And even though the U.S. has a very long and complex history with the various countries and cultures that reside in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula, Missouri is looking to broaden its horizon in this frontier.

In November, Gov. Mike Parson embarked on a trade mission to the Middle East where he visited Israel and the United Arab Emirates to promote Missouri as an ideal place for foreign investment.

Missouri is also looking to expand the private sector in the near future as well. According to the Department of Economic Development, Missouri is going to have a booth for the Arab Health Convention in the United Arab Emirates this coming January. While there, health care providers from Missouri will have a chance to show off their technology and expand business connections.

While Missouri is expanding into new frontiers in countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the state could also look into strengthening the bond with a longtime ally: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This year has been full of American and Saudi diplomacy. President Joe Biden took a trip to Saudi Arabia this past summer, where he met with the Kingdom’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The Kingdom also participated in a very important prisoner trade deal between Russia and the U.S, both of whom are still embroiled in different sides of the conflict in the Ukraine.

Missouri has a smaller relationship with the Kingdom compared to the U.S. as a whole, but the relationship has room to grow. As of now, Missouri exports about $132 million worth of goods to Saudi Arabia. It might be surprising to many to learn that Missouri’s top exports to the Kingdom are mostly different types of electrical technology and mechanical parts. Missouri also imports about $24 million worth of goods according to data from the International Trade Administration.

Fahad Nazer, the official spokesperson for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., sat down with The Missouri Times to discuss the future of economic relationship between the Kingdom and the U.S. — and where exactly Missouri fits in.

“There are great opportunities in the Kingdom as we try to invest in a number of sectors,” said Nazer.

As of now, one of the Kingdom’s biggest expansions is in the field of energy production and stability. Although Saudi Arabia is known for its efficient crude oil production, Nazer talked in depth about the country’s move to start diversifying its energy sector and investing in other areas.

This is also a move Missouri has made as well with companies like Ameren — that continues to develop new solar stations around the state — and organizations like Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority investing in biofuel initiatives. There is definitely a demand for Missouri’s energy initiatives around the world, especially overseas.

There are also other sectors Missouri can invest in and be invested in. As mentioned before, Missouri has already taken a step forward when it comes to expanding its investments in health care in the Middle East. Health care has only grown more important as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Missouri and Saudi Arabia’s need for health care and healthcare investment is no different.

But Nazer also emphasized that energy and health care are not the only sectors where business can thrive between the two nations and Missouri specifically.

“Health care, the financial sector, education, housing, tourism, entertainment, mining, food security, cyber security, you name it. I really can’t think of a single sector of the economy where there isn’t interest, there isn’t potential, there isn’t investment,” said Nazer.

Some of Missouri’s biggest industries domestically have the opportunity to become big industries internationally. As of now, some of Missouri’s biggest international exports include agricultural products and both mechanical and electrical engineering components. Some of those are already exported to the Kingdom on a large scale. There is definitely room to grow those areas as well. But Missouri excels in other industries as well, like finance, real estate and health care that could prove to be worthwhile investments abroad and at home.

Who Missouri trades with is also a big deal. While the U.S. continues to trade billions of dollars worth of goods and services to numerous countries, individual states do the same. But Missouri is narrow in its trading portfolio when it comes to partners. Canada is Missouri’s largest trading partner with $5.2 billion traded between the nations. Missouri’s business with Canada is almost double that of their second place partner, Mexico at $2.6 billion. China is in third place at $929 million, all according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

When asked about why Missouri should look to invest more or be invested in by some of its other trading partners, Nazer talked about the importance of the new world we live in and what kind of economy it brings with it as well.

“We live in an increasingly interconnected world. We are absolutely a part of an interconnected global economy,” he said.

While the Missouri economy is doing very well as of now, it may be worth the time of all Missourians to think about the future and look overseas for new and exciting opportunities in a variety of different sectors both abroad and at home.

Kelton Turner

Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022

www.themissouritimes.com

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Taylor Burks, Kalena Bruce, state Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Cass County, and Mark Alford all took stances on several important issues throughout the debate.

The first issue the candidates debated centered around illegal immigration and inflation. Moderator Austin Petersen asked the candidates if they would support supplying jobs to immigrants if it meant inflation going down.

