Transcripts For CSPAN2 Hearing On Sustainability The Food S

The chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. As a reminder, members participating in a hearing remotely should be visible on camera throughout the hearing. Members are responsible for controlling their own microphones and members can be muted only to avoid background noise. As a reminder, statements, documents must be submitted to the electronic. Finally, members and witnesses experiencing technical problems should inform Committee Staff immediately. Thank you all for being here and for joining us on affordable and resilient Food Supply Chains. Today we review pathways to create a sustainable affordable Food Supply Chain that is resilient in the face of Climate Change. We will examine opportunities for the system to be a climate solution while supporting human health and livelihood and now i will recognize myself for five minutes for an Opening Statement. Scorching temperatures and widespread disasters are putting livesut at risk and harming communities this week like those that swept through Yellowstone National park and at the same time there is to little water leading to frequent wildfires and dangerously low river and lake levels in texas forcing the industry like to conserve electricity or rent a potential blackout and europe facing the heatwave and over 200 years. So it was disappointing to learn and senator manchin is joining republicans and rejecting investments to reject this crisis. Investments that would reduce our dependence on expensive fossil fuels while helping to create jobs and cut dangerous heat trappings. Pollution, the American People have consistently supported cleaner, Cheaper Energy like wind and solar. So, while this is a quite disappointing this morning, we must move forward and use all the tools that we have to solve the Climate Crisis. Thee cost of inaction is too hih and claimant injustice is too great and our kids futures are too precious. Its challenging the ability to put food on supermarket shelves and dining o room tables across america. According to the American Farm bureau federation, major disasters left 12. 5 billion in damages to crops just last year. In north dakota, persistent drought damaged over 2. 4 billion worth of wheat, soybeans, corn and other crops. A texas lost 2 billion in the aftermath of that weird winter storm, a hurricane and other disasters. And extreme weather in california has led to the loss of about a half billion dollars worth of fruit and not crops. These impacts will worsen if we do not address them and the costs are being passed on to consumers. That is why Congress Must invest in Climate Smart food systems that lowers cost, increases Food Security and incorporate solutions from farm to fork. Every person along the food chain from producers to consumers to everyone in between can make the Food Supply Chain more sustainable. And each step in the supply chain represents an opportunity for innovation. That includes updating walls around food donations and labeling, strengthening Sustainable School lunch programs and increasing Technical Assistance for producers and supporting urban agriculture. Improving Food Distribution at the local level and working to reduce food waste. We can cut methane and drive down methane emissions from livestock by expanding the use of innovative seed and help farmers adopt proper regenerative techniques that help the soil sequester more carbon. Moving quickly on these solutions will be crucial as we clean up the food supply system which makes up nearly 30 of global heat trapping pollution and it will help us make progress on reducing biodiversity Laws Committee for station, desertification and water scarcity. With the support of President Biden weve taken steps in the right direction. The American Rescue plan included 3. 6 billion to enhance Food Distribution, expanded expand localand regional food sd support historically disadvantaged farmers. We also made progress through this years government funding legislation, which invested in and initiatives like the urban agriculture and Innovative Production Program and farm to school grant and finally, the Biden Harris Administration Just Announced a new framework to shore up the Food Supply Chain leveraging 2 billion in investments that would reduce pollution and make nutritious food more affordable for families. As we move closer to the economy, we have an opportunity to create a food system that works for americans, and ensuringaccess to safe, healthyr generations to come and we are going to get some good advice from the witnesses here today, and i look forward to that. At this time i recognize the Ranking Member for his fiveminute Opening Statement. Thank you, madam chair. The chair and i both represent coastal communities on the gulf of mexico, and we absolutely share a strong desire to make sure that our communities are protected and safe, sustainable. There is no division between us on that. However, the Opening Statement that was made connecting flooding in virginia recently to Climate Change is a tenuous connection and i think the only way we are going to solve this problem is if we are sticking to science we could cut every bit of emissions today and it wouldnt have a single impact. It wouldnt have a single impact on any changes or weather patterns according to the united nations, the ipcc models. Maybear 75 years or maybe even 0 years. In fact, actually i take that back because it wouldnt have an impact globally. If the entire world cuts emissions we are looking at 50, 75 or 100 years away before you would actually see changes in weather patterns if the models are accurate. Me tell you Something Else thats important for us to keep in mind and it is also science based. For every 1 ton of emissions produced over the last 17 years, for every 1 ton we have reduced in the United States, china has increased it by four. Itss a global environment. We are headed in the wrong direction even in the paris climatic cord. China gets to increase their emissions and other 50 between now and 2030 despite the fact that they are releasing more than the unitedth states and european union, japan, south korea. We can sit here and talk all day long and say all these things and make people feel good. The truth is the policies that are being pushed today by this administration are actually causing greater harm to the environment. We saw Inflation Numbers come out at 9. 1 , the highest number in over 40 years. Gas prices are doubled, seeing Natural Gas Prices triple. We are pushing people into energy poverty, and having greater emissions as a result of the R Administration strategy. We fail on affordability and emissions and Energy Security. The president of the United States is in saudi arabia today asking that nation for more oil, choosing cartels and opec plus cartels over home state. I will stop with the rhyming and come back to reality though. We are talking about farms today, farm to table. Fertilizer right now, we have seen a huge increase in the availability. One of the largest inputs and fertilizer, natural gas. Driving up the cost for farmers. Since the 1950s, youve seen any efficiency in the United States increase in terms of our farm production, excuse me, 1940s. A bit over 300 , we had the most efficient farming operations in the world in terms of emissions perch bushels or acres produced. We are looking right now at pushing 13. 