United States Senator Mike Crapo - Idaho

Statement

Welcome to the August Edition of E-News! In today's 24-hour news environment, providing you with timely information on federal efforts and legislation important to Idaho and our country is a top priority for me. This electronic newsletter, along with my website, iTownHall meetings, podcasts, Facebook and YouTube gives me the opportunity to keep you informed on issues important to Idaho, the West and our country. In every edition of E-News, I include a survey question or questions that affords you the chance to weigh in on key issues of the day, and it helps keep me informed of your views.

Reaching as many Idahoans as possible is extremely important to me, and you can use the "Tell a Friend" form on the lower left to pass this along to friends, co-workers and family members. It is my intent that E-News provides you with an interesting and informative resource to help you keep informed on developments in Washington that affect our state, and that you will let me know of anything that I can do to improve E-News and other communications tools.

In this month's E-News, you will find information on:

* Agriculture-Issues of importance to agriculture in Idaho before Congress and the Administration
* Environment-Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Act signed into law
* Budget-Seeking your input on our mounting deficit

Agriculture

There has been recent activity in Congress and the Administration relating to a number of issues of importance to many in the agricultural community:

* On July 15, 2010, Senator Mark Udall (D-Colorado) and I introduced the American Family Farm and Ranchland Protection Act designed to offer estate tax relief to assist farmers, ranchers and others with preserving family farms and the heritage of our rural communities by helping families avoid the pressure to sell, break up or develop their property when it is handed down from one generation to the next. While there is no estate tax this year, it is set to increase to pre-2001 levels next year, increasing the pressure on families to develop their land.
* On July 15, 2010, I voted against H.R. 4173, the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, more commonly known as the financial reform bill, as the bill makes credit more expensive and negatively impacts Main Street and job creation.
* On July 21, 2010, I joined Senator Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) and twelve Senate colleagues, including Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), in introducing bipartisan legislation to help end a shortage of rural veterinary medicine. S. 3621, the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act, would bolster our nation's veterinary work force by eliminating taxes on programs that encourage veterinarians to practice in underserved areas.
* On July 22, 2010, I signed a bipartisan letter led by Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting an extension of the comment period on the proposed rule published by the Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) to amend regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act. It is essential to allow adequate time for all stakeholders to understand the implications of the broad reforms proposed. On July 26, 2010, GIPSA extended the comment period until November 22, 2010.
* I also recently joined Senator Jim Risch, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and others in sending a letter to U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson expressing concerns with EPA's proposal that would establish the most stringent and unparalleled regulation of dust in our nation's history. Maintaining a clean and healthy environment is essential. However, dust occurs naturally, and EPA's identified levels will be extremely burdensome for farmers and livestock producers to attain.

To hear more about some of these issues and others, please review the recent Agri-Pulse Open Mic interview. Return to the top.

Environment

Along with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), I introduced the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Act. The bill was passed by the Senate on June 14, and was then passed in the House of Representatives. On July 8, it was signed into law by the President. The law establishes national health standards for formaldehyde in composite wood products, protecting consumers from potentially hazardous levels of the chemical. The new standards will apply to both domestic products and foreign imports.

The health threats posed by formaldehyde are all around us in products such as shelving, cabinets and particle board furniture. Our responsible domestic wood products producers adopted these safety standards years ago, and it is now fitting that this new law will stop imports of these potentially dangerous products from foreign nations as well. Return to the top.

Budget

A contentious debate is occurring in Congress about how to best encourage economic growth. Some say we cannot stop federal spending now because our economy needs the economic stimulus provided by federal spending. Others say the overspending by Congress is a huge part of the problem and that, to strengthen our economy, Congress must reduce or stop its deficit spending. On taxes, some say that we should increase taxes to help reduce the deficit. Others say raising taxes during a recession is exactly the wrong thing to do and that reducing taxes is the best way to stimulate economic growth.

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