News Release
For Immediate Release — August 10, 2009
Analysis of Climate Change Policies Underway
Study Will Measure Impacts of Cap and Trade and Other Regulatory
Scenarios
on Agriculture and Forestry
The 25x'25 Alliance and the University of Tennessee Bio-Based Energy Analysis Group (BEAG) are jointly conducting an in-depth analysis of the impacts on U.S. agriculture and forestry that would result under various climate change policy scenarios, including the scenario presented under the American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009.
The American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009 (ACES) is also known as the cap and trade policy currently under consideration by the U.S. Senate.
UT Institute of Agriculture researchers will examine how carbon incentives provided by climate change policy and higher input costs might interact to determine potential supply, price, and geographic impacts of biomass feedstocks. Estimates of the net impact of the 25 x ‘25 goals upon biomass’s contribution to total emissions, energy use and net carbon flux will be reported as well as the potential impacts of the proposed carbon cap and trade policy.
"A growing consensus among scientists is that global warming is occurring and can at least partially be attributed to increased emissions of greenhouse gases," said Burton English, a professor of agricultural economics and a member of UT BEAG. "Should reducing greenhouse gas emissions be a global environmental priority, we need to explore how a reduction in GHG emissions can be achieved and its ramifications on agriculture, along with the economic and environmental impact a given climate policy will have on the agriculture and forestry sectors,” English said.
The National 25x’25 Alliance will manage the study and coordinate dissemination of its results. 25x'25 is a diverse alliance of agricultural, forestry, environmental, conservation and other organizations and businesses that are working collaboratively to advance the goal of securing 25 percent of the nation's energy needs from renewable sources by the year 2025. Co-chairs for the Tennessee 25x’25 State Alliance are Kyle Holmberg, Biofuels Program Coordinator with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Tim Rials, Director of Research and Development for the UT Office of Bioenergy Programs.
The analysis will be released in three phases, starting with an agriculture component Sept. 15, followed by a livestock component Oct. 15 and a forestry component Nov. 15.
"The primary target audience for this analysis is national agricultural and forest leaders who are attempting to understand and quantify how climate change legislation will impact their sectors," said Nathan Rudgers, Chairman of the 25x’25 Carbon Work Group. "This analysis will also be presented to federal and state policy makers; executive branch agency officials; renewable energy advocates; and national security, environmental and rural development leaders."
English says the results from the study should answer some of the questions currently under debate across the country, including:
- Acreage devoted to each of the major crops (corn, sorghum, barley, wheat, rice, soybeans and cotton), hay and alfalfa, CRP and idled land in form of cropland pasture and any "energy crops"
- Production levels of the major crops, and livestock and poultry
- Production and use of major byproducts of the energy crops (e.g., soybean oil, soybean meal, DDGS, etc.)
- Price for the major crop, livestock and byproduct commodities
- Net farm income
- Impacts to the nation’s and each state’s economy as a result of a mature renewable energy sector and the results of those impacts on economic activity, employment, value-added, and taxes
- Environmental impacts including soil erosion, carbon sequestration, and carbon emission;
- Fossil energy requirements
- Value or cost imposed by cap and trade policies
The study will build on both Solutions from the Land: The Role of Agriculture and Forestry in a Reduced Carbon Economy, a discussion guide and recommendations compiled by the 25x'25 Carbon Work Group on how the two sectors can deliver substantial emissions reductions, including sequestration, under national climate change policy, and a November 2006 study titled 25% Renewable Energy for the United States By 2025: Agricultural and Economic Impacts conducted by the UT investigating team.
"We expect this analysis will provide critical information this fall for national policy makers as they debate major climate change legislation," said Rudgers. "The analysis will provide clear and objective data that can guide those who will determine the role of agriculture and forestry in a new climate change regulatory system."
The analysis is being funded under a grant from the Energy Foundation, a partnership of major donors focused on solving the world's energy problems by advancing new energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that will provide a clean energy future.
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Modeled after the national organization with similar goals, the Tennessee 25x’25 State Alliance is comprised of several state agencies, organizations, universities, advocacy groups and businesses – including the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, Memphis Bioworks Foundation, East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, University of Tennessee and Bioenergy Engineering, LLC, just to name a few.
The Tennessee 25x’25 State Alliance will be assessing the state’s renewable resource assets and will be working to build support for new agriculture and forestry-based energy solutions through education and outreach.
The 25x’25 national goal was endorsed by Governor Phil Bredesen in May 2007 and the 2008 Tennessee General Assembly via a resolution sponsored by Senator Bill Ketron.
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Contacts:
Ernie Shea, 25x'25, 410-952-0123
Burton English, UT Institute of Agriculture BEAG, 865-974-3716