Farmers Urge Energy Bill Approval During Visits to Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON – March 14, 2005 -- A top energy regulator today called on Congress to pass electric reliability legislation this year. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) member Joseph T. Kelliher told family farmers that in the wake of the 2003 electricity blackout and continuing strains on the electric grid, failure to pass a bill will mean Congress must accept much of the responsibility if widespread blackouts happen in the future.

So far, attempts to pass stand-alone reliability legislation have been unsuccessful and while electric utilities have been coordinating their efforts on a voluntary basis they have also called for mandatory standards to be put in place that will give the industry some certainty.

Kelliher was speaking at the seventh Rural Energy Issues Conference organized by the Alliance for Rural America (ARA). During their visit to Washington, family farmers from all ARA member groups debated the energy and environmental challenges facing our nation, including those facing rural America.

The conference was followed by a day of visits to Capitol Hill where farmers talked to their delegations about the need to pass the energy bill which includes an extension of the Production Tax Credit, creates a Renewable Fuel Standard and provides incentives to upgrade and expand the electric transmission grid. Farmers also want to see passage of a multi-emissions bill to improve the environment and bring certainty to electricity availability and affordability.

These grassroots advocates are all participants in the Alliance for Rural America’s (ARA’s) Rural Energy Issues Conference. The ARA was established in 1997 to give the rural citizens a voice in energy and environmental debates in Washington as well as in local and state governments. ARA National Spokesperson, Larry Mitchell, said “Farmers and ranchers are once again coming to Washington to impress upon lawmakers the need to put aside partisan, geographic and other differences to pass an energy bill that will ease fuel and natural gas prices and protect energy reliability for rural America.

Mitchell believes America’s farm and ranch families can help. “Renewable energy is growing quickly in rural America. Windpower is now seen as a prospective source of income for many farmers.” However, Mitchell said ARA members will be reminding lawmakers that all types of energy need to be encouraged. “Without a bill we fear prices will just keep going up. When ARA members meet with their representatives today their message will be, ‘Rural America cannot wait any longer. We need an energy bill now,’” said Mitchell.

The Alliance for Rural America's nine member organizations represent over 750,000 farmers and farm families. The ARA was formed in 1997 to represent the farm community on energy and environmental issues.

multi-emissions Thats codespeak for, farmers want non-farmers to pay more taxes, by way of some version of the Kyoto global warming treaty.

You are talking about a bill proposed by two Republicans on behalf of a Republican President.

F... farmers.

What? You don't like eating?

S.131
Title: A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution through expansion of cap and trade programs, to provide an alternative regulatory classification for units subject to the cap and trade program.
Sponsor: Sen Inhofe, James M. [OK] (introduced 1/24/2005) Cosponsors: Sen Voinovich, George V. [OH] - 1/24/2005
Latest Major Action: 3/9/2005 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held.

SUMMARY AS OF:
1/24/2005--Introduced.

Clear Skies Act of 2005 - Amends the acid deposition control provisions of the Clean Air Act with respect to emissions limitations and allowances programs for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury by: (1) revising the allowance system and associated transfer, tracking, permit, compliance plan, and penalty requirements, including those for auctions; and (2) establishing new emissions limitations and trading programs (including implementation of a separate sulfur dioxide scheme for States in the Western Regional Air Partnership).

Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) promulgate performance standards (limiting emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and mercury) for new boilers, integrated gasification combined cycle plants, and combustion turbines; and (2) conduct a comprehensive research and environmental assessment program to enhance understanding of health and environmental effects of particulate matter and mercury and to demonstrate the efficacy of emission reductions under this Act.

Excludes the following units from consideration as major emitting facilities or major stationary sources (or parts thereof) for purposes of compliance with provisions concerning prevention of significant deterioration of air quality and plan requirements for nonattainment areas: those that achieve a specified limit on particulate matter emissions or certain national emissions standards for hazardous pollutants or those with properly operated and maintained equipment to limit particulate matter emissions and that use good combustion practices to minimize carbon monoxide emissions.

Establishes procedures by which owners or operators may petition the Secretary of Energy for a determination that electricity reliability will likely be threatened by the need to install pollution control technology. Allows a compliance delay in the case of a successful petition.

Requires States to ensure in implementation plans that: (1) in an attainment or unclassifiable area, any emissions increase from the construction or modification of an affected unit will not result in exceeding a national ambient air quality standard; and (2) in a nonattainment area, the emissions increase will not interfere with a program to assure the achievement of such a standard. Provides for designation of transitional areas under implementation plans and states requirements for emissions inventories, the attainment of standards by the end of 2015, and penalties for not meeting the eight-hour ozone or fine particles standard

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