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Texas Agriculture Archive

December 5, 2003

AFBF supports small engine provision

AFBF said that Senate passage of a spending bill provision helps ensure that emissions from small horsepower engines used in farm equipment are regulated at the federal level, rather than the state level.

"Nationwide, farmers and ranchers purchase and use all sorts of equipment, including many devices powered by small horsepower engines," said AFBF President Bob Stallman in a recent letter to Congress. "We believe this provision would prevent a patchwork of emission regulations among the states, which would help better control the cost of new small horsepower engines."

The provision is included in the Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Housing and Urban Development (VA/HUD) appropriations bill for fiscal year 2004, which the Senate passed in mid-November. The bill now may head to conference committee or be included in omnibus spending legislation.

The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments attempted to avoid state emissions regulations by giving the Environmental Protection Agency authority to set emissions standards for small engines used in farm and construction equipment. The VA/HUD spending bill contains a technical correction, inserted by Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), clarifying EPA's role in regulating new engines in this category. The provision does not compromise the ability of states to regulate other types of engines.

Consumers scramble for eggs

Consumers are scrambling for eggs, according to a recent report by the U.S. Agriculture Department. Compared to just a year ago, the report says the price of eggs has risen because of tight demand in the United States and abroad.

According to USDA, eggs are currently $1.20 per dozen at the supermarket, which is 32 percent more than last year. The reason for the price increase—government statistics show that consumers are eating an average of 253 eggs a year compared to 235 in 1991.

Also, foreign demand is increasing. The United States exported 2 billion eggs in 2000 in comparison to 1.9 billion in 1999.

House passes energy bill

Building on momentum created by the release of the energy bill conference report, the legislation rolled through the House, passing 246-180 after only one hour of debate.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) said that during this year of power blackouts and skyrocketing natural gas prices, the House vote represented a historic day for America and its energy future. He also said that "people will look back on the investments" in the energy bill "as the genesis of zero emissions."

President Bush said that means "America will be more prosperous and more secure" due to being "less dependent on foreign sources of energy."

The bill still could face some tough sledding in the Senate, where it was introduced by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.). Some Republican senators have raised the possibility of breaking with the bulk of their party to support a filibuster against the bill. However, that could be offset by support for the bill by farm-state Democrats who see clearly the support the bill offers for home-grown, renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) cautioned filibuster backers that such a move against the bill would be "unwise."

A Senate vote was expected at press time.

Healthy Forest law is passed

The House recently passed the Farm Bureau-supported Healthy Forest Restoration Act in a 286-140 vote.

"After lots of hard work we are sending this historic legislation to the President's desk. This is the first significant forestry legislation to pass Congress in a generation," said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.). "This bill creates the first real relief from bureaucratic gridlock after over eight years of legislative effort. Final passage sends the unmistakable message that the Congress favors results over process..."

According to the House Ag Committee, over 190 million acres of forests and rangelands remain at risk of catastrophic wildfires and insect and disease. The Healthy Forest Act takes the modest step of addressing the hazardous conditions on only 20 million acres of this total.

Notable Quotables

"Today, the political process got in the way of progress for rural America. In spite of personal commitments I had from Senators to support Tom Dorr, the partisanship of the Senate superceded the best interests of rural America. During his tenure at USDA, Tom has made a tremendous impact in the area of Rural Development including expediting programs and implementing management efficiencies. His work won universal support from those internally and externally. It is unfortunate that residents of rural America will not benefit from the integrity, fairness and the ingenuity of Tom's leadership, which helped to strengthen rural development programs. We are extremely proud of him."

— Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, after President Bush's nomination of Iowa farmer Thomas Dorr to serve the Agriculture Department as undersecretary for rural development was declared dead. The Senate refused to end debate and proceeded to a vote on the nominee, 57-39, but 60 votes were needed.