Brattin took a strong stance on spending, viewing inflation as a problem to fix with budgeting instead of immigration programs.

“It has nothing to do with the wave of immigrants coming here illegally and has everything to do with a reckless out-of-control government that is spending money — not budgeting,” Brattin said of the inflation problem. “I think that the move needs to be looking at our spending and our budgeting. We’re at $30 trillion in debt, I hardly think an influx and pouring in of illegal immigrants into our nation is the answer.”

Bruce acknowledged the support to the workforce that migrants and immigrants can provide, advocating for Congress to make it easier for those workers to achieve citizenship and to be able to work with less red tape.

“Congress, farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, we need a reliable workforce. We need the migrant workforce that is used to doing those jobs, because there are a lot of those jobs that Americans simply don’t want to do,” Bruce said. “We need folks that have been in our country for generations, they need a path to citizenship.”

“But at the end of the day, we have to close the borders… we have to cut back our spending. It’s a two-pronged question. But there’s not going to be one answer to fix the inflation issue. But I do believe immigration reform has to happen,” she added.

Burks chose to focus on inflation instead of immigration. Highlighting his strong belief in fiscal conservatism.

“I’m the only candidate on the stage who hasn’t taken federal handouts that kicked off the inflation that we’re seeing, when we saw trillions of dollars spent in PPP and government handouts over the last three years,” Burks said. “You need a congressman who’s gonna go to Washington, DC, and fight for fiscal conservatism.”

Bruce was quick to rebuttal Burks’ point about government handouts, believing that the assistance the federal government provided to small businesses during the pandemic was a necessity.

“I think that that program was essential. And making sure small businesses — specifically in rural America — could stay afloat when our government, specifically the Biden administration, shut us down,” she said.

Alford took a strong stance against illegal immigration, putting the completion of former President Donald Trump’s border wall as one of his main priorities.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there is a crisis at the border, and television does not portray it adequately,” Alford said. “We’ve got to finish President Trump’s wall. We must deport illegal aliens. We have enough jobs here in America for Americans to fill.”

Another issue that garnered some insightful debate came from a question by moderator Mike Mahoney. Mahoney asked the candidates how they would balance their concerns about Chinese-American tension with the fact that China supports a large part of Missouri’s economy.

Alford focused on building jobs domestically, allowing both Missouri and America to be less reliant on China.

“We’ve got to build more jobs here in Missouri and in the United States, where we are not importing things from China,” Alford said. “They’ve (China) slowly crept their way into each and every one of our homes, into your phones, and into your televisions with a grip that we have not seen before … there is a power in that economic grip, we have to break that grip.”

Brattin support a Trump-esque “strong arm” approach to Chinese-American relations.

“We have to realize, yes, we depend on them, but they also depend on us so much more heavily. And having that strong arm approach, I think just like Trump did really put them (China) back on their heels,” Brattin said. “We keep selling them our debt, we keep doing these things that put us at a competitive disadvantage. We also have to look at the human rights that they continually violate, I mean, they literally have slave labor over in China.”

Bruce took her focus to manufacturing and tax policy.

“What we have to do is bring more manufacturing right here in Missouri, we are set up perfectly here in Missouri, we have the infrastructure to support it, we have the waterways, we have the rail, and we are set up to have some of the strongest manufacturing right here at home in Missouri,” Bruce said.

“We need to be using and bringing more manufacturing here at home. And doing so by strong fiscal policy … We have to be able to provide businesses competitive playing field so that they will quit exporting things to China,” she added.

Burks believes that China is America’s most dangerous foreign threat, and wants to bring the focus back to the states.

“This is a serious foreign policy issue because the most serious threat that this country faces overseas is China. The United States military has conflict with China in our strategic defense policy in the next five years,” Burks said.

“When we’re looking at conflict, whether its economic or actual military conflict with China, our concern is going to be — what is our manufacturing or production capacity? How are we going to compete with a country where we’ve built their infrastructure? We need to focus on this country and being prepared for when that conflict occurs with China,” he added.

The last question the candidates debated on came from moderator Scott Faughn. Faughn asked the candidates what they would do to give Missourians relief from high gas prices.

