[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DO NOT FORGET AGRICULTURE OR OIL BEFORE WE GO HOME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, last night, I rose on a similar 
occasion to plead that, before we go home at this late hour, that we 
not forget our agricultural sector in this country, that we have many 
problems due to disease, due to weather, and most importantly due to 
the low price that we face in all commodities in the agriculture 
sector.
  I am glad to learn, throughout the day, as we tