2005 CCC Archive
August 4, 2005
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).
Non Definitive Animal Confirmed Negative for BSE: USDA announced August 3 that the animal which produced a "non definitive" test result for BSE last week has been confirmed negative for BSE. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Deputy Administrator John Clifford said follow-up testing was conducted at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, England.
To date, USDA’s Enhanced BSE Surveillance Program has tested 426,164 targeted animals at highest risk for BSE and has found only one case, evidence that our firewalls are working and the prevalence of this disease in the U.S. is extremely low. Testing 268,500 animals can detect BSE at a rate of 1 in 10 million adult cattle at a 99 percent confidence level.
NCBA continues to reiterate: the U.S. government and the beef industry have put science-based precautions in place over the past 15 years to ensure our cattle and beef remain safe from BSE. As cattlemen, providing safe and wholesome beef remains our number one priority. To learn more about BSE, go to www.BSEinfo.org
Congressional Schedule: Congress is out of session for August recess. The House and Senate are both scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, September 7.
Death Tax Recess Activities: The Senate is expected to vote on Permanent Repeal of the Death Tax when they return to Washington on September 6. Senate Majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has filed cloture on the motion to proceed to HR. 8, The Death Tax Repeal, which means the final vote could come as early as September 6, but is likely to occur sometime the week of September 6-9.
Cattle producers across the U.S. are in the homestretch on efforts to fully repeal this devastating tax. Now more than ever, producers must take time over August recess to contact and visit their Senators personally in their home state. Lawmakers need to hear personal stories from constituents about how this tax hurts small businesses and ranching families, and why the Death Tax must GO!
NCBA has a variety of resource materials to help you make your case at the local level. Download our July 21 edition of Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns from our website (www.beefusa.org or hill.beef.org) for a collection of personal Death Tax stories written by NCBA producer-members across the country. Also, the new Death Tax Chronicle, published by the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition is posted online at www.nam.org/deathtaxchronicle or call NCBA’s Washington office at 202-347-0228 to get hard copies mailed to you.
Property Rights: NCBA and the Public Lands Council have always been active in the fight for private property rights for our members. Currently, these efforts have been stepped-up due to the June 23 Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New London. This decision is deeply troubling to anybody who believes in civil liberties and a limited government. Under the rationale of the majority decision, virtually any government action to seize property can be rationalized as a public use. Of particular concern for ranchers, a likely scenario could have a local government deciding that a community’s economic base could be enhanced by developing land that is currently occupied by ranches. PLC/NCBA is very concerned about putting at risk the tenure of our ranches to local government whim. We intend to aggressively support legislative action to reverse, or limit, the decision:
, "Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005": Introduced June 30, 2005 by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) has 126 cosponsors.
H.R. 3405, "Strengthening the Ownership of Private Property (STOPP) Act": Introduced July 22, 2005 by Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX) has 41 cosponsors.
S. 1313, "Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005": Introduced June 27, 2005 by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has 25 cosponsors.
These bills bar the federal government from exercising its condemnation authority for this purpose. Additionally, the bills limit the availability of federal funds for state governments to use in condemning private property for economic development. House Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has said he plans to hold hearings on this issue when Congress returns in September.
Endangered Species Act Activity: Although the clock ran down to the Congressional Summer recess before the Endangered Species Act (ESA) could be addressed, NCBA and the Public Lands Council (PLC) are anticipating that this important issue will emerge when Congress returns in September. The ESA is legislation with broad implications for all livestock producers and land owners. House Resources Chairman, Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) is leading the charge to address the inefficiencies of this 30 year old statute, and NCBA and PLC strongly support his efforts. It is critical that all members contact their Representatives over the August recess to express their support for Chairman Pombo's efforts and for overall improvements to the ESA.
NCBA and PLC are working with a national grassroots campaign dedicated to supporting efforts in the U.S. Congress and the Administration for updating and strengthening the federal Endangered Species Act. The Save Our Species Alliance says "The public overwhelmingly supports the protection of endangered and threatened species but believes that the goal should be to save more species – not to simply add more names to a list. We want to help species recover so they can come off the list." Producers are encouraged to get involved in supporting this grassroots effort as Congress begins debate on reforming the Endangered Species Act. More information can be found at www.saveourspeciesalliance.org.
