Press Releases
Ag Republicans Send Letter to Pelosi Asking for More Time to Consider Cap & Trade BillSays this bill deserves thoughtful consideration and a careful legislative process
Washington, DC,
June 17, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT: Ranking Member Frank Lucas, along with all 17 of his Republican colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee, sent Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter today asking for more time to consider the Waxman- Markey climate change and energy legislation (H.R. 2454). Rep. Pelosi told committee chairmen that they had until June 19 to consider H.R. 2454. This timeline has allowed the Agriculture Committee to hold only one public hearing on the bill with no time for a markup. To date, only the Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Rep. Henry Waxman is the chair, has been able to hold a markup out of the nine committees that have jurisdiction of this bill. The text of the letter is included below: June 16, 2009 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Dear Madam Speaker, We write to express our concern over the artificial timeline that dictates the consideration of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. We respectfully request that appropriate time be allowed for the legislative process to be completed. As a result of your stated deadline of June 19 for consideration, the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture has told us that there is insufficient time to completely hear from all of our constituents, analyze this complex proposal, and act. With the magnitude of this bill, it is critically important that the House Agriculture Committee has sufficient time to work its will. On Thursday June 11, our Committee held a hearing to review the impact of H.R. 2454 on rural America. The Committee took testimony from eight witnesses, covering a wide variety of rural interests. All witnesses said they could not support the bill. Beyond these witnesses, 99 agriculture organizations have already publicly expressed opposition to the bill and more are added to the list each day. This is indicative of the growing concerns we are hearing throughout the agriculture community. Madam Speaker, please extend your June 19 deadline. Both supporters and opponents agree this legislation will have far-reaching effects on generations to come. This matter deserves thoughtful consideration and a careful legislative process. Sincerely, Rep. Frank D. Lucas (R-OK) |