Bob Latta|
Posted by
Staff
on
October 29, 2009
House Agriculture Committee, Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research Opening Statement on next generation biofuels
Good Morning. Chairman Holden and Ranking Member Goodlatte. I would like to welcome our two distinguished panels of witnesses from the private sector and the USDA to discuss America’s future on next generation biofuels. A simple premise in this day and age is that we cannot predict with any certainty what energy prices will be, what the supply and demand will be, or what our economy will look like in the future. Energy is plays a central role in our economy and alternative energy such as biofuels will directly impact the availability of jobs, our incomes and the quality of our lives for many years to come. These sources of alternative energy are an important step towards energy independence. If we do not use these resources and address these issues now, the rest of the world will pass us by. The Fifth Congressional District in Ohio is ahead of the curve in alternative energy sources as it is home to solar panel manufacturing, wind turbines, ethanol, geothermal, and biodiesel. There is also a process for coal gasification and development of a hydrogen engine is also occurring in the Fifth Congressional District. We are all aware that one source of energy is not one answer to our energy challenges. Our country needs not only biofuels, but also wind, solar, hydro in addition to nuclear, clean coal technology and more domestic oil and natural gas production. If we are going to achieve energy independence, we must use all available sources in a manner that is economically viable and environmentally sound. I hope that today’s hearing will help start moving our future use of biofuels and other sources of alternative energy in the right direction towards bringing jobs back, and bringing more alternative sources of energy to America and further developing the ones already in existence. The panelists who have been invited to testify have varied backgrounds will speak about various aspects. Northern Ohio has a future in this country to be a leader in alternative energies such as biofuels. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and thank you for your insight and testimony. Thank you and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the House Committee on Agriculture on this very important issue.
Posted by
Staff
on
October 29, 2009
Click here to read the 1,990 page health care bill House Democrats introduced today after months of closed-door negotiations.
Posted by
Staff
on
October 29, 2009
This blog post originally appears on House Republican Leader John Boehner's (R-OH) blog
Members of Congress and the American people are just beginning to look at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover of health care, but it’s already becoming clear just how costly and unsustainable this proposal is. From higher taxes on middle-class families to job-killing mandates on small businesses to cuts in Medicare benefits for seniors, here are 10 facts every American should know about Speaker Pelosi’s 1,990-page government takeover of health care: 1. RAISES TAXES ON MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill imposes a range of tax increases on families with income below $250,000, breaking a promise made by President Obama. Tax increases on middle class families include: an individual mandate tax of up to 2.5 percent of income for taxpayers earning as little as $9,350; repeal of a tax break on medicine purchased with funds from an HSA (health savings account); limits to tax relief through FSAs (flexible spending accounts); taxes on medical devices that will inevitably be passed on to consumers; and a new tax on all insurance policies. 2. MASSIVE CUTS TO MEDICARE BENEFITS FOR SENIORS. Despite grave warnings from CBO, FactCheck.org, and the independent Lewin Group that cuts to Medicare of the magnitude included in Speaker Pelosi’s bill would have a negative impact on seniors’ benefits and choices, Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill stays the course and cuts Medicare by hundreds of billions of dollars. 3. NO PROTECTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill claims to exempt small businesses from the steep eight percent ‘pay or play’ employer mandate. The facts tell a different story. Using Census data compiled by the Small Business Administration, this so-called ‘exemption’ hammers small employers with only, on average, 17 or more employees to new taxes and mandates. The outfits affected employ 70 percent of all small business employees, or 42.3 million workers. Adding to the assault on small businesses, the bill does not index the small business “exemption” amounts, meaning more and more small businesses will be ensnared by this job-killing employer mandate each year. 4. INCREASES THE COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE. Imposing a new $2 billion tax on insurance policies will be passed on to patients in the form of higher premiums. Changes to the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit will, according to estimates by CBO, will raise Medicare Part B premiums by $25 billion and Part D premiums by 20 percent. And imposing an unfunded mandate on the states to pay for the bill’s Medicaid expansion will shift the burden of this expansion on state taxpayers who may experience tax increases to cover the cost. 5. USES GIMMICKS TO HIDE BUDGET-BUSTING COST, PILES UP DEBT ON FUTURE GENERATIONS. