Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren appeared to dismiss an Iowa farmer’s fears that the Green New Deal might destroy what he considers the backbone of the American agricultural system.
The Massachusetts Democrat took a moment from her presidential campaign Thursday to discuss the plight of Iowa’s farmlands with a man who came prepared to tell her why he believes the progressive climate plan could negatively affect the country’s bovine.
“The Green New Deal says we need to get rid of cows. I don’t agree with that,” the man told Warren before explaining that cows cut down on grass regrowth, which he argued sequesters more carbon. She gave a single word reply: “Ehhh.” The farmer’s identity is as of yet unknown.
WATCH:
Warren is visiting Iowa as she tries to make inroads with rural communities ahead of the 2020 presidential election. She rolled out plans Wednesday that seek to increase government investments in rural America and build what she calls a “new farm economy.” (RELATED: ‘Green New Deal’ Looks To Tackle The Scourge Of ‘Farting Cows’)
The GND resolution calls for a World War II-style mobilization effort to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural operations. If that’s the case, that means any subsequent “Green New Deal” legislation would have to deal with a major source of methane emissions — cow flatulence and burps. The initial version of the resolution appears to flesh out a solution.
2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) addresses airline food workers and representatives REUTERS/Eric Thayer
“We set a goal to get to net-zero, rather than zero emissions, in 10 years because we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast,” reads the initial version of the resolution’s fact-sheet, which was published on the internet in February. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s staffers removed “farting” from fact-sheet.
Methane makes up 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that scientists blame for global warming. Enteric fermentation, the digestive process in cows and other ruminant animals, is the largest source of U.S. methane emissions, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.
Warren’s campaign has not responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment about the nature of her interaction with the farmer.
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