Today, I joined my colleague Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) to tape a segment about the Farm Bill for ABC’s 20/20 with John Stossel that will air in October.  As many of you know, I am a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and had the opportunity to be directly involved in creating this important piece of legislation. I strongly believe that the Farm Bill is essential to sustaining and growing the farming community in Upstate New York. By making historic investments in fruit and vegetable production, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy, the legislation creates a stronger safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers. This bill fairly and equitably represents the interests of all of our farmers and various agricultural industries across the country and was fashioned in a bipartisan manner.  Particularly, the dairy, specialty crops and conservation provisions will be extremely beneficial to New York farmers. In addition, the legislation makes great strides in reforming farm programs to reduce benefits going to the wealthiest of farmers and non-farmers alike, requires direct attribution of benefits, establishes a revenue-based counter cyclical program, and strengthens the integrity of the crop insurance program. To read my floor speech on the Farm Bill click here    

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Today I voted to override the President’s veto of H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, otherwise known as the Farm Bill.  I also had the opportunity to speak on the House floor in support of overriding the veto.  

   When I was elected to Congress, I joined the Agriculture Committee because of my District’s rich and deep tradition in farming.  As a member of this committee, I am committed to serving not only the needs of my District, but also to preserving our nation’s agricultural vitality.  As such, I was extremely disappointed by the President’s veto. 

I am very pleased by what our committee has been able to do in writing this Farm bill. This bill fairly and equitably represents the interests of all of our farmers and various agricultural industries across the country and was fashioned in a bipartisan manner.  Particularly, the dairy, specialty crops and conservation provisions will be extremely beneficial to New York farmers.

But more importantly, this legislation contains reform. For the first time in history, there will be a hard cap on the adjusted gross income standard to prevent the wealthiest from receiving payments.  As such, this Farm Bill has broad support from a variety of agricultural, nutrition, conservation and consumer entities.        

This Farm Bill is an opportunity to make American farm policy truly comprehensive, competitive and cohesive.  I am pleased that a majority of my colleagues in Congress joined me in overriding this ill-advised veto.

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Every April 22nd, we mark the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement that arose in 1970. Over the last 38 years, this movement has made significant gains, creating a new vision of environmental awareness and fostering the desire to protect our planet. But even with the vast strides we have made over the last three decades, we are still in the midst of an energy crisis. 

Our current energy crisis is a crucial issue facing this country, and at this moment, we are facing two distinct battles: with nations who use their oil reserves for political motives against us; and with Mother Nature. These battles may have little in common, but they are both battles we must win. First, we must be released from the oil-drenched grips of foreign governments who drive oil prices up, placing financial hardship on American families. By investing in alternative and domestic energy sources such as wind, solar, ethanol, hydroelectric, and nuclear, we can begin to reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources and thus return the control of our financial destiny to the people of this great nation. The second battle is with Mother Nature. While we cannot undo the damages that fossil fuels have done to our planet, we can begin to reduce their presence in hopes of reversing some of the effects of global warming.

In an attempt to combat this crisis now, last year I challenged my constituents to take part in The 6 Degrees of Energy Efficiency Challenge (www.sixdegreechallenge.org). I again urge the residents of the 29th District to do their part to stamp out energy waste in the U.S by taking the 6 Degrees Challenge. By simply replacing just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent bulb, we would save enough energy to light 7 million homes, save $660 million in utility bills, and would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is just one of the many simple changes we can make to change the world and the state of our planet. I implore all of my constituents to look into this challenge and take the small steps that will make a big difference for our planet. The little everyday choices we make, from the food we eat and throw away to our home and transportation, we all have a role in ensuring a healthy planet for future generations

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