NAFO joined a coalition of partners to urge Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman to include forests and farms as a significant part of their comprehensive energy and climate change legislation.
Below is the entire letter.
American Bird Conservancy * American Electric Power *American Forest and Paper Association * American Forest Foundation * Avoided Deforestation Partners * Coalition for Emission Reduction Projects * Conservation Forestry * Conservation International * Dominion * Duke Energy * Environmental Defense Fund * Green Diamond Resource Company * Hardwood Federation * Maine Forest Service * Marriott International * National Alliance of Forest Owners * National Association of State Foresters * National Farmers Union * National Wildlife Federation * New Forests * NorthWestern Energy * Ohio Corn Growers Association * Pacific Forest Trust * PG&E Corporation * Pinchot Institute * Sierra Club * Society of American Foresters * The Nature Conservancy * Trust for Public Land * Union of Concerned Scientists * Wildlife Conservation Society
March 22, 2010
The Honorable John Kerry
218 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Lindsey Graham
290 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Joseph Lieberman
706 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman,
Thank you for all your hard work to secure action on energy and climate change. We strongly believe that any successful comprehensive energy and climate change legislation must include forests and farms as a significant part of the solution. By providing an affordable means to address climate change, public and private incentives (such as offsets) for forests and farms can help Americans save money while leading the way to a low carbon economy.
American agriculture can play a major role in sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Providing strong incentives to American farms and ranches can help feed and fuel the world and do it in a way that involves American agriculture in the energy and climate solution – while bringing increased prosperity to rural America.
American forests, including working forests and wood, already sequester about one eighth of U.S. carbon emissions, with the potential for much more. Strong incentives for reforestation, sustainable forest management, and forest conservation will create jobs and safeguard America’s energy future.
Conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of tropical forests must also play a significant role. By providing public and private incentives for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation activities (REDD), we can address the 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that come from tropical deforestation while helping keep energy costs affordable for U.S. agriculture, forest products industries, and consumers. Protecting these forests will also help level the playing field for U.S. agriculture and forest products industries by reducing illegal logging and forest conversion in tropical countries, ensuring fair competition in wood, pulp, beef, leather, soybeans, and other global markets.
We look forward to working with you to ensure that forests, farms and ranches help deliver an effective and affordable solution to climate change and a new energy future.
Sincerely,
American Bird Conservancy
American Electric Power
American Forest and Paper Association
American Forest Foundation
Avoided Deforestation Partners
Coalition for Emission Reduction Projects
Conservation Forestry
Conservation International
Dominion
Duke Energy
Environmental Defense Fund
Green Diamond Resource Company
Hardwood Federation
Maine Forest Service
Marriott International
National Alliance of Forest Owners
National Association of State Foresters
National Farmers Union
National Wildlife Federation
New Forests
NorthWestern Energy
Ohio Corn Growers Association
Pacific Forest Trust
PG&E Corporation
Pinchot Institute
Sierra Club
Society of American Foresters
The Nature Conservancy
Trust for Public Land
Union of Concerned Scientists
Wildlife Conservation Society
CC: Senator Harry Reid
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Maria Cantwell
Senator Susan Collins
Senator Michael Bennet
Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Tags: climate