All four candidates put a focus on domestic energy independence.

Brattin focused on pushing the Biden administration, believing that a “red wave” will take over Congress come November.

“I think we’ve got to push on him to enact energy independence, to start that the drawback of what’s occurred to making gas go up to five bucks a gallon. I think that’s what we have to show that we’re willing to take it on and fight that fight,” Brattin said. “You’ve got to work with people to ensure you have the best and most fiscally sound America-centric policy — like pipelines and drill here drill now that sort of thing.”

Bruce focused on opening up the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Biden closed down at the beginning of his administration. She also characteristically focused on farmers and ranchers.

“We’ve got to be energy independent, this failed policy that we’re having shoved down our throats right now is obviously not working,” Bruce said. “We’re going to need all types of energy to continue on and be a strong America with the prices that Americans can afford.”

“Farmers and ranchers can be a big part of that, we have lots of research and lots of development in the biofuel space. And that’s going to be an important part of making sure we have clean affordable energy for the American people,” she added.

Both Burks and Alford put their focus on the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and how the EPA’s regulation can harm domestic energy independence.

Burks zeroed in on administration inconsistencies and how they harm America’s oil production.

“Our energy companies are not going to invest in domestic production for this country. So long as every two years with a new Congress, or every four years with a new president, they’re threatened with shutdowns for our domestic production,” Burks said.

“We have to be an all of the above energy policy. And every time we flip the switch with a new Congress or new administration and start back at zero, it makes the United States weaker and drives up our prices at the pump.”

Alford aimed his crosshairs squarely at the Biden administration with his response.

“The F-150 is a model of a truck and it shouldn’t be what it costs to fill it up,” Alford said. “This is not the fault of President Trump. It’s not the fault of anyone but President Biden. I feel President Biden — the first thing he did was to demonize fossil fuels and continue his march towards trying to get in line with the crazy wacky climate change people.”

“He put the onus on and really targeted the fossil fuel industry, but he put the crosshairs on the backs of families like yours and farmers who are struggling.”

The debate, which was hosted by the Missouri Times, will be aired Sunday at 5 p.m. on KMOS, mid-Missouri’s PBS station. Kansas City’s PBS station will air the debate on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

The full debate can be viewed here.

Featured Image: From left to right, Mark Alford, state Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Cass County, Kalena Bruce and Taylor Burks attend a debate hosted by the Missouri Times in Warrensburg, Mo. on July 15. (Brady Hays/The Missouri Times)

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post CD 4 candidates debate on immigration, Chinese relations and energy independence appeared first on The Missouri Times.

The explosive rise in demand for fireworks around July 4 and the precise time-frame in which to sell patriotic pyrotechnics means that the struggling supply chain has often left fireworks retailers with their stock snuffed out.

Rep. Chris Sander, R-Lone Jack, is the owner of Powder Monkey Fireworks, a firework company founded in 2007 that has four locations across Missouri including Weldon Spring, Cape Girardeau and Kingdom City. Sander saw the supply chain issues first hand during the recent Fourth of July holiday.

“Normally fireworks come from China by ocean vessel to California. Then they’re railroaded to Kansas City or St. Louis,” Sander said on a phone call. “The port issue was so challenging in California, that they (fireworks shippers) were actually bringing vessels through the Panama Canal and Central America up through the Gulf Coast … a lot longer route. What normally took 28 days to get here from China, has taken up to 120 days to get a container here.”

This drastic increase in shipping time and vast variation in arrival times is exceptionally problematic for fireworks retailers in Missouri. The state allows for just 20 days, June 30 to July 10 for the sale of fireworks.

“Any city can also restrict it farther to be a shorter period than the 20 days the state allow … so it’s anywhere from eight days to 20 days in Missouri,” Sander said.

“It’s like trying to throw darts, you’re trying to get a container here from China that you ordered a year or two ago during a 20 day period. You’re either gonna get it here way early or way late. It’s very hard to get it here on-time when the demand is just right,” he added.

Sander wants to work in the state legislature to help solve supply chain issues in Missouri, though he does believe some of these issues have come from federal-level actions.

