Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
April 12, 2007

The Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns (CCC) is a weekly report from Washington, D.C., giving an up-to-date summary of top policy initiatives concerning the cattle industry; direct from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Please feel free to reprint.

Congressional Schedule -- The U.S. House of Representatives remains on Spring Recess this week.  They are scheduled to return on April 16^th.  The Senate returned to Washington this week on April 10^th. 

Cattlemen Push Priorities on Capitol Hill -- Congress is returning to Washington following Spring Recess and will be in full swing for the next few weeks.  This is the time when cattle producers across the countryside can really make a difference in Washington by speaking up on the important issues that are affecting their ranches.  Take a look at the priority issues listed below and the hearings scheduled for the coming weeks.  If these issues affect the way you do business, contact your members of Congress and make sure they understand your concerns and needs!  If you have questions about how to best deliver this message, contact NCBA’s Washington office at 202-347-0228 or email Elizabeth Bostdorff at ebostdorff@beef.org.

-- CERCLA Bills -- A priority issue for NCBA is legislation clarifying that livestock manure is not a Superfund material.  Bills introduced in both the House and Senate will make it clear that Superfund laws, created in the 1980’s to provide for the cleanup of toxic waste and hazardous chemical spills, were never intended to apply to manure on farms and ranches.  S. 807 and H.R. 1398 were introduced on March 8^th.  There are now 17 co-sponsors in the Senate and 85 co-sponsors in the House.  Contact your Senators and Representatives at their offices by phone, fax or email, and urge them to sign-on!  Download our full-color fact sheet on this issue at www.beefusa.org.

-- Death Tax -- Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) introduced legislation (H.R.1586) on March 20^th to fully and permanently repeal the Death Tax.  The bill currently has 64 co-sponsors! NCBA has long supported full and permanent repeal of the Death Tax because of the hardship it places on America’s farming and ranching families who wish to pass on their operations to the next generation.  Download our full-color fact sheet on this issue at www.beefusa.org.

-- Horse Management -- On April 19^th the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will be holding a markup of S. 311, The Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.  This legislation aims to institute a federal ban on horse processing, specifically prohibiting the "shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption."

NCBA opposes this action due to the precedent it would set for banning the consumption of other meats for reasons other than science, safety, or public health. In addition, removing processing as a management option for horses actually poses a greater risk to horse welfare. As many as 90,000 horses will need care, food and shelter. S. 311, and legislation in the House, H.R. 503, both fail to address the problems of costs for care and the unintended mistreatment of these animals in non-regulated rescue facilities.

-- Farm Bill -- In the coming weeks Congress will be holding more hearings on Farm Bill programs and begin drafting legislation for the 2007 Farm Bill.  Conservation programs in the Farm Bill are a top priority for cattlemen.

In a letter sent April 10^th to Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), NCBA says cattlemen support working lands programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) within the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill.

“Technical assistance and financial cost-share programs most directly help our members meet their conservation goals, address resource concerns, and mitigate mounting environmental pressures,” says NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt.  However, overlap and redundancy in programs needs to be eliminated, and efficiency of the programs improved. “Consolidation and streamlining, as suggested in the Administration’s Farm Bill proposal, is one way to achieve that,” says Truitt.

NCBA Preparing for Upcoming Congressional Hearings -- With the House of Representatives returning form Spring Recess next week, there are already a number of hearings on the calendar at which NCBA will be testifying.  These include:

-- Tuesday, April 17 – The House Ag Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry will host a hearing on Industry Competition.  NCBA President John Queen is scheduled to testify. 

-- Wednesday, April 18 – The Senate Ag Committee will host a hearing on Industry Competition.  NCBA President John Queen is scheduled to testify. 

-- Thursday, April 19 – The House Ag Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research will host a hearing on Conservation Programs.  NCBA Policy Division Chairman and Illinois Cattleman Steve Foglesong is scheduled to testify.

-- Thursday, April 19 – The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will host a hearing on the Impacts of Agriculture on Water Quality.  NCBA will be submitting written testimony on this issue to the subcommittee.

Energy Hearing -- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on April 12^th, on S. 987, the Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation Act.  S. 987 was introduced on March 27 by Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), and aims to expand the use of renewable fuels over the next two decades.  This bill currently has seven cosponsors. 

S. 987 builds on the Energy Policy Act to create new renewable fuel standards and promote their usage and development.  This will require America’s fuel supply to contain increasing amounts of renewable fuels, from 8.5 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons in 2022.  From 2016 to 2022, the bill requires an increasing portion of the renewable fuels consumed to be advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, biobutanol and other fuels derived from unconventional biomass feedstocks.

The bill also supports the development of advanced biofuels by increasing Department of Energy funding for bioenergy research and development by 50 percent over fiscal years 2007 to 2009. “One of the main goals of this bill is to spur development of advanced biofuels, like celluosic ethanol,” Domenici said.  NCBA policy opposes additional mandates or extensions that do not allow market forces to function in the development of bio and renewable fuels. 

EPA Announces Renewable Fuel Standard -- In related news, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week the nation’s first comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. Authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the RFS program requires that the equivalent of at least 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel be blended into motor vehicle fuel sold in the U.S. by 2012. The program is estimated to cut petroleum use by up to 3.9 billion gallons and cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 13.1 million metric tons by 2012 – this is the equivalent of preventing the emissions of 2.3 million cars.

