Dear Editor:
Our nation's energy policy is more than merely a drain on our domestic energy capability. It is a drag on our economy and the competitiveness of our farmers and other hard-working Americans.
Nowhere is this deficiency of current energy policy more noticeable than the negative impacts affecting agriculture. Estimates show that U.S. farmers spent $1 billion to $2 billion more this year than last just to plant a crop. The availability and affordability of energy is essential to the competitive production of high-quality food and fiber.
It is time to start addressing our country's long-term energy concerns by enacting a comprehensive program in Washington that fully utilizes domestic sources of energy. Both the House and the Senate have passed energy legislation. Now they must work out the differences in a conference committee. President Bush has said he wants to sign comprehensive energy legislation before the year's end.
The bills passed thus far contain several incentives for increased use of renewable energy sources, such as ethanol made from corn, soybean-derived biodiesel, biomass from animal waste and wind energy generated from on-the-farm turbines. Renewable energy not only benefits the environment, but also serves as economic stimulus for rural areas by creating jobs and establishing additional markets for farm commodities.
Each bill includes a renewable fuels standard, calling for increases in the nation's use of renewable fuels to 5 billion gallons over the next decade. The provision is estimated to increase demand for corn by more than 1 billion bushels and soybeans by 144 million bushels. Additionally, estimates show a renewable fuels standard would create the need for $5.3 billion in new investment in production facilities in rural areas, as well as create 214,000 new American jobs.
Another component to successful energy legislation is the extension of tax credits for renewable energy sources. An energy tax package, expected to be offered during the energy bill conference, would grant $15.5 billion in tax incentives to expand the use of renewable energy and increase domestic oil and gas production.
The family farms represented by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau urge members of Congress to finish the energy bill as soon as they return from the August recess so President Bush can sign it into law. We also encourage Pennsylvanians to call upon Congress for speedy action.
The nation's energy policy is vital to the success of American agriculture and the future of all Americans. Instead of being a drain or a drag on our economy and our environment, the package on the table will help fuel our nation for a long, productive haul and a cleaner, renewable journey.
Guy F. Donaldson
president, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
Camp Hill, e-mail
