And dont you think this is an unforeseen consequence of congress interjecting itself into the markets . Senator, thank you. I would say we are seeing what ducks unlimited and others are calling a crisis in the prairies. We certainly, if you think about the states of north dakota and south dakota, which are really the heart of water fowl production for the United States of america, we have Energy Development in the balken oil fields squeezing from the west and we have Agricultural Development squeezing from the east, and so there is no doubt that we are seeing widespread and unprecedented conversion of habitat that is and if i can interject, because that clock is ticking. Part of that reduction in habitat is putting more of the land into corn to to respond to this Public Policy decision that the federal government has made. That is a fact, is it not . Certainly a part of the demand is related to use for ethanol. But the market is a Global Market for corn and soybean, and the Global Mark
Is that something that you want to speculate on . I think at already speculated. I will note that there is into the record and analysis. Looking at future power costs and actually anticipates their reaction. That is maybe for another hearing or another debate and discussion. Lets turn to our second panel if they could come forward. [inaudible conversations] welcome. It is great to have you all. Happy to introduce our second panel of witnesses. A Diverse Group including three individuals who will talk about how Climate Changes impacting their area of expertise and to minority witnesses who will present their perceptions on as Climate Change skeptics. I will go ahead and introduce everyone now. Then we will proceed with the testimony. Our first witnesses jamals which i am particularly delighted to have you here from oregon. Jim serves as the executive director of lake county resources initiative, an organization dedicated to improving Forest Management and National Forests expanding the
Assessment, and then yesterday the epa proposing acceptable and effective regulation of Greenhouse Gas emissions and so i feel like our country finally has the information and the wherewithal and is finding the will to address this great challenge. And hunting and fishing are vital components of the nations economy especially in many rural areas. In 2011 americans spent 145 billion on wildlife related recreation, nearly 1 of the nations gross domestic product. And the changing climate system is affecting hunters and anglers today. And it is darkening the prospect for hunters and anglers tomorrow. Shorter winters and earlier springs are disrupting delicate water fowl migrations that have evolved over eons. Drought and water scarcity are increasing, jeopardizing populations of native fish and aquatic species. In dozens of watersheds, rising water temperatures are reducing habitat and altering breeding and spawning opportunities for many species of fish. Milder winters are increasing the
And its rougher. And it costs more money to fight. These stories go down the list and i can just tell you that a couple years ago, we flew in to down around by billings, they were having record floods. The next year, same people whose houses were under water one year were being burn out the next. Same land. I dont know whats going on. I dont know if the airs getting warmer. I dont know if were just in a cycle. But i can tell you we can talk about all the things that need to be done here. We can talk about how its going to impact farmers and ranchers and sportsmen and all that. But if we end up passing on a climate to our kids that doesnt allow our kids to move forward with an economy that helps support, i think were making a huge mistake. Now, last year we had a record crop. I can tell you right now its going to be a pretty open summer for me if we dont get some rain pretty damn quick. Those kind of variations in weather farmers always talk about as being normal. But this is this is ab
Can call on to reverse its effects. We can act today to advance the ball. We can limit the dangers of punting this problem to our own children. Its no accident that our proposal is a key piece of president obamas Climate Action plan and key to americas leadership in this Global Climate fight. Although theres still more work to be done, i am hopeful. Im hopeful when i see the progress that was made. Im hopeful because i see the patent of perseverance that defines america. From the light bulb from excels to your cell phones, america has always turned small step into giant leaps. Weve cured diseases. We have explored the stars. Because when critics say it cant be done, we say, you watch us. Thats what america is made of. We dont settle. We lead. Thats how well confront this climate crisis. When it comes to our plan, we may not agree on the details of how we do it but i sure do hope we can all agree on why we do it. When our kids ask us, if we did everything we could to leave them a safer