The RFS program will also promote the use of fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, which are largely produced from American crops. The program is aimed at creating new markets for farm products, increasing energy security, and promoting the development of advanced technologies that will help make renewable fuel cost-competitive with conventional gasoline. In particular, the RFS program establishes special incentives for producing and using fuels produced from cellulosic biomass, such as switchgrass and woodchips. For more information, visit www.epa.gov.

Global Warming Comments -- NCBA submitted comments this week to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on its proposal to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.  The proposed rule claims that future risks to the polar bear are based on the so-called global risks of greenhouse gas emissions and resulting climate change.  In its comments, NCBA argues that the scientific basis for this claim is unsubstantiated. 

Ruminant animals, such as cattle, sheep, buffalo, and goats, because of their special digestive systems, can convert otherwise unusable plant materials into nutritious food and fiber. In the digestive process, however, the animals produce methane.  Critics of agriculture believe that methane, as well as nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions resulting from livestock operations, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. 

If this proposed rule were to go into effect, any activity that allegedly affects climate change or greenhouse gas emissions may have to be evaluated and approved by U.S. Fish and Wildlife for its affects on ice flows in the Artic.  This could mean that with the methane and carbon dioxide produced by our animals on every U.S. cattle operation could be affected. 

In comments, NCBA is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate at all science and historical trends before making a final ruling.  The imposition of these regulations on American industries in the name of curbing an irreversible and naturally occurring phenomenon is irrational and expensive. 

Reports Flip-Flop on Korean Beef Issue -- In media reports earlier this week, Korean officials claimed U.S. beef exports will be accepted if the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) confirms the U.S. is a “controlled-risk” country for BSE, this decision expected in May. Alas, reports the next day from South Korea contradicted this claim. NCBA sees nothing new here, as the beef access issue remains unresolved in South Korea.  NCBA will not support the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) until commercially viable beef trade between our two countries is resumed.

U.S. and Korean government officials are saying they intend to address the beef access issue in the near future.  In the meantime, NCBA is reviewing the trade agreement and monitoring the situation.  Key senators say they will vote “no” on the U.S.-South Korea FTA because the beef access issue remains unresolved. 

World Trade Talks Rekindling -- Top U.S. trade officials are in India this week to meet with trade leaders from the European Union, Brazil and India. The group, called the G-4, is meeting to discuss negotiations of the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations. These World Trade Organization (WTO) talks have been stalled since July. This meeting is considered their first formal meeting since that time. This meeting of the G-4 is expected to be followed by a meeting of G-6 Ministers (which includes Japan and Australia).

The goal of U.S. agricultural trade policy should be to make U.S. products – such as beef – as competitive as possible in the world market.  Increased market access via tariff reduction is the core mechanism by which U.S. beef producers can better their position in the global marketplace. NCBA believes the WTO is the only mechanism capable of generating the political force necessary to move the agricultural trade liberalization process forward. Without forceful U.S. leadership in this multilateral context, U.S. beef producers will suffer under the trade distorting forces of mercantilism and protectionism. We will continue to urge these leaders to come to an agreement during these negotiations.

IMS Animal Welfare Workshop -- NCBA’s Chief Veterinarian, Elizabeth Parker is in Paris this week for an Animal Welfare Workshop hosted by the International Meat Secretariat (IMS), April 12-13.  At its Amsterdam meeting in October, the IMS Executive Council approved the idea of having an animal welfare workshop during Spring 2007, with the following objectives:

-- establish closer ties between the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) members

-- develop an action plan for the AWC

-- prepare a PR operation for the May 2007 OIE General Session 

AWC Chairman Phil Seng says “While all of us in the industry understand that maintaining the health and welfare of our animals is both morally correct and the most profitable approach, there is growing worldwide concern that we are somehow not doing our jobs. As a result, a number of perhaps well-intended, but certainly misdirected prescriptive efforts have been aimed at animal agriculture through regulation or legislation. Now that the OIE is tackling this issue, this IMS workshop is our opportunity to develop a common and realistic stand on the subject.” Program information is posted at www.interbev.asso.fr.

Don't Miss NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen -- Tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) this Saturday for a SPECIAL feature show on NCBA's Spring Conference in Washington, D.C. We’re following cattle producers on their trip to the nation's capital to make their voices heard! Our cameras walk the halls of Congress, and join cattle producers as they meet with their Senators, Representatives, and regulatory officials. We'll feature interviews with producer participants, members of Congress, government officials, and more! Don't miss this special feature show direct from Washington.

Next week’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen episode, beginning Tuesday April 17^th, features an in-depth report on President Bush's surprise visit with NCBA during their Spring Conference in Washington, D.C. We’ll be looking at how and why the executive branch works on issues that affect your operation, and much more.

NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV provides weekly news and features for cattle producers across the country. The show airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. and is rebroadcast Wednesdays at 4:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m. All times are Eastern. Make sure YOU tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on channel RFD-TV. For more information, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.

Media Contact:

Tanya Augustson Camarra or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228, tacamarra@beef.org or kbatra@beef.org.

This publication is funded by cattle producers and other industry supporters through their voluntary membership contributions to NCBA. To join the tens of thousands of cattle producers from across the U.S. in working to preserve our legacy, contact NCBA Member Services at 1-866-BEEF-USA or Membership@beef.org.