“We need to have alternate ports. Missouri gets most everything from Long Beach, California and then railroad to Kansas City and St. Louis. We need to develop our own ports on the Missouri River and Mississippi River coming up from the Gulf Coast, the Gulf of Mexico and from Texas on railroad,” Sander said.

“It’s not just fireworks — every business deals with these issues — I’m elected in Jackson County, District 33, House of Representatives in Missouri, and I’m on the Small Business Committee … I’d love to have some hearings and get some legislation that would help Missouri importing and exporting.”

Featured Image Courtesy of Rep. Chris Sander. 

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post Supply chain issues handcuff fireworks retailers appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Meanwhile, farmers and ranchers continue to work through our own supply chain challenges. Critical items like fertilizer and crop protection products that are necessary for healthy, abundant crops are among the inputs we can no longer take for granted.

I recently wrote about the dramatic spike in energy costs and how it is affecting farmers. Modern farming requires many inputs, and supply chain disruptions coupled with higher production and transportation costs have sent their costs skyrocketing.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, U.S. farmers spent over $237 billion in farm production expenses in 2020. This year, USDA projects these costs will exceed $279 billion, a jump of almost 18 percent in only two years. Fuel saw the fastest inflation, with a 35.3 percent increase, but each of the 10 other categories also saw increases. Eight categories grew by double-digit percentages.

The cost of fertilizer has been by far the biggest headache for farmers across Missouri this spring. American Farm Bureau Federation analysis shows that ammonia for fertilizer more than doubled between September 2020 and December 2021. Liquid nitrogen was up 159 percent, and potash was up 134 percent. None of this is separate from energy costs. Natural gas accounts for 70-90 percent of the cost of nitrogen fertilizer. This means that every penny of increase in the cost of oil and gas directly impacts farmers’ ability to grow crops.

Mind you, this was all before Russia invaded Ukraine, which really threw the markets into a spin. Russia is a major player in all three main components of fertilizer. It is the world’s largest exporter of nitrogen and the third-largest exporter of both phosphate and potassium. Port closures and Russian sanctions are causing fears that farmers may see physical fertilizer shortages ahead when supplies have already been tight.

We need to find answers to these short-term problems, but even more importantly, we must plan now to prevent the same problems from happening again in the future. For starters, we need a comprehensive energy policy—one that prioritizes, not stifles, American energy production.

A hard look at supply chains is also needed, including the ones that underpin U.S. food production. Simply put, food security is national security. We need to seriously question the consequences of being overly reliant on adversarial countries for mission-critical inputs, ingredients, materials and minerals. I’m not advocating protectionism, but rather a recognition that we should heed the lessons learned from the supply chain disruptions experienced over the past two years.

It was recently announced that the Biden administration has initiated a $500 million grant program to help spur domestic fertilizer production. To put that in perspective, building a single fertilizer plant can cost upwards of $2 billion and take several years to complete. This effort is at least stirring conversation about domestic needs.

The bottom line is that our supply chain is not nearly as resilient as we once thought. It was disrupted in March 2020 and has yet to recover with no end in sight. However, no matter what comes our way, farmers and ranchers will continue to work hard every day to feed the world. It would just help make things more predictable if we produced more of the inputs needed right here at home.

Garrett Hawkins

Garrett Hawkins is the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization.

The post Opinion: From formula to fertilizer, supply chains are disrupting daily lives appeared first on The Missouri Times.

The commission granted Seven Springs’ certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) with several conditions imposed by staff. 

TUK is a sewer utility service provider in Jefferson County to about two dozen residential customers and one mobile home park. 

Seven Springs is purchasing the system with cash and no debt and said it would adopt existing tariffs and rates of TUK, according to the PSC’s order granting the transfer of assets and CCN. 

Additionally Wednesday, the commission unanimously approved an order opening an investigatory docket so staff can review Spire Missouri Inc.’s compliance with natural gas safety rules. Staff must submit a progress report by early October. 

Again in agreement, commissioners denied Ameren Missouri’s motion for summary determination in Co-Mo Electric Cooperatives‘ application for designated service boundaries for a new development in Boonville. 

Commissioners opted to move forward with a hearing, arguing Ameren “failed to show that Co-Mo’s application is foreclosed as a matter of law and failed to show that its service territory is exclusive with respect to electric suppliers not regulated by the Commission.” 

