhouse gas rules if other nations fail to control theirs.” The price of farm upkeep is expected to climb with the instatement of a formal climate law, and Harkin casually explained his thinking with “If other countries don’t join us… hey, we’re off the ramp.” Farm groups are the biggest proponent of the ramp idea because “US farmers would be at a disadvantage on the export market if other nations kept their prices low by not curbing carbon emissions,” according to Abbott.