WASHINGTON – Environmental Working Group today applauded Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) for introducing the Agriculture Resilience Act, critical legislation that would dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector, which account for more than 8 percent of total emissions in the U.S.
Here is a statement from Colin O’Neil, EWG’s legislative director:
No one understands the impacts of the climate crisis better than American farmers, who are already reeling from the effects of extreme weather events.
It is high time that Washington start treating the climate crisis like what it is – a crisis. EWG applauds Rep. Pingree for putting forward a bold, visionary plan for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the farm sector in half before 2030 and setting a goal to be net-zero by 2040.
All sectors of the economy will need to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially energy companies. But farmers are uniquely positioned to reduce emissions and conserve carbon right away.
With the right practices in place, we could capture and store more carbon in the ground, reduce emissions from fertilizer application and manure management, make farms more resilient to the effects of climate change and help protect our drinking water supplies.
