BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Obama administration is off to a running start on climate change – pushing to let California and other states set tougher restrictions on greenhouse gases and accelerating higher gas mileage standards for cars and trucks. But those are just the most obvious early moves reflecting a philosophy likely to be seen throughout the federal government, involving rural as well as urban areas. Already, first steps are being taken that will engage farmers, woodlot owners, and the federal land management agencies that oversee hundreds of millions of acres of public land – areas with the potential to ‘capture considerable amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere and accelerate warming of the planet. Taking the lead here is a new bureaucratic mouthful called the ‘Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets. It’s part of the US Department of Agriculture, which not only works with farmers and ranchers but also includes the US Forest Service and its 193 million acres. Heading the new office is Sally Collins, a former Forest Service ranger who reports directly to new USDA head Tom Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa. Ms. Collins believes the approaches of […]