USDA's Vilsack Names Bonnie As Environment Advisor
Date: 17-Apr-09
Country: US
WASHINGTON - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday that Robert Bonnie, a vice president of the Environmental Defence Fund, will serve as his senior advisor on environment and climate.
The Agriculture Department described Bonnie as an expert in using the free market to encourage stewardship on the farm, such as carbon credits or so-called conservation banking for endangered species.
"Robert's work on conservation incentives and markets, as well as conservation policy, will help guide USDA as we address some of the most challenging issues facing our nation's future," said Vilsack.
Vilsack said the Obama administration has the goals of larger output of alternative fuels from US farms and helping researchers find ways to reduce agriculture's reliance on fossil fuels.
Bonnie has worked at Environmental Defence since 1995. The group has 500,000 members.
(Reporting by Charles Abbott; Editing by Walter Bagley)