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill claims to be deficit neutral, but uses budget gimmickry to hide its massive total cost. Working families across America know they cannot simply decide that a bill they get in the mail doesn’t exist, but that’s exactly what congressional Democrats are doing. In order to meet the President’s ‘target’ spending total of $900 billion, Democrats have simply swept costly provisions under the rug, including the $245 billion ‘doc fix.’ 6. IMPOSES JOB-KILLING EMPLOYER MANDATES. Additional taxes on employers and new government mandates that dictate acceptable insurance will place new and crushing burdens on employers. These are burdens that will ultimately fall squarely on the backs of workers in the form of reduced wages, fewer hours or lost employment. CBO agrees that “[e]mployees largely bear the cost of... play-or-pay fees in the form of lower wages.” According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s largest small business association, an employer mandate of this magnitude will disproportionately impact small businesses, triggering up to 1.6 million lost jobs. Two-thirds of those jobs would be shed by small businesses. 7. TILTS THE PLAYING FIELD IN FAVOR OF THE GOVERNMENT-RUN INSURANCE COMPANY. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill promises not to give the government-run plan advantages over private insurers in the market, but the opposite is true. The bill provides billions in start-up funding for the government-run plan, and while it requires the plan to repay the money over time it does not require the plan to pay interest on this “loan.” This interest-free, taxpayer-subsidized loan is potentially worth millions of dollars and tilts the playing field in favor of the government-run plan. 8. THREATENS CASH-STRAPPED STATES WITH UNFUNDED MANDATES. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill swells the number of Americans on the government rolls by expanding Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid is financed through a federal-state partnership, but the bill dumps nearly ten percent of the mandated expansion included in the bill onto the states. States, already struggling with fiscal constraints, would be left on the hook for billions of dollars due to this unfunded mandate. 9. CREATES A NEW MONSTROSITY IN THE TAX CODE. Starting in 2011, Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill imposes a 5.4 percent tax on adjusted gross income above $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for married couples. Yet, the dollar amounts for which the tax kicks in are not indexed for inflation. We’ve seen this horror film before: the Alternative Minimum Tax, another Frankenstein’s monster of the tax code, also wasn’t indexed for inflation and now affects millions of middle class families with incomes below the Democrat’s surtax. 10. MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CURTAIL JUNK LAWSUITS. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill misses a critical opportunity to rein in junk lawsuits and costly defensive medicine. The bill includes only a voluntary grant program to deal with the medical liability crisis instead of including real reform, which would produce tens of billions of dollars in savings, improve efficiency in our health care system and reduce costs for patients and providers. BONUS: Republicans have offered better solutions to lower health care costs and expand access to quality, affordable coverage at a price our nation can afford. Learn more by visiting healthcare.gop.gov
Posted by
Staff
on
October 27, 2009
Today, Congressman Latta sent a letter to the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) to enter comments against the proposed rule to require banks prepay their assessments from the FDIC.
“During this time of economic uncertainty, I have grave reservations that this prepaid assessment is going to further curb the liquidity for the banks in the 5th District of Ohio which will further impede the lending for the small businesses that need it most,” Latta stated in his letter. A copy of Congressman Latta’s letter can be found here. On October 22, Congressman Latta sent a letter to House Committee on Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and House Committee on Small Business Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) requesting a joint committee hearing on the state of lending to small businesses in the United States. A copy of that letter can be found here.
Posted by
Staff
on
October 21, 2009
Recently, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Julius Genachowski, has announced plans to codify an open Internet standard through the regulatory process. This so-called “network neutrality” principle would bar Internet Service Providers (ISP) from blocking or degrading access to the Internet based on which site or service a user visits.