1 Million People into a hunger crisis as a result of whats happening globally with ukraine with u. S. Energy policies. We are making it unaffordable to farm in the United States as a result of diesel prices going up and spiking as a result of gasoline prices. The unavailability or the on affordability of fertilizer. At this administrations Energy Policies are causing all of these problems. And its a thing is that there is a solution. The solution is as we have shown and science proves more Domestic Energy production results in the lower emissions because weve produced it a safer, with cleaner emissions than virtually anywhere else in the world. Just this week we had a bill in the kennedy down the hallway but we were banning critical mineral production in the United States, those like lithium, graphite, nickel, copper, things required for renewable energy. You have to have these Critical Minerals but we will have a 400 to 600 increase in demand for the minerals for graphite and lithium, a 4000 increase. We cant just wish this stuff to happen. Weve got to have a strategy. This Administration Says no to oil and gas, yes to saudi arabia and iran and venezuela but no to Critical Minerals needed for renewable energy. That is a note to the any of the above strategy failing of the American People and the environment. And it is unfortunately failing the Energy Security and Economic Impacts as well. Now i want to welcome the witnesses. Thank you all for being here. We are very focused on how we improve the Food Supply Chain to lowercost for consumers, so please keep that at the center of your testimony along with the Climate Solutions and how we reduce the impact of the Climate Crisis. The executive director of food waste and loss across the system offered a landmark 2012 report wasted, how america is losing up to 40 of its food from farm to fork to landfill and the kitchen handbook. Previously worked as a Senior Scientist with the National Resource defense council. Candace swisher is the president and ceo of the north American Renters association. He leads the work to represent the industry that re purposes Meat Products that would otherwise be considered not edible such as fat and bone. Hes a member of the usda trade Advisory Committee on animals and animal products and previously worked at the continental gray and the company, the Grains Council and the trade association. Doctor melinda is the Vice President for Natural Solutions and working lands at the National Audubon society and works to advance natural Climate Solutions and conservation on working land such as rice fields and forests. A trained veterinarian, she previously served as a Senior Adviser and deputy chief of staff at the United States department of agriculture. Ellie brown is the coexecutivee director of the San Diego Food System Alliance and coleads the alliances work to build a healthy and Sustainable Food system in San Diego County and prior to joining the alliance, worked in Nonprofit Consulting and as an independent advisor to nonprofits, and social enterprises. Without objection, the witnesses written statements will be made a part of the record and with that, you are recognized to give a fiveminute presentation of your testimony. Good morning. Thank you for the introduction and in addition to that i am also the mother of two children who last summer had five weeks of postponed school due to wildfires. My 7yearold sometimes has trouble sleeping because shes afraid a fire will come during the night. Climate change is real and present and i appreciate your action on the issue. I was asked to present the Climate Impact of the entire food system and food waste thats like covering all of energy and Energy Emergency in efficiency infive minutes. Unlike energy, its often overlooked and a factor in the crisis. It produces 23 to 42 of the total gas emissions globally. Just the footprint is more than that of the entire aviation industry. Without intervention, that footprint is projected to increase by one third by 2050. E the system is part of the solution. It also deeply is vulnerable to the impact of Climate Change and agricultural productivity already estimated to have declined 21 . Given the Critical Role one hearing on food is simply not enough and i encourage a much edeeper dive. Perhaps even adding a new section to the congressional action. One often overlooked component of the solution is timing because the Greenhouse Gases are saving 1 ton of Greenhouse Gases annually it is ten times more valuable if it can start next year than if it starts ten years from now. As one a key climate leader said, timeea is more important. New is good but now is better. In contrast to others, Food Solutions are available now. In addition they are fundamentally suggesting the shortterm impacts against critical. And beyondca just claimant it offers opportunities to address food and securities, biodiversity, water scarcity and even creating jobs. My written testimony i go into more detail to consider. The first is encouraging a shift in diet away from animal products which is the largest source of u. S. Methane. These in particular have by far the largest footprint. Offering the impossible alternative allows burger king to save emissions equivalent to over 500 million passenger miles in one year. Next, the move toward Climate Friendly is a huge opportunity to both reduce emissions and sequester carbon and soil. Third, protecting grasslands is critical. Especially in the moment when rising food and fuel prices create additional incentives for farmers to expand. Last, and my focus area, reducing food waste is an immediate strategy that inherently addresses all of the above mentioning impacts. Imagine walking out with three bags dropping in the parking lot and not bothering to pick it up. Seems crazy but that is essentially what is happening across the country today. 35 of food goes on eaten and over 400 billion worth. The average family almost 200 in 2019. Just imagine how that dropped grocery bag might look to the food insecure americans that could be fed three times over the amount of food that is wasted. If all of the money was in one place, the mega farm work for wr more land than nebraska, missouri and oklahoma combined and more than 50 American Homes would harvest enough to fill up a semi truck every 20 seconds but instead it would go straight to a landfill and emad methane as a component. In fact, who does the number one contributor today and landfills are the thirdlargest resource of funding. All told, its the equivalent to 58 million annually. Wasting less food increases which makes food more affordable. Its far more effective from a financial lien claimant perspective. The good news is unlike any of these issues im sure you deal with, this one is solvable. They start to build over 200 Global Food Companies making commitments including kroger, General Mills reporting reductions and huge growth in the private investment including 2 billion in 2021 alone more than double the previous year. Even with all this momentum we produce by only 2 per capita since 2016. The uk has achieved a 27 reduction. Some key steps to consider include a National Awareness campaign to target consumers and a national Publicprivate Partnership to engage businesses incentivizing local action for state andg local governments, increasing donations or adjustments in the tax incentives and Liability Protections and what i think is the lowest hanging fruit, standardizing to prevent consumers from discarding. Wasting less food is something so everyone can get behind and in some cases the time to act is now. Thank you. Thankk you for your testimon. Next you