The Ag Minute
The Ag Minute: America's Ag Producers Are Waiting for Obama to Act on Energy Plan
Washington, DC,
March 6, 2012
MEDIA CONTACT: This week during The Ag Minute, Chairman Frank Lucas calls on President Obama to join House Republicans in moving foward with an all-of-the-above energy plan that reduces costs for America's farmers and ranchers, creates jobs, and improves our energy security. Just today at a press conference, President Obama stated that "the only way we are going to solve this problem...is with an all-of-the-above strategy," yet he failed to offer any new solutions to increase American energy supplies and help make prices more affordable. Meanwhile, America's farmers and ranchers are especially sensitive to high energy costs. Click here to listen to The Ag Minute. The transcript is below. "If you work in agriculture, you know the impact of high energy costs. Whether it’s the diesel for the tractors and farm equipment, the energy required for producing fertilizer, petrochemicals, and seed, or the energy necessary for harvesting, processing, and transporting products to the grocery store, farmers are especially sensitive to the costs of energy. "The present trend of higher gas prices hits America’s farmers extra hard. And the only solution to the problem is an all-of-the-above energy policy that responsibly develops all our domestic forms of energy. "President Obama likes to claim he supports this approach, but he has yet to prove it. "For example, he recently rejected the Keystone XL pipeline that would have expanded American energy production and created thousands of jobs, he has restricted drilling in offshore areas while encouraging other countries to expand their own exploration, and he has proposed costly regulations that would increase the costs and limit the supply of other domestic sources of energy. "Once again, it’s time for the President to step up and demonstrate real leadership on an important issue facing our nation. House Republicans are ready to move forward with an energy plan that reduces costs for America’s farmers and ranchers, creates jobs, and improves our energy security." The Ag Minute is Chairman Lucas's weekly radio address that is released from the House Agriculture Committee. ### |