Pelosi Speech to Agribusiness Club of Washington25 July 2006
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered a speech this afternoon to the Agribusiness Club of Washington. Below are Pelosi's remarks as prepared:
"As many of you know, I come from San Francisco. And we do have a farm there. It is a mushroom farm. However, in my state, agriculture has historically been our leading industry.
"Over 20 years ago, when I was chair of the California Democratic Party, having urban California fully appreciate the contributions of rural California was a goal of my leadership. And the truth is that no matter where you come from, American agriculture is a fertile area for common ground.
"On behalf of the house Democrats, I'm here to acknowledge and express our appreciation for America's farmers and ranchers. They have given us the cleanest, safest, most affordable, most abundant food supply in history. Now more than ever, the importance of our farms goes beyond putting food on America's tables. Today, American agriculture can be a solution to some of our great national challenges.
"When I became Democratic leader, we started a Rural Working Group, to focus on issues of particular importance to rural America -- not only agriculture, but also housing, health care, transportation, education and economic growth.
"Our first two chairmen were Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Collin Peterson of Minnesota. They now serve as the ranking members on the Homeland Security and Agriculture committees, respectively. Our new leaders are Stephanie Herseth of South Dakota and Bob Etheridge of North Carolina. Last year, I asked them to put together a plan to take America in a new direction -- of energy independence. The result of that work is called: Energizing America -- America's Farmers Fueling America's Energy Independence.
"Energy independence is a national security issue, it is an environmental issue, and it is an economic issue for our country and for America's families. Our plan recognizes that the energy challenges facing our nation are great, and the solutions are right here at home. From corn in the Midwest to soybeans in North Carolina -- we grow the crops that can be converted into the biofuels that power our cars and trucks.
"The House Democratic Rural Working Group's plan is American- owned and home-grown. With it, we will send our energy dollars to the Midwest, instead of the Middle East. Our energy plan takes advantage of America's untapped potential by: increasing capacity of biofuels; promoting consumption of those fuels; expanding distribution; and, encouraging competition.
"In order to increase capacity, our plan increases the percentage of renewable transportation fuel that we use in the United States -- until we reach 20 percent in 2015. In terms of gallons, that would mean going from 4 billion today to just under 24 billion by 2015. Our aggressive approach is forward thinking in that it builds on the starches and grains we use today for biofuels production by requiring a portion of the renewable fuels come from domestic sources that are not yet commercially available or widely used. Biofuels production from cellulosic sources such as grasses, stover, and woodchips, as well as biodiesel, will be possible through sustained investment in research and development of new technologies.
"To increase consumption, our plan promotes the use of vehicles that will run on these new fuels. There are already 5 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road today. Our proposal ensures that this number continues to increase. Automakers in Detroit are embarking on aggressive marketing campaigns to promote the purchase of more flex-fuel vehicles. Under our proposal, 75 percent of all cars made in America would be flex- fuel in seven years. Earlier this year, we met with the CEOs of the big 3 auto companies. They told us that they are working towards the delivery of 2 million more flex fuel vehicles per year by 2010, a commitment they recently made public.
"Essential to the success of our plan is expanding the distribution of biofuels. While increasing the number of vehicles that can run on E-85 is an important step, we also need to make E-85 and biodiesel available at gas stations from coast to coast. We will accomplish this by increasing and extending tax credits for installing E85 pumps from 30 percent today to 50 percent.
"Additionally, when market penetration of flex-fuel vehicles reaches 15 percent within a geographic region and the commercial availability of E-85 is established, petroleum retailers must install E-85 pumps at their retail facilities, beginning with the retailers that have the greatest number of pumps. We recognize that as biofuels production grows, there is a concern that smaller ethanol and biofuel plants will be forced out of the market by their larger competitors. We will encourage local, rural ownership of biofuel manufacturing facilities because we believe that ensuring a domestic, diverse ownership of production will increase competition, increase production, and benefit rural communities.
"Finally, to protect consumers against any potential price shocks due to supply shortages, our plan creates a 'strategic feedstock reserve.' This reserve will ensure adequate supplies of corn and other widely used feedstock for use in creating renewable fuels. It is a voluntary program that would enable producers to be compensated for storing these feedstocks on-farm, and would make them available for ethanol manufacture when certain triggers are hit.
"Taken together, this plan reduces our dependence on foreign oil, strengthens our national security, enhances the economy, protects the environment, and creates jobs in rural America and across the country. This approach can and should be bipartisan. Unfortunately, we've seen a dramatically different approach from the other side of the aisle. House Republicans passed an energy bill that fell short of doing all we could to move us towards greater energy independence and then supported a budget that: provides nearly 50 percent less for research on renewable energy than their own energy bill promised, and; funds renewable energy and energy efficiency at below the 2001 level, in real terms.
"We believe we need a new direction when it comes to energy policy. Democrats believe America should be energy independent, and we intend to achieve that goal within 10 years. Again, with our plan, we will stop sending our energy dollars to the Middle East, and invest them in the Midwest and in our rural areas from coast to coast. By making the investments we need to make in renewable energy, including biofuels, we can turn America's farms and fields into the victory gardens of the 21st century. This is our commitment to you, to the American people, and to the future.
"Energy independence is a key part of our innovation agenda -- our commitment to competitiveness to keep America number one. Another part of our innovation agenda and our commitment to rural America is universal broadband. Nationwide deployment of high speed, always-on broadband Internet and mobile communications will fuel the development of millions of new jobs in the United States. Just as railroads and highways did in the past, broadband and mobile communications will dramatically increase the productivity and efficiency of our economy -- and especially our rural economy -- in the future. A key goal of our broadband proposal is that no one is more than a keystroke or a mouse click away from the jobs and opportunity that broadband both creates and supports.
"Broadband deployment must extend to our rural and underserved communities. It is an issue of fairness.
"To achieve this goal, we intend to double federal funding to promote broadband deployment, including funding for crucial initiatives within the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service programs. We will also enact a broadband tax credit for telecommunications companies that deploy broadband in rural and underserved parts of America to ensure that every American benefits from our innovation investments. Our agenda guarantees that every American will have affordable access to broadband within five years.
"As we pursue all of these goals -- from energy independence to broadband deployment -- Democrats are committed to supporting the family farmer and rancher. That means providing disaster assistance to help compensate farmers and ranchers across the country for the weather related losses they sustain. That means making sure that the growing use of farms for fuel doesn't drive up the price of feed for livestock producers. That means keeping locally-owned biofuel facilities competitive.
"It means making sure that our trade agreements work for America's workers, America's businesses, and America's farmers. And it means making sure that a prosperous America means prosperous American farmers. Thank you and I'm happy to take some questions."
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