Consistent with many of this Administration’s early initiatives, it seems as if the FCC is too quick on the draw in embracing intrusive regulatory solutions, when market mechanisms are already working to ensure an open Internet. The last time that I checked, my ISP did not block or slow my access to any site, nor have there been widespread cases of network operator abuse. Mr. Genachowski has put the cart before the horse and, at this point, the apparent heavy handed reach is, and best, unfounded and unsubstantiated. There have been few violations of the FCC’s current “network neutrality” statement of policy, thus begging the question of what specific incident warrants such broad government intrusion? The answer is simple, nothing. The Googles, Yahoos! and Twitters of the world continue to grow, innovate, and meet consumer demand while the AT&Ts, Comcasts, Verizons, and Sprints continue to outlay a larger and better fiber-optic and wireless infrastructure to continue to deliver the innovative content that is demanded by the users and producers. This is particularly important to rural areas where high-speed broadband expansion continues to lag behind their more urban counterparts. Thus, as our economy continues to struggle and unemployment continues to rise to levels we haven’t seen in decades, why would we want to regulate what is seemingly the last outpost for innovation and growth? As a strong believer in the transformative power of the Internet, we can all agree that popular services like YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter should not be blocked or slowed down arbitrarily by ISPs. As the Internet moves from the desktop into our pocket, it is critical that the same spirit of open innovation and consumer choice that has fueled the Internet's growth also be brought into the wireless space. We are quickly moving to a day where anything you can do on the Internet via your desktop you can also do on your mobile device—enhanced by the portability and versatility of today's handsets. In a space where unbridled innovation is already the norm, it is not clear to me what benefits new FCC regulations would add to the current telecommunications mix. Consumers now expect open and fast access to any website or application—whether wired or wirelessly—and will revolt in a competitive marketplace if it is not provided to them. Consumers would not tolerate any carrier blocking or slowing down services for any reasons other than to protect its network from harm or fairly manage any bandwidth constraints—and nor would I. But what we have today at the FCC constitutes an effort to regulate in response to theoretical concerns and occasional isolated instances. As President Reagan once said, the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “We’re from the government and we’re here to help.” The proposed FCC rules do not change the current open nature of the Internet and the inexorable move to fast and open access to Internet applications on mobile devices. At this point, "net neutrality" regulations are a solution in search of a problem. As such, we do not need federal regulation to keep the Internet free and open for all interested parties, we need the government to “get out of the way and stay out of the way.”
Posted by
Staff
on
October 16, 2009
Congressman Robert E. Latta I believe there is an impending crisis in this country in relation to water infrastructure issues. During my time in Congress one of main priorities has been to assist the local communities in my District with their water infrastructure issues. It is the main issue I hear over and over from local communities, as they simply do not have the financial means to address regulations that have been placed upon them in relation to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Last spring, I sent Administrator Jackson, along with some of my Ohio colleagues, a letter requesting information about the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) and its enforcement of water infrastructure issues in the state. I was disappointed that the response came from the EPA Chicago Region 5 office rather than from Ms. Jackson herself. During these difficult economic times for our country and its citizens, Ohio communities are being put in a very tough situation: feeling great pressure to comply with regulations while at the same time facing the reality that, in many cases, there simply are not funds available for these communities to fund the projects being mandated upon them. To make the best of this situation, I respectfully requested then, and respectfully request now, that Ms. Jackson direct the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to, as appropriate, grant variances so these communities can make the improvements needed to their drinking water and wastewater systems. While we all agree that our nation’s health, quality of life, and economic well-being rely on adequate drinking water and wastewater treatment, the current requirements present an undue burden on these Ohio communities during these tough economic times. I look forward to continuing to work the Committee and the EPA on this very important issue. Thank you and I yield back my time.
