Students divided on Forsee letter

Forsee said cap and trade too costly for MU in a letter to lawmakers.

By Megan Donohue and Victoria Guida

Published Dec. 4, 2009

Groups of opposing protests met Thursday outside of University Hall to support or contest UM system President Gary Forsee's recent letter opposing cap and trade legislation.

The bill, which has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, aims to curb green house gas emissions nationally.

Campus groups, such as Coal Free Mizzou, Greeks Going Green and MU College Democrats, joined with national campaigns, such as Clean Energy Works and Repower America, which officially supported the gathering, to protest against the letter before marching to Speakers Circle.

A little earlier, a group of roughly 20 MU College Republican members and other like-minded students met at Speakers Circle then traveled together to University Hall in a counter-protest to show Forsee they support his decision.

In the letter to federal lawmakers, Forsee said he opposed the legislation on financial grounds.

"As currently written, we have grave concerns and oppose this legislation for the detrimental impact it will have on the University of Missouri System," Forsee said in the letter. "The proposed cap and trade model will significantly increase the energy expenditures for all four of our campuses."

Forsee said the energy budget for MU is $13 million, and the new requirements would cost $5 to $8 million initially and $1 to $2 million every year after that.

"Given the impact of such unsustainable increases on the University's already hard-pressed budget, we urge you to oppose these bills or ensure that specific exemptions are included," Forsee said in the letter.

MU College Republicans Chairman Brett Dinkins said those costs are going to be passed onto students.

"What we were trying to focus on today is that the cap and trade bill will lower the quality of the education that we are receiving or raise the price that we are paying," Dinkins said. "They are going to have to do something to get that money and it will be coming straight out of our pockets through tuition."

Forsee's use of the word "we" has drawn criticism and Tyler Hutcherson, Coal Free Mizzou events and grassroots coordinator, said it has a lot of people upset.

"I hope to get across the message that when Gary Forsee writes letters and uses the term 'we,' he should actually consult with the people involved before he writes these letters because I personally don't agree with what he said at all," Hutcherson said.

MU College Republicans member Chelsea Maltagliati said the "we" in dispute is not so out of line.

"We were out there to show President Forsee that we support his decision," Maltagliati said. "It was just create a tuition hike and no one can afford that now with the way the economy is going."

The groups that gathered to protest the letter hope their demonstration will remind Forsee to hold to the promise he made when he signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, Campuses Beyond Coal Organizer Ryan Doyle said.

The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment is a network of presidents who are leading their institutions to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses, spokeswoman Gina Coplon-Newfield said. The commitment also deals with teaching students to address climate change upon graduation.

Maltagliati said there are other ways to reduce carbon emission, and perhaps more appropriate times to do so as well, and disagreed that the letter went against the commitment.

"I don't think it's against the climate idea, it's basically against cap and trade which is a horrible bill in what it will do to this country," Maltagliati said.

Maria Speiser, spokeswoman for Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said the bill is in its early stages in the legislative process, and significant changes will likely be made before it comes to a vote.

"At this point, (McCaskill's) focus remains on ensuring that costs aren't unfairly passed onto Missourians, including its public universities," Speiser said. "As far as the letter goes, she always welcomes input from constituents."

Columbia's U.S. House Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican, has come out in support of Forsee's letter, his spokesman Paul Sloca said. Luetkemeyer voted against the cap and trade bill in the House.

"It's going to cost the university, and therefore cost students and their parents more to implement this cap and trade legislation," Sloca said. "That's a very, very sound argument, and it's an argument that Blaine has been making for months."

MU Chancellor Brady Deaton was unaware of Forsee's letter, MU News Bureau Executive Director Mary Jo Banken said.

"He thinks that this national energy policy requires ongoing discussion and thorough scrutiny," Banken said. "We have been in discussions with our students about MU's use of energy and the implications of our energy consumption."

Banken said MU is installing a new biomass-fired boiler that will eventually reduce coal use by up to 25 percent.

"We take this important national issue very seriously and will continue our work to reduce energy consumption and develop solutions to the energy crisis," Banken said.