NCGA
Reemphasizes Legislative Priorities as 109th Congress Convenes (01-04-05)
As the 109th Congress
convenes today in Washington, D.C., the National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) encourages lawmakers to swiftly take action on key unresolved
legislation from the last session, including a comprehensive energy
bill with the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and authorization of
new navigation locks on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
“We’re hopeful
this Congress will get past the partisan gridlock that typified
the 108th Congress,” said Jon Doggett, NCGA vice president
of public policy. “Our elected officials need to push party
politics aside and get to work on legislation that is good for the
country and good for corn growers.”
As natural gas and crude
oil prices reached record-high prices in 2004, NCGA continued its
push for energy legislation including the RFS. While an energy bill
did not pass in 2004, NCGA was encouraged by enactment of the Volumetric
Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and other ethanol-friendly measures
included in the corporate tax bill. VEETC was an important victory
for the corn industry, but a comprehensive energy bill carries even
more significance for growers and consumers, Doggett said.
“We’ll continue
to support passage of a comprehensive energy bill that has beneficial
provisions for ethanol, as well as natural gas and other energy
inputs used in production agriculture,” he said.
In 2004, the Army Corps
of Engineers marked the conclusion of its 15-year navigation study
with a recommendation to build seven locks on the upper Mississippi
and Illinois rivers. Both the House and Senate introduced legislation
calling for the new locks during the 108th Congress, but legislators
failed to pass lock modernization measures before adjournment.
However, Doggett said,
NCGA is encouraged by congressional authorization of nearly $14
million in pre-engineering and design work for the new locks, and
growers will continue to push for approval of the Corps’ plan
to upgrade important waterways infrastructure.
“As our international
competitors continue to improve their transportation infrastructure,
it’s even more vital for U.S. producers to push for modernization
of the locks and dams system that is such an important part of our
national transportation system,” Doggett said.
As preparations
begin for the next farm bill, Doggett said NCGA will also continue
to monitor current farm bill programs and push for preservation
of the farm safety net.
Doggett also said legislative
support for the maize genome sequencing project will continue to
be important in 2005. “We were successful again in increasing
fiscal year 2005 funding for the plant genome program, and we’ll
continue to work hard with our friends in Congress to obtain another
significant increase in appropriated funding for the project,”
he said, adding that NCGA’s Corn Board officers were on Capitol
Hill today to meet with members of the appropriations committee
regarding the genome project and other issues. “It’s
one of our highest legislative appropriations priorities.”