Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2419, Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2419, FARM, NUTRITION, AND BIOENERGY ACT OF 2007

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule we are considering today.

Mr. Speaker, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 is an important bill that outlines the funding for our country's agriculture policy, its conservation approaches and its nutrition programs. These initiatives touch each of us in some way, whether we're from rural, suburban or urban districts. The farm bill impacts all of us.

I want to applaud Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Goodlatte and Speaker Pelosi for bringing forward this fine bill.

My district is in one of the fastest growing areas in California. Sacramento is also at the bottom of one of the most farm-rich watersheds in the country. We are at the confluence of two great rivers, the American and, our namesake river, the Sacramento.

As our population grows and as our climate continues to change, our natural resources are impacted first. Farmland is often the first to feel the effects of changing weather and climate patterns, and in the Sacramento watershed the farmers are the stewards of the land. I'm ready to work with local landowners to develop voluntary comprehensive conservation plans that address present and future needs.

I want to thank Chairman Peterson for working with me to designate the Sacramento River watershed as a region of national priority in the regional water enhancement program. This designation and the promise of future funding will go a long way toward developing the Sacramento River watershed over the next 40 years.

Building on this designation, I look forward to convening a coordinating committee which will address the preservation of working lands and water management within the watershed.

Our initial focus will be to build a strong consensus on conservation and its value for our region. We have a truly unique opportunity to shape the vision for the watershed from its inception. This will help ensure that we build upon solid local input as we develop this vision.

Above the city of Sacramento, there are 500,000 acres of rice and 500,000 acres of specialty crops. My district is proof that the distance between urban and rural communities gets smaller every single day.

Our communities have different needs, but we share a common goal: to protect, preserve and enhance our way of life. I believe that preserving working lands can do just that. This should be an important priority for our entire region.

Finally, I applaud the chairman's commitment in providing $1.6 billion to specialty crop producers. These funds are critical to the producers' daily operations. They will foster progress in research, conservation, pest and disease programs and nutrition.

I ask my colleagues to support this rule and final passage of the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007.

Source