Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is straightforward. It merely eliminates the bioenergy subsidy programs that were established way back in title IX of the 2002 farm bill some 16 years ago. Those programs are the Biobased Markets Program; the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program; the Repowering Assistance Program; the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program; the Rural Energy for America Program; the Biomass Research and Development Initiative; the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers; the Biomass Crop Assistance Program; and the Community Wood Energy Program.

President Reagan said that there is nothing quite as everlasting as a Federal program, and I am hoping that we can end some of these programs today.

Needless to say, subsidies have no place in a free market. If biofuels are to succeed, it should be based on their benefit to the Nation's overall energy economy, not because they receive taxpayer funds.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I respect my colleague's reasoned opposition, although I disagree with him.

I appreciate his passion on the issue, and I have no doubt that he and I will work together on many future projects. But with this, Mr. Chairman, I continue to hold my position and would urge the passage of my amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague's position, and I regrettably must disagree with that position and continue to urge passage of the amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source