Prairie Dogs: In good news for ranchers in Nebraska, Wyoming and the Dakotas, the Forest Service has outlined an aggressive approach regarding prairie dog encroachments. In a recent letter to South Dakota Governor Michael Rounds, Mark Rey, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment says "The Forest Service is committed to preventing or eliminating unwanted encroachment of prairie dogs on private lands, and will use all available tools and work cooperatively with the State to achieve that goal." NCBA and the PLC have historically worked with local and federal agencies to support species conservation methods that are more harmonious with the needs of landowners and ranching operations.
Philippines to Resume Trade of U.S. Beef Products: Ag Secretary Mike Johanns announced Aug. 4 that the Philippines will lift their embargo of U.S. beef and beef products.
Under the agreement, the United States will now be able to export boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age to the Philippines. The estimated value of the Philippines market reopening to U.S. boneless beef is $2.5 million.
In 2003, the United States exported $4.9 million worth of beef and beef products to the Philippines. After the December 2003 discovery of the first BSE-infected cow in the United States, the Philippines adopted measures to restrict imports of certain types of U.S. beef, while allowing imports of U.S. boneless beef from cattle not older than 30 months with its memorandum order in January 2004. In June 2005, the Philippines imposed a temporary ban on beef and beef products from the United States following confirmation that a second cow in the U.S. had tested positive for BSE.
Idaho Injunction Removes Cattle from 800,000 Acres: An Idaho Federal District Court judge entered an injunction July 29 against the Bureau of Land Management enjoining all grazing on 28 allotments divided among four permittees in the Jarbridge Resource Area until a single Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is completed for the grazing. This injunction removes almost 100,000 Animal Unit Months (AUMs) from public lands affecting approximately 800,000 acres. At this time, NCBA/PLC is communicating Congressional staff and in the Administration to try to determine what we can do about this very negative decision for Idaho cow-calf producers.
PLC Range Tour: The Public Lands Council (PLC), along with the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and Oregon Public Lands Council, will host Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Kathleen Clarke and several BLM state and national staff for a range tour of the Steen’s Mountain area August 15-16. The tour will focus on conservation issues as well as the interface between public and private lands and between urban and rural communities in the West. Invitations to attend have also been extended to each of the Oregon’s U.S. Congressional offices. PLC is hopeful that this range tour will provide an opportunity to highlight the stewardship of public lands ranching operations.
USDA Farm Bill Listening Sessions: USDA is continuing to host their Farm Bill Listening Sessions as they look toward development of the new Farm Bill. Producers should look at the list of scheduled session below and see if there is a session in your area. Some sessions will have a particular area of focus, such as conservation, rural development and nutrition. NCBA member-producers are encouraged to attend and participate.
, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (CST), Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, IA
Aug. 12, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (PDT), Fresno County Fairgrounds, Fresno, Calif.
Aug. 16, 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon (EDT), Penn State 's Ag Progress Days, Univ. Park, Penn.
Aug. 17, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (MDT) Jackson Hole, Wyo. (focus on Conservation)
Aug. 18, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (CDT), Indianapolis, Ind.
The public is also welcome to submit comments via the USDA Farm Bill Forums website at www.usda.gov/farmbill.
Gray Nominated to EPA Post: President Bush submitted July 28 the nomination of Dr. George M. Gray, Director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, to be the next Assistant Administrator for Research and Development at the Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Gray currently serves as Executive Director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and as a Lecturer on Risk Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health. His research interests are risk characterization and risk communication with a focus on food safety and agriculture and chemicals in the environment.
Masters Appointed FSIS Administrator: Ag Secretary Mike Johanns announced August 2 the appointment of Dr. Barbara Masters as Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), overseeing the regulation of meat, poultry and processed egg products. Dr. Masters has served as the acting administrator of FSIS since March 1, 2004.
Summer Conference Wrap-Up: Last week, over a thousand cattle producers and industry affiliates attended the 2005 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, July 26-30. NCBA is still summarizing the resolutions and directives passed at the July 30 Board of Directors Meeting and will send out a news release next week detailing the new policies.
Media Contact:
Tanya Augustson or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228; taugustson@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.
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