 |
| NCGA leaders
met with Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), chairman of the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee, this week to discuss
the importance of a comprehensive energy bill. From left are:
NCGA Vice President of Public Policy Jon Doggett, Sen. Domenici
and NCGA President Dee Vaughan. |
Energy
Bill, Lock Modernization Dominate NCGA President’s Capitol Hill
Agenda (5-5-04)
Swift passage of a comprehensive
energy bill with a Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and improvements
to the nation’s transportation infrastructure were at the top
of Dee Vaughan’s agenda this week as the National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) president met with several key legislators and
Capitol Hill decision-makers in Washington, D.C.
“U.S. energy policy
has been bogged down for almost three years now,” Vaughan said.
“With only 65 legislative working days left, I am absolutely
frustrated at the inactivity of the lawmakers we voted into office;
it’s politics as usual.”
Vaughan met with Sen. Pete
Domenici (R-N.M.), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee, to discuss the current status of energy legislation and
restate corn growers’ support of sound national energy policy.
Domenici offered his “energy-lite” bill, S. 2095, as an
amendment to an Internet tax moratorium bill last week, but the measure
failed to gain cloture. Vaughan said NCGA continues to support a comprehensive
energy bill that contains the RFS, rather than passing portions of
the energy bill piecemeal.
“We had a successful
meeting with Senator Domenici,” said the Dumas, Texas, farmer.
“It was absolutely necessary to talk to him about the catastrophic
results we’re seeing because of the absence of an energy policy.
I have neighbors who have left the business due to the instability
in input pricing and no energy bill. We rely heavily on natural gas,
fertilizer, diesel and a number of important petro-chemicals, and
the current prices are dealing a serious blow to agriculture.”
Vaughan also met with officials
from the White House, Senate and House committee staffers and representatives
from the offices of Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
(R-Texas), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
In discussing energy policy
with government officials, Vaughan said it appears as if there’s
not much public pressure right now on the White House or Congress
to do anything about record-high energy prices.
“We need the public
to get angry about the prices they are paying at the pump,”
he said. “Lawmakers have to realize that not having a comprehensive
energy bill is not only hurting our country’s ability to become
energy independent, but corn growers and consumers are going to end
up the losers here.”
Vaughan also discussed
with lawmakers the need for modernization of navigation locks on the
Mississippi and Illinois rivers. While visiting Cornyn’s office,
he communicated the need for legislation this year that calls for
immediate expansion and rehabilitation of all problem locks on the
upper Mississippi and Illinois.
“This is legislation
which will help the consumer coast to coast, not just in the Midwest,”
he said. “All commodities go up and down the rivers; this is
a growth bill, a jobs bill and it will restore important environmental
areas. It’s a solution that will make this country more competitive.”