5.13.13
Dear 25x'25 Partners and Renewable Energy Champions:
Both
the Senate and House Agriculture Committees will mark up their
respective 2013 Farm Bills this week. The Senate goes first at 10:00
a.m. tomorrow and the House follows at the same time on Wednesday.
25x'25
has been working to ensure that the final bill includes a viable set of
programs with mandatory funding that will continue to support the
development and delivery of agricultural and forestry clean energy
solutions. Both Chairs' marks came out about as we expected. The Senate
Energy Title closely mirrors the version that the Senate passed last
year, reauthorizing all of the priority programs we support and
providing $800 million in mandatory funding over the life of the five
year bill. This is a reduction over the $1.039 billion authorized under
the 2008 Farm Bill, but given the current fiscal environment we are
operating in, it's not a bad outcome. The House mark eliminates
mandatory funding for energy title programs and reauthorizes most at
reduced discretionary funding levels.
Please contact your elected officials today and reinforce the critical importance of Farm Bill Energy Title programs.
Senate Action:
If you or your members have a Senator(s) on the Agriculture Committee,
please urge them to support the reauthorization and mandatory funding of
the Farm Bill Energy Title. You can locate your Senator here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. If you do not have a member on the Committee please contact Chairwoman Stabenow www.stabenow.senate.gov/?p=contact and Ranking Minority Member Cochran www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me with the same message.
House Action:
If you or your members have a Representative(s) on the Agriculture
Committee, please urge them to support the reauthorization and mandatory
funding of the Farm Bill Energy Title. You can locate your
representative here: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/. If you do not have a member on the Committee please contact Chairman Lucas AgRepublicanPress@mail.house.gov and Ranking Minority Member Peterson agriculturedemocrats@mail.house.gov with the same message.
Since
2009, thousands of direct and indirect jobs have been created or saved
in rural areas by the Farm Bill's Energy Title programs that benefitted
almost 12,000 rural small businesses, agricultural producers, and
advanced biofuel refineries across the country. This economic growth is
occurring from a modest amount of federal money that leverages billions
of dollars in private investment. Continued growth in new agriculture,
manufacturing, and high tech jobs are at great risk without continued
Federal investment.
Thank
you for taking the time to tell your elected officials to vote in favor
of mandatory funding for Farm Bill Energy Title programs.
Sincerely,
Ernie
Ernie Shea
25x'25 Project Coordinator
1430 Front Ave
Lutherville, MD. 21093
eshea@25×25.org
www.25×25.org
410-952-0123 (c)
410-616-9264 (f)
25x'25 America's Energy Future