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Bond: better alternatives to cap and trade

Missouri’s senior senator maintains that there are alternatives to climate change legislation currently being considered in Congress. Republican Kit Bond told reporters that the Waxman-Markey bill passed by the House is too costly for farmers because energy prices would climb if the measure passes. He says there are better answers than cap and trade.

“It’s ethanol and biodiesel, renewable fuels, we’ve got much more opportunity to use a tremendous amount of biomass we have in the state,” said Bond, during a conference call Wednesday. “Of the 14 million acres of timber, some 12 million is scrub timber that can be either burned directly as biomass or converted into cellulosic energy.”

Bond also cites development work in Missouri on new battery technology to power vehicles. Bond says that to avoid the high energy costs of a year ago, the U.S. should develop available energy resources, including nuclear energy.