Forsee's Opposition to Climate Legislation At Odds With Previous Calls To Action

University of Missouri System President Gary Forsee is opposing federal climate legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions, citing concerns about how the bill might impact the system's energy budget. 

While it's understandable that Forsee is concerned about the budget, universities should be leading the charge for sensible energy and climate policy -- and most certainly not fighting for the status quo.

What's more, Forsee's new position completely contradicts his previous commitments as a signatory to the the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.  That call for robust new energy policies reads (emphasis added):

We, the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and ecological effects. We recognize the scientific consensus that global warming is real and is largely being caused by humans. We further recognize the need to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by mid-century at the latest, in order to avert the worst impacts of global warming and to reestablish the more stable climatic conditions that have made human progress over the last 10,000 years possible.

While we understand that there might be short-term challenges associated with this effort, we believe that there will be great short-, medium-, and long-term economic, health, social and environmental benefits, including achieving energy independence for the U.S. as quickly as possible.

The full letter from university presidents is here, and Forsee's signature is here.

If Forsee has some alternate way he'd like to see global emissions reduced, we'd love to hear it.  But if not, he needs to explain why he no longer stands by his previous call to action, and why he supports the status quo.

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UPDATE: Clean Energy Works released the following statement about Forsee's surprising announcement: 

UM President Forsee Takes Two Positions on Climate Change

President Forsee’s recent opposition to a comprehensive federal energy bill comes as a great surprise to those who previously praised his commitment to reducing the University of Missouri System’s impact on climate change.  President Forsee, as well as the chancellors of the four University of Missouri campuses, have signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.  As a signatory of the Commitment, President Forsee has pledged to take tangible steps to reduce the climate impact of the university system.  It is regrettable that the highest-ranking official at one of Missouri’s most important academic institutions would renege on such a forward-thinking promise in favor of reliance on out-dated, dirty technology.

As a leader in Missouri’s academic community, President Forsee should be a leader in new technologies, clean energy, and responsible environmental policy.  As community and academic leaders around the state – including in Columbia and at the University of Missouri – already know, the time is now to take bold action to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, re-energize our economy, and protect our environment from the real dangers of climate change.  The Presidents’ Climate Commitment, signed by Forsee himself states:  “While we understand that there might be short-term challenges associated with this effort, we believe that there will be great short-, medium-, and long-term economic, health, social and environmental benefits, including achieving energy independence for the U.S. as quickly as possible.”

It is our hope that President Forsee returns to his previously stated position of concern for the impact of the University of Missouri on the health of our climate, and that he begins to take steps toward responsible action as he had previously pledged to do.

http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/about/commitment http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/signatories/list