PRESIDENTIAL PARADIGMS
Obama’s Assault on America Continues
Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau
On August 3, 2015,
President Obama rolled out the
final version of his new EPA
regulations that will dictate the
future of power generation in
our country. These new rules
call for a 32% reduction in
carbon dioxide emissions by
2030 from the 2005 baseline
level. Each state will be
given a state-specific goal. If states don’t submit an
acceptable plan to achieve that goal, then the EPA
will impose their own model.
The result of all this repressive regulation will
be the closing of even MORE coal-fired power
plants and the mines that supply them, as well as
soaring electric bills and an inadequate supply of
reliable energy, resulting in brown-or-blackouts.
West Virginia will suffer more than any other
state, as 95% of all our electric comes from coal.
This will be very bad on both individuals and
businesses.
It would seem the President is intent on
crippling the economy. He has admitted this is
only the first step in a process that imposes many
more greenhouse gas regulations on many other
sectors of the U.S. economy.
Agriculture is squarely in the crosshairs. EPA
has previously stated that 26% of all methane
comes from cows and other ruminants. The
most disturbing part of all this is that while our
economy will be hamstrung by these new rules,
China will be moving ahead with their aggressive
coal-fired power plant building program. At
present, they are bringing a new coal-fired power
plant online about every two weeks. So, it’s no
secret where manufacturing and production will
continue to move to.
see Wilfong, page 21
Time to Get to Work With Tools for Trade
Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation
As farmers and ranchers,
we know it’s tough to get the
job done without the right
tool. Earlier this year, Farm
Bureau members spoke up
to urge Congress to give
U.S. trade negotiators an
important tool to get the job
done on trade agreements:
Trade Promotion Authority.
Congress listened, worked across party lines and
passed TPA this summer. Now it’s time for the
administration to put this tool to good use.
TPA legislation has unlocked the door to
ambitious new trade agreements, and America’s
farmers and ranchers have a major stake in
what happens next. Our ability to reach markets
around the world directly boosts the economy
4 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
here at ho