Agricultural News
Farm Bill Expiration Generates Uncertainty for Small Businesses, Farmers, Says Ag Energy Coalition
Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:33:29 CDT
Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) co-director Lloyd Ritter released the following statement on the expiration of the 2008 Farm Bill:
"Expiration of the renewable energy programs in the 2008 Farm Bill has introduced a grave level of uncertainty to a growing segment of the U.S. economy, stranding private sector investments and threatening good paying jobs.
"With support from energy programs in the 2008 Farm Bill, U.S. companies have raised private financing to start construction of the nation's first six advanced biofuels biorefineries; farmers in more than 150 counties across the nation have begun raising and harvesting next generation energy crops on 150,000 acres of underutilized farmland; rural families are saving money through energy efficiency and/or renewable power generation on their farms through the use of wind, solar, geothermal, and anaerobic digestion technologies; and nearly 100,000 people are now employed in the rapidly growing biobased products market. This progress is at risk if Congress fails to finish new Farm Bill legislation that has already passed the Senate and been voted out of the House Committee on Agriculture.
"The certainty provided by a five-year Farm Bill is particularly valuable to farmers, business owners, and investors with an interest in rural energy initiatives. A five-year extension of the Farm Bill with mandatory funding for the energy title is needed to keep these companies investing and creating jobs in the United States."
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