House Moves to Stop USDA Climate Regulations

Late last week the U.S. House passed an amendment to the fiscal 2012 agriculture spending bill that would prohibit USDA from implementing new regulations on climate change adaptation. Critics of the amendment say the ban puts the nation at increased risk of food disruptions, forest fires and huge economic losses. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana - who introduced the amendment - said USDA’s climate adaptation policy is a backdoor attempt to put a cap-and-trade program in place in the Department of Agriculture.