David Voigts.

Senator Grassley recently released a public statement in which he acknowledged that climate change is a serious issue (i.e. not a myth), but he also called for a vigorous debate to determine if climate change is an “existential threat to the planet” as the Biden administration had determined. Their finding was made, in part, because of the extensive studies that led our National Academy of Sciences, made up of our most respected scientists, to conclude that “we are in a crucial window for taking steps to protect the planet and its people.”

Instead of rehashing whether climate change is a threat, we should be debating how to limit future climate change and its effects on our society and planet. However, I agree with Senator Grassley that these policies should not unduly restrict economic and personal freedoms.

There are some commonsense measures that we should take. Firstly, the administration should encourage the growth of clean energy rather than restricting it. I applaud Senator Grassley for working hard to keep the clean energy tax credits in place, at least for a time. We also need permitting reform to speed new projects, and we should penalize imports made with more carbon-intensive processes than we use. Let’s do it.

David Voigts is a retired ecologist and the current Conservation Chair for the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society. He is a Tama County native, graduating from Dinsdale High School, and lives in rural Jesup on his wife’s family farm.