“We are pleased to see that Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Lieberman (I-CT) have gone forward and introduced their American Power Act legislation. While our initial analysis is not yet complete, the text indicates that they have incorporated many, if not all of the items brought forward previously by Senators Stabenow (D-MI) and Baucus (D-MT) in the Clean Energy Partnerships Act of 2009, to address the concerns of farmers and ranchers.

American Farmland Trust believes our nation can address our concerns about energy independence and climate change by fully engaging the agricultural sector. Through AFT’s independent research we have repeatedly learned that by maximizing agriculture’s participation in clean energy legislation, we can maximize the environmental benefits that the bill will bring, and generate new income opportunities for farmers and ranchers who will be producing renewable energy and carbon offsets.

Introducing the American Power Act is a significant step to keeping the legislative issue alive so that our country, agriculture industry and environment can benefit.

We look forward to further analysis, discussion and work with Congress on this critical issue.”