Farmers Union Holds Climate Change Forum in Brookings Wednesday

While the Farm Bureau gets a little free press for its pro-Big-Ag, anti-Michael-Pollan propaganda, the Farmers Union provides a forum Wednesday for all sides to discuss climate change legislation. Tomorrow night, Wednesday, November 18, 7 p.m., speakers and interested citizens will gather on the SDSU campus in Rotunda D to talk about what we need to do about clean energy and American energy security.

Among the speakers are two fellas known to be on opposite sides of the issue: Matt McGovern of Repower America and Rep. Todd Schlekeway (R-11/Sioux Falls). Rep. Schlekeway signed the misnamed "No Climate Tax Pledge" for the Americans for Prosperity last summer, but he did vote for limiting some local carbon emissions last winter; perhaps he and McGovern can find some common ground after all! Maybe they'll even promote conservation and carpool from Sioux Falls....

Also serving on Wednesday's forum panel:

• Jay Bender, President of Falcon Plastics, Inc., Former Chairman, SD Chamber of Commerce (let's see if he takes the Apple line on the Chamber's climate change denial)
  
• Doug Sombke, President of South Dakota Farmers Union (get ready for a check on the pro-corporate line)
  
• Steve Wegman, Executive Director of the SD Wind Energy Association
• Moderator: David J. Law, KXLG Radio News Director

Note to all forum participants: see the really cool map (maybe cool isn't the right word) Badlands Blue provides of NASA data on global temperatures. Pass the lemonade... or the supermodels.