JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey directed a letter to California’s Chair of California Air Resources Board (CARB) demanding it rescind its proposed amendment that would irreversibly harm Missouri’s farmers and biofuels industry.
“Missouri’s agriculture and biofuels industries are vital to the success of our state, so I will do everything in my power to protect Missouri farmers,” said Attorney General Bailey. “I will not allow radical climate activists in California to attack our family farms and hinder our state’s economic growth.”
Through this proposed amendment, CARB has initiated plans to prevent Missouri-made biofuels from entering the California market by setting a cap of 20 percent on soybean oil allowed for credits and adding stringent reporting requirements that could force Missouri farmers to submit sensitive information about their private operations.
Additionally, this amendment was proposed without public workshops or formal rulemaking. Attorney General Bailey highlights this troubling action, as it allows the Executive Officer to unilaterally assign indirect land use change (ILUC) values based on land cover, crop yield, and emissions.
In the letter, Attorney General Bailey reminds CARB that, “Missouri farmers have a long history of environmental stewardship and should be viewed as a key part of the solution to improve air quality in California and throughout the country.”
The agriculture industry is a vital part of not only the U.S. economy but specifically Missouri’s economy, with over 88,000 farms generating billions of dollars for our state. California’s proposed amendment will cause economic harm and weaken our state’s agriculture industry.
Attorney General Bailey is requesting it be halted immediately.
The full letter can be read here.