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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Thursday, January 24, 2008 |
CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 |
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| Sen. Salazar Emphasizes New Ag Sec. Have a ‘Real Connection’ to Rural America
With approximately half of Colorado's land dedicated to agricultural use, the Department of Agriculture has a direct impact on a vast swath of Colorado. Senator Salazar expressed his belief that the Department of Agriculture exists to serve those rural communities, many of which he believes have for too long been the 'Forgotten America.' This is a critical time for the Department as Congress continues to move forward on passage of a Farm Bill that works to revitalize rural America. Additionally, Senator Salazar urged the Department (via the United States Forest Service) to remain engaged with the bark beetle infestation that has plagued Colorado and has threatened to wipe out the vast majority of Colorado's mature lodgepole pines in the next few years. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee Senator Salazar delivered the following statement to the Committee today: "Serving as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture is an opportunity to oversee a department whose important work touches the lives of millions of Americans. And, it is an opportunity to improve the lives and communities in rural areas that have, for too long, been the "Forgotten America." "It is critical that the Secretary of Agriculture have a real connection to rural America and a true commitment to making the most of this opportunity. I take my duty as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee seriously and I look forward to hearing more from you regarding the opportunity that lies before you. "Perhaps it is helpful to give you an idea of the Department's reach in the State of Colorado. Over 46 percent – 31 million acres – of Colorado's land is used for agricultural purposes, and, as of 2006, there were some 31,000 Coloradans operating that land. Another 20 percent – 14.5 million acres – is home to the 11 National Forests and two National Grasslands managed by the United States Forest Service. In total, the actions of the Department of Agriculture have a direct impact on nearly two-thirds of the land in my state. "For certain, the Secretary has the duty of both implementing the agricultural, forestry and rural-related programs that Congress authorizes and spending the funds Congress appropriates. However, the importance of this opportunity demands that the Secretary must go beyond administering and actively seek to improve the Department and its services to the people of rural America. This is especially true in these times of tight federal budgets. The Department must find a way to do more with less, but not at the expense of the very people and communities the Department is expected to assist. "In short, we need a Department who will fight FOR our rural producers, not a Department who fights our communities in an effort to cut costs. Today, I suspect you will be asked what is important to you in the Department, what you expect to accomplish, and what your opinions are on a range of programs and policies. These are important questions, and I hope you will candidly address them. “Briefly, in advance of my questions, let me tell what is important to me. I believe that the Department must have the revitalization of rural America as its overarching goal. The primary vehicle for this ambitious goal is the continued development of rural America's potential to help fuel our country. I am a vocal proponent of the effort to see 25% of our country's energy needs come from renewable energy sources by the year 2025. Such an effort will spur unprecedented investment in rural America and make large strides towards addressing the challenges rural areas are facing. “In the short term, we must sustain the incremental progress that is being made in rural America by continuing to provide a safety net to our producers and investing in their efforts to conserve the land, water, and way of life that are so important to our national heritage. It is entirely appropriate that Congress has sought to provide assistance to producers hit by natural disasters such as hurricanes, drought, and blizzards and it is troubling to me that the Department of Agriculture has fought these efforts in the past. “Finally, I want to underscore the importance of USDA's U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands to Colorado's identity, quality of life, and our economy. These lands are facing tremendous forest health challenges. For example, the drought I referred to earlier has created conditions in which the indigenous bark beetle is able to chew its way through 1.5 million USFS acres. This threatens to wipe out the vast majority of Colorado's mature lodgepole pines in the next few years. “Colorado's local
communities, state government, and Congressional delegation have been
diligently working to mitigate the effects of this infestation and progress
has been made. However, it will take a sustained effort between
the federal, state and private lands to make meaningful progress toward
that goal, and we will need USDA and USFS to remain engaged on this
important issue in order to be successful.
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