Posted by
Staff
on
October 13, 2009
Ann Arbor, Michigan- The conservation organization Ducks Unlimited received the 2009 Lake Erie Award for an outstanding organization at the fall meeting of the Lake Erie Commission in Oregon, Ohio. The award is given to an organization that made outstanding contributions to enhance Ohio's Great Lake. "Lake Erie is an exceptional resource," said Roy Kroll, manager of conservation programs and the Southwest Lake Erie Lands Protection Strategy at Ducks Unlimited. "Ducks Unlimited is proud to accept this award on behalf of all the partners, private landowners, and DU members working to restore and protect its watersheds. We encourage new partners, whether groups or individuals, to join us in our continuing efforts in conservation." Ducks Unlimited (DU) has designated Lake Erie as a conservation priority area. Programs focus on the long-term protection of important and threatened wetland habitat, primarily for migratory birds and wetland-dependent wildlife. Ohio Congressman Bob Latta acknowledged DU achievements in the area. "As a lifelong sportsman, and on behalf of all sportsmen in Ohio's Fifth Congressional District, I would like to congratulate Ducks Unlimited for receiving the 2009 Ohio Lake Erie Award. Ducks Unlimited works tirelessly to ensure sportsmen across Ohio can continue to enjoy the rich traditions of hunting by promoting and practicing conservation policies that protect and preserve our valuable natural resources. It is only fitting that the time and effort put forth by Ducks Unlimited and its members be recognized with this prestigious award. Because of their extraordinary efforts, Ducks Unlimited continues to protect our proud traditions can so that they can be passed along to future generations of sportsmen." Programs at Ducks Unlimited also focus on the acquisition of existing or restorable coastal habitat for inclusion into state or federal wildlife areas. "DU has played a crucial role in conserving and restoring habitat in the Lake Erie region, which is truly one of the most important waterfowl areas in North America" said Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) "The marshes and wetlands along the Lake Erie shoreline are precious jewels in the 'Emerald Necklace' of greenspace around the western basin. As a leader in stewardship and conservation, DU is certainly a most worthy recipient of the Lake Erie Award." Since 1985, DU has invested approximately $12.3 million in the Lake Erie watershed for wetlands conservation. DU has partnered with the Ohio Division of Wildlife on almost every large wetland owned by the Division in the watershed, including Metzger's Marsh, Magee Marsh, Pickerel Creek, Pipe Creek, Grand River, Mosquito Creek and Mallard Club wildlife areas. In addition, DU has worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on multiple wetland restorations within Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge complex. DU has also partnered with other conservation organizations, land conservancies, private landowners and sporting clubs throughout the Lake Erie Watershed to effectively implement wetland conservation on the landscape. For more information on Ducks Unlimited's work in the Lake Erie Watershed go to http://www.ducks.org/Conservation/GLARO/3727/PriorityAreas.html#erie
Posted by
Staff
on
October 01, 2009
“Today marks the one year anniversary of American Energy Freedom Day. President George W. Bush rescinded a 20 year old restriction on energy leasing in 85 percent of American waters known as the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) on October 1, 2008. One year later, the Obama Administration including Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar are looking to delay the proposed plan for an additional three years. This is especially frustrating because it takes over four years to begin production on an oil or gas lease, with the total process taking up to 10 years when all of the environmental permitting, National Environmental Policy Act analysis, drilling permits, drilling, building infrastructure and producing the oil or natural gas is completed. The OCS is estimated to have reserves of 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (tcf), and currently provides 23 percent of America’s natural gas resources and 30 percent of our oil resources. According to a recent study by the Heritage Foundation, increasing domestic production by 1 million barrels alone would reduce imported petroleum costs by $123 billion and generate an additional $7.7 billion in economic activity. The study shows that the net gain to the economy would be $105 billion and that the impact on employment would be an increase of 128,000 jobs. Research from the American Energy Alliance shows that increasing OCS production could sustain, in total, about 1.2 million new, full times jobs per year over 30 years, in addition to $8 trillion in economic output and $70 billion in additional wages. The OCS is the first step in a long process for the United States to become energy independent, specifically from Middle Eastern countries. Not only will the OCS provide us with the energy our nation needs for many years, it will also serve as an economic catalyst to jump start our economy. I am encouraging President Obama and his administration to move forward as quickly as possible in opening the OCS for drilling and recovery.” |
