Great Plains GOP Senators Say No To Cap And Trade – Talk Radio News Service

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) firmly said that “this bill is not going to work in the Senate,” and claimed that it lacks “even a 5% chance of being successful.”

Sen. Johanns, formerly the Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush, said that the legislation would hurt the economy, especially in agricultural communities. “The average farmer will never buy into the idea that maybe, just maybe, if they pay higher production costs and go through this regimen that is going to be established, that they might do better,” he said.

The Senators dismissed testimony given by the United States Department of Agriculture to the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. “The USDA analysis…has holes enough to drive a grain truck through,” said Sen. Roberts. He said it was based on assumptions of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], which he argued is “driven by their agenda. I don’t think it is driven by accurate assessment…as to the effect on farmers and ranchers in rural, small-town America.”
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Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) questioned how effectively the legislation could protect the environment, arguing that other carbons will not act to cut carbon emissions, thus stripping the U.S. of competitive advantage in the marketplace. He said that the “costs are real and the savings are theoretical.”

KLA: USDA Projections For Cap-And-Trade Bill Come Under Fire - Cattle Network

Roberts and Johanns questioned how much pasture and cropland would shift into trees if a carbon offset market is created. Johanns suggested most of the income projected by USDA would go to forestry projects, while most crop and livestock producers would have no way of offsetting higher energy costs.

[Where's the data to back this claim?] « Climate Progress

Between 2007 — the record low ice extent — and 2008, some 2000 cubic kilometers of Arctic sea ice were lost.