K Street in Brief

Argentine meat ban advances 

American ranchers and rural lawmakers won a quick victory last week.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved an addition to the agriculture spending bill that would effectively ban Argentine meat imports.

{mosads}Similar stand-alone legislation was introduced just this month in the Senate by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and in the House by Reps. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.).

Over the past year, ranchers and cattlemen have lobbied against Argentine imports due to worries that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) had not been eradicated from Argentina’s livestock. Airborne and highly contagious, foot-and-mouth disease can devastate herds.

Cooked Argentine meat can be imported here. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering allowing fresh and frozen meat in as well.

Cattlemen celebrated the Senate action.

“Today is a great day for America’s ranchers because we’re a little bit safer today from FMD — the livestock disease we fear more than any other,” said Leo McDonnell, director emeritus of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, in a statement. “But there’s still work to be done, and cattle producers need to stay engaged until this bill becomes law.”

Kevin Bogardus
 

Gas prices rile big business 

Washington’s most prominent business associations are calling for Congress to act to lower record-high gas prices.

The Coalition for Affordable American Energy (CAAE), a collection of trade groups that represent roughly 750,000 companies overall, began to circulate a letter Tuesday calling on senators to pass legislation to lift drilling bans and support renewable and alternative energy programs.

“These rising fuel costs threaten the very survival of many American businesses,” the letter states. “The impact will be felt across the economy in higher consumer prices and job losses.”

The letter argues that steep fuel prices are forcing companies to cancel capital investments and cut back on staff.

The letter adds that the coalition is “disappointed” that the Senate is ready to consider a proposal that will target oil speculators instead of other pro-drilling bills.

Though drilling and other options may not provide immediate relief, the letter states there is little time to waste. “The time to act is now,” it says.

Kevin Bogardus

Bill promotes natural gas use 

Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.) on Tuesday dropped legislation that aims to spur the growth of natural-gas vehicles. The bill would provide an array of tax credits for consumers, automakers and fuel service stations, with the goal of boosting the share of natural gas cars and trucks to 10 percent of all vehicles by 2018.

Automakers have the technology to make cars that can run on natural gas, but service stations would need to install new equipment to fuel such vehicles.

The legislation is likely to attract the support of environmental groups because natural gas is a cleaner fuel than gasoline. “It is important to break the monopoly of the oil industry at the service station, and to offer drivers freedom of choice when it comes to how they power their vehicles,” said Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, in praising the bill.

The legislation would require the major oil companies to install at least one natural-gas pump at their service stations by 2018. A provision in the bill would grant $2.6 billion in bond authority to states to make loans to stations to install the equipment. Another provision would provide $5 billion in bond authority for the retooling of auto plants to manufacture the vehicles.

Jessica Holzer