[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 164 (Thursday, November 5, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11202-S11203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CLEAN ENERGY PARTNERSHIPS ACT

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, yesterday I introduced S. 2729, the 
Clean Energy Partnerships Act. I am proud to have as cosponsors for 
this bill Senator Max Baucus, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Sherrod 
Brown, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Mark Begich, and Senator Jeanne 
Shaheen, who has been working with me on the carbon conservation 
program after she introduced S. 1576, the Forest Carbon Incentives 
Program Act.
  As we work toward creating a clean energy economy in America, we need 
a strategy that protects our environment while protecting and creating 
jobs and revitalizing our economy.
  The bill I introduced yesterday is an important part of that 
strategy. By creating partnerships among manufacturing, utilities, 
agriculture, and forestry, we can reduce costs now to help transition 
to a clean energy economy tomorrow.
  As we work to develop new technologies to reduce emissions in the 
future, we also need to find cost-effective ways to limit emissions in 
the short-term that do not cost us jobs. This bill is about creating a 
lower cost strategy to help us reach our emission reduction goals while 
protecting and strengthening our economy.
  We can counteract, or offset, our current carbon emissions by 
investing in practices like sustainable agriculture and forestry 
projects that capture and store carbon. A ton of carbon is a ton of 
carbon. That is what this offset bill is all about.
  For example, we can change farming practices through more efficient 
application of fertilizer, the use of cover crops, or by utilizing 
tillage practices, called ``no till farming.'' No-till farming reduces 
carbon emissions by leaving old plant matter buried underground. In 
contrast, conventional tilling moves old plant matter from last

[[Page S11203]]

year's crop from under the soil to the top of the soil, where it 
decomposes and releases carbon into the atmosphere.
  Improved forestry practices are another example of effective and 
scientifically-proven methods to help reduce carbon emissions. These 
practices must be a central component of any clean energy legislation. 
It is estimated that forests store up to 80 percent of above-ground 
carbon and nearly 70 percent of the carbon stored in the soil. Reducing 
deforestation, restoring forests, and better land management can all 
help reduce atmospheric carbon levels, not just in our country but 
around the world.
  This bill also creates incentives to develop new technologies for 
reducing other greenhouse gas emissions. For example, methane is more 
than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide and can be produced from 
landfills, coal mines, farms, natural gas systems and oil pipelines.
  Equipment that can reduce or eliminate methane emissions can have a 
drastic impact on our environment. We can even use technologies that 
not only capture the methane but use it to generate cleaner 
electricity. That equipment can be designed and built right here in 
America, building on our innovative and manufacturing expertise to 
create good-paying jobs.
  Not only will an offsets program help store carbon, it will also 
result in cleaner water, more wildlife habitat, and reduced costs for 
business and agriculture. That is why this legislation has the broad 
support of organizations and leaders in agriculture, forestry, 
conservation, utilities and manufacturing, including National Milk 
Producers Federation; National Farmers Union; National Corn Growers 
Association; National Cattlemen's Beef Association; American Farmland 
Trust; National Alfalfa & Forage Association; Dow Chemical Company; 
Duke Energy; American Electric Power; PG&E Corporation; Dominion; John 
Deere; Business Council for Sustainable Development; Coalition for 
Emission Reduction Projects; Generators for Clean Air; National 
Association of Forest Owners; American Forest Foundation; Binational 
Softwood Lumber Council; Conservation Forestry; First Environment, 
Inc.; Forest Guild; Hardwood Federation; Lyme Timber Company; Maine 
Forest Service; National Alliance of Forest Owners; National 
Association of State Foresters; National Association of University 
Forest Resource Programs; National Hardwood Lumber Association; Society 
of American Foresters; Weyerhaeuser; The Nature Conservancy; 
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; and Trust for Public Land.
  The legislation I introduced yesterday creates partnerships between 
our agricultural and manufacturing industries, protecting jobs and 
revitalizing our economy. It is estimated that strong agriculture and 
forestry offsets could be worth up to $24 billion annually to our 
economy. If the right clean energy policies are put in place, we have 
the opportunity to make this work for manufacturing and agriculture and 
create jobs.
  Manufacturing in America created the middle class and is the backbone 
of our economy. We cannot have an economy if we aren't making things in 
this country--so any energy bill we pass must protect our industries, 
protect jobs, and protect our American middle class.
  By creating partnerships between manufacturers and agriculture, we 
can link up the people who ``bring home the bacon'' with the people who 
actually make the bacon.
  By allowing our manufacturing industries to offset their carbon 
emissions with savings made by sustainable agriculture and forestry 
practices, we can create a real win-win situation for America's 
economy.
  In my home State of Michigan, we know how to make things and grow 
things. We know that to reach the clean energy future, we must link our 
manufacturing expertise with our agricultural expertise. Supported by 
some of the finest research universities in the world, we are already 
making key investments in clean energy technology that will 
reinvigorate our economy, create jobs, and protect our environment for 
the next generation.
  That is what this bill is all about. We still have a long way to go 
in creating a clean energy bill that makes sense for our manufacturing 
and agricultural industries. But this bill is an important step toward 
reaching a balanced approach to energy legislation that respects our 
environment while also respecting the men and women who build things 
and grow things in this country.

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