The View from WORC

by WORC Chair, Donley Darnell

Two teams of members and staff have just returned from Washington. They were walking the halls of Congress to generate support for the oil and gas provisions in energy bills and to press the Senate to add competition and livestock market reform to the 2007 Farm Bill.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed energy bills. The House energy bill provides some protections long sought by WORC for surface owners with split estate minerals. The bill also updates oil and gas bonding and reclamation standards, protects water resources, ensures a prudent approach to the potential development of oil shale on public lands, and creates a federal renewable energy standard of 15% for electricity by 2020.

On the other side of Capitol Hill, the Senate energy bill would boost production of biofuels and clean renewable energy and set automobile fuel efficiency standards, among other provisions.

Now the House and Senate are preparing to work out the differences.

In terms of livestock market reform, we may have our best opportunity in years to restore competition to the markets. Members and staff met with key Senators and urged them to include captive supply reform in the new Farm Bill.

And, once again, country-of-origin labeling is in the discussion. With help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the meatpackers and food processors have delayed implementation of this law for years. Maybe now, if Congress hears from enough of us ranchers and consumers, they’ll send a strong message to USDA to get on with labeling of U.S. raised beef. Then we’ll be able to differentiate our product and consumers will know where their beef comes from.

I hope you will take a few minutes to do some follow up to the work done by two teams by contacting your Congressional delegation on these important issues. Urge them to support the oil and gas provisions contained in the House energy bill and to include livestock market reform in the Farm Bill. You can reach your Senators and Representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121.