02/03/05 Canadian cattle hearing; Injunction filed

U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns is the premiere dignitary before the Senate Ag Committee during today's hearing on Senate consideration of reopening the U.S. border to Canadian live cattle and some beef products. Then again, Johanns will be the only person testifying before the Committee. He is expected to be asked about U.S.D.A.'s performance of the situation, and defend the agency's decision to reopen the border March Seventh by implementing a final rule. The busy week for Johanns is expected to continue tomorrow when he speaks at the annual Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio. His speech comes after the National Cattlemen's Beef Association learns the findings of an N.C.B.A. technical team that recently visited Canada and investigated that nation's recent b.s.e. case. The organization considers taking a formal position in whether or not to support the reopening of the Canadian border. Meanwhile, an organization opposed to the border reopening, R-C.A.L.F. U.S.A. has stepped up its efforts, filing a request earlier this week in federal court for an injunction to keep our border closed to Canadian live cattle. But R-C.A.L.F. U.S.A. C.E.O. Bill Bullard says he is not sure if the court will rule on the matter prior to the March Seventh's final rule implementation date. He adds that his organization will wait to discuss the final rule with Ag Secretary Johanns until he has been briefed on findings of a U.S.D.A. technical team that recently visited Canada. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: Over the last couple years I have covered several stories about the new role trees are playing in removing toxins from the environment. One I remember in particular involved an East Coast town that planted bioengineered poplars to remove contaminates from the soil at the site of an old factory. Today, the power of the forest, rather than the individual tree holds incredible promise. A report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change found that large swaths of forest are extremely effective in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, (greenhouse gasses) and this could be implemented for about the same costs as other emission reduction methods. But there is a problem. To effectively remove one- fifth of the annual emissions in the US, 148 million acres of timber, an area the size of Texas would be needed. While this appears daunting, the Pew study is proposing that governmental programs offer lucrative tax incentives for property owners to get this new program off and running. I'm Susan Allen and this has been Food Forethought.