In a revised tariff sheet, Ameren Missouri outlined its intention to implement the “all fuels” rule of its Pay As You Save program which includes electric and gas savings when determining a customer’s qualifying package under the initiative. The order was quickly approved by commissioners. 

The next PSC agenda meeting is scheduled for April 13 at 8:30 a.m. 

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What started as a conversation around a board room has transcended into an innovative industry 30-years later. In Missouri alone, the industry has seven biodiesel plants, more than 240 million gallons of production capacity, and contributes $1.3 billion in statewide economic impact. On a national scale, the biodiesel production capacity is 2.5 billion gallons and has exceeded the minimum requirements under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

When the original RFS passed in 2005, one of the main themes was the desire for more domestic fuel options to wean our country off foreign oil. Nearly two decades later that conversation hasn’t let up. Biodiesel extends the supply of domestic oil and relinquishes our reliance on foreign oil. This is more important now than ever. 

To make biodiesel even more accessible, we currently have the Missouri Made Fuels Act at the state level working to provide incentives to produce and blend biodiesel. This will help drive down the cost of fuel and drive demand. 

We know it’s hard to look at the pump right now. We know it’s hard to think about fuel choices when the number on your receipt has reached triple digits. We believe biodiesel is a solution today and in the future. On National Biodiesel Day, we hope you support Missouri-made fuel, support local farmers, support energy independence and ask for biodiesel at your local filling station or co-op. If you want more information on biodiesel in Missouri, please visit missouribiodiesel.org.

Gary Wheeler

Gary Wheeler is the CEO and executive director of Missouri Soybeans.

The post Opinion: Celebrating Missouri-made fuel on Biodiesel Day appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Anybody with a driver’s license has felt the impact of skyrocketing fuel prices. On March 7, the U.S. set a new all-time record for the cost of gasoline, shooting past the old $4.10 per gallon mark set in 2008. Prices haven’t looked back, hitting $4.36 three days later and continuing to rise.

Costs for farmers’ basic inputs like fertilizer and seed have gone up as much as, or in some cases more than, gasoline. Farmers who raise animals are paying a lot more for animal feed. Spreading fertilizer to ensure a good hay crop for cattle costs more than farmers can afford. Tough discussions are being had at kitchen tables as farm families figure out how to trim costs.

The immediate cause of the recent spike was the world cutting off Russia, the second-largest oil producer, from exporting petroleum. But even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, oil and gasoline were both already 73 percent more expensive than at the beginning of the Biden administration. Why has energy been getting so expensive over the past 14 months?

For one thing, just a week after taking office President Joe Biden cut federal oil and gas drilling in the name of climate change. He killed the Keystone XL pipeline the day of his inauguration. The Department of Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are sitting on applications to build new liquified natural gas terminals and expand existing ones. The administration has openly talked about ending fossil fuel usage. Now they are going to autocratic countries like Venezuela and Iran to beg for more oil.

These shortsighted policies are hurting our families. We need a common-sense energy policy that focuses on producing reliable fuel at home. Missouri Farm Bureau policy has supported an all-of-the-above energy approach for as long as I can remember, one that bolsters traditional and renewable energy sources. That policy has never been more important than it is right now.

Technology may someday get us to the place where we don’t need gasoline, diesel, natural gas and other petroleum products. Pretending like that day has already arrived is just ignoring reality.

The answer is simple. Drill. Pump. Repeat. Until other technologies can take their place, we have to produce more energy in America and rely less on other countries. We can’t afford to waste more time and money by sticking our heads in the sand. Let’s unleash American energy production!

Garrett Hawkins

Garrett Hawkins is a farmer from Appleton City and is the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.

The post Opinion: Boost American energy production now appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Bridget Sanderson;

Bridget Sanderson is the Environment Missouri director and Eve Lukens-Day is the Environment America Global Warming Solutions associate.

The post Opinion: Let Missouri cities plan for the electric vehicle revolution appeared first on The Missouri Times.

“Now more than ever, attaining energy independence is critical to our nation. Missourians are paying more money at the gas pump, and many are struggling to pay increased energy bills just to heat or cool their home. Transporting liquefied natural gas via rail car is safe, is more efficient, and will allow the United States to continue to grow domestic gas production,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “The Biden Administration’s moves to appease Green New Deal extremists will continue to hamper domestic energy production, will increase our reliance on foreign energy, and will further contribute to higher energy prices on Missouri consumers.”

Citing Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine to call for greater energy independence, – the attorneys general argue, “Natural gas is the primary energy source for electricity generation in the United States. Presently, 41% of the country’s electricity is generated from natural gas. Meanwhile, U.S. Greenhouse Gas (“GHG”) emissions have decreased by 11.65 percent and GHG emissions from electricity generation have decreased by 33.08 percent within same timeframe. The growth in U.S. gas production is a geopolitical and economic asset, contributing to our national and global energy security.”

The comment letter continues, “Current geopolitical events involving Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine show with painful clarity the need for the United States to maintain its energy independence through multiple distribution points throughout our country. The agency should not move forward with suspension of a rule that serves that important objective.”

Commenting on the safety of transporting LNG via railway, the letter states, “The Railway Supply Institute (“RSI”) ‘agrees with and supports PHMSA’s prior analysis that transport by rail improves safety and fuel efficiency, and decreases emissions associated with transporting LNG when compared to transportation by truck.’  According to Fortis BC, a leading LNG producer, ‘LNG is not flammable or explosive in its liquid form which means converting natural gas to LNG is one of the safest ways to transport energy.’”

Since Biden took office, LNG prices have increased 61%. Additionally, the average American household paid about $1,000 more in energy costs last year. The President’s unrelenting desire to crush domestic oil and gas will only result in more homes in the United States being heated by Russian natural gas.

The comment letter can be found here: https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/phmsa-comment-final.pdf?sfvrsn=44696ee4_2

The post Schmitt joins 25-state coalition in opposition to Biden rule change prohibiting natural gas transportation by rail appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Today I marvel at the ingenious sleight-of-hand performed by crafty corporations. When it comes to energy policy, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Biden administration have put many corporate executives in straight jackets and challenged them to find a way to escape.

Their corporate challenge: Run a business and do it with zero carbon emissions. That sounds impossible if you’re flying jets or running a manufacturing plant. Never fear. Today’s image-conscious corporate Houdinis have found, and perfected, a brilliant escape strategy: “carbon offsets.”

We all know trees remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it mostly in the form of cellulose. Dry wood is about 50 percent carbon. A single tree can sequester more than a ton of carbon. Based on that information, here’s how the “preserve-a-forest” offset works: A creative entrepreneur who owns or leases forested land formally commits to protect it from logging for a long period of time, perhaps 100 years. The forest’s thousands of tons of sequestered, and protected, carbon can now be purchased by corporations to offset their real-world carbon emissions. Bingo. Net-zero carbon emissions is achieved, and the corporation’s leadership can cast aside the straight jackets and strut proudly for the planet-saving feat.

One doesn’t really have to be a genius to find the trick mirrors in that magic trick. Let’s analyze the offset process from the perspective of one tree in the forest.

In the offset forest with all logging prohibited, a mature tree dies of old age and falls to the damp forest floor. There it is quickly devoured by termites, insects, and bacteria. The once-sequestered carbon is released in the form of carbon dioxide or methane (more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas). A seedling will take its place in the forest.

In the same forest, but with no offset logging restrictions, the mature tree is harvested by a logging company before it dies. It produces hundreds of board feet of lumber, and the lumber is used for the construction of a house that stands for 100 years, thereby effectively sequestering much of the tree’s carbon. In addition, the scrap leftover at the sawmill can be used for firewood (the original renewable energy) or other low-grade wood products.

Clearly, a forest with logging allowed can sequester more carbon than a forest protected by offset provisions. Left undisturbed for a hundred years, the forest used for offsets will likely end up with about the same amount of sequestered carbon it started with.

Supporters of a political system that permits — and even encourages — such a shell game surely doesn’t really believe the climate’s existential threat is really that existential.

Ron Boyer

Ron Boyer is a member of the Missouri Air Conservation Commission.

The post Opinion: How to fly a jet plane with zero carbon emissions appeared first on The Missouri Times.