CONGRESSMAN
COLLIN C. PETERSON
Minnesota
- 7th District http://www.house.gov/collinpeterson/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2002
CONTACT: Allison Myhre / 218-847-5056
Peterson
continues fight for disaster assistance
(WASHINGTON, DC) –
Congressman Collin C. Peterson (D-7th District) on Thursday
appealed to his colleagues on the Farm Bill Conference Committee, saying
that federal disaster assistance this year is critically important to
northwestern Minnesota’s farmers.
“For many of the farmers I represent the
question is not ‘when will they get in the ground this spring?’, but
rather ‘will they get in the ground at all?’”, Peterson said.
According to Peterson, weather related problems
in 2001 left many farmers in western Minnesota without a crop. Combined with several previous years of flooding, tornados
and wind damage, many of these farmers are facing difficult – if not
impossible – circumstances this year.
“They’re at the end of their rope”,
Peterson said “If we can get a disaster provision in the Farm Bill, some
of these farmers can hang on --
but it’s critical that we get this done for them before it’s too
late.”
The Senate bill contains disaster assistance
and Peterson is working to convince his House colleagues that the need is
immediate and the assistance is essential.
“For some of my farmers, this Farm Bill has
nothing to benefit them. If we
don’t get this help to them now it won’t matter what’s in the final
bill because they won’t be out here farming.”
Agriculture Secretary Ann Venneman, the White
House, and the House Budget Committee Chairman have announced their
opposition to the disaster assistance provisions, but Congressman Peterson
and Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) are working to see that this help is a part
of the final bill for the President to sign.
“This no different than any of the other recent disaster declarations that have been funded. There’s no good reason not to support disaster assistance in this Farm Bill.
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