At the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention, Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Rod Snyder, a former EPA advisor who spoke on the EPA issues panel about the possible repercussions of the U.S. pulling back from the Paris Climate Accord.
He said that pulling back would remove the U.S. from a leadership position, and reduce our ability to represent the American economy and the agricultural industry at the negotiating table. It would also reduce America’s ability to invest in innovation in low-carbon solutions.
“I think that would be a huge mistake, in part because, American farmers and ranchers have major solutions to provide on this issue,” he said. “It can be a win-win opportunity for the U.S. farm sector. I think it is a shame to pull back from that and not have American leadership.”
While the regulatory action of EPA generally turns farmers and ranchers away from the organization, Snyder says that his previous advisory role was to make sure that farmers’ voices were heard in the discussion.
“It is critically important that farm groups be involved in rulemaking and provide comments and feedback,” he said. “Secondly, EPA plays a really important role in supporting the agricultural industry because the agency approves all of the new products and crop protection tools that come to market. If that work were to stop, it would really bottleneck future innovation in American agriculture. EPA isn’t just a regulatory agency, but also an enabler of a lot of the technology and work.”
He believes that to rebuild trust in the EPA and other institutions, it is important to demystify science to the average person and make the point that they are on the same team as farmers and ranchers.
“I think it is important that when EPA or USDA speaks on an issue that those messages be accepted by the public,” he said. “If we lose that, I worry about the ability to defend a lot of the practices and technology that farmers across the country utilize on a day-to-day basis. Let’s all work together to make sure that the institutions remain trusted and that the science is understood.”
