"Yes, our climate has changed and will continue to do so. God designed it that way."
As a proud and distinguished institution of journalism, I am shocked at how blatantly and purposefully the Lincoln Journal-Star chose to mischaracterize my position on climate change and the course of events on LB583 and the state's climate change study. Because the Journal-Star chose to judge my position without the benefit of speaking to me, I will attempt to make a few things clear.
Yes, our climate has changed and will continue to do so. God designed it that way. We've seen far more extreme shifts in climate over all of recorded history than anything we have seen in the past three or four decades. Even school children are familiar with the term "dust bowl," to offer just one example of an extreme climate shift.
Yes, understanding climate changes and how to cope with them are valuable areas of knowledge for all Nebraskans and are worthy of research and study. Clearly, the men and women of Nebraska agriculture already are highly educated and experienced in doing just that.
As a conservative member of the Legislature, however, I continue to question how much of the taxpayers' hard-earned money should be spent on such research.
What has been terribly underreported in recent days is the objection from various research groups to the dollar-value of the study authorized by LB583, more than the wording of the state's Request for Information. I dare say, if the taxpayers had been put on the hook for a study valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, the reaction in the scientific community might be very different.
http://m.journalstar.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/local-view-science-has-not-proved-manmade-climate-change/article_ea3a1c45-7cde-50e2-adfe-eef83dbf16bd.html?mobile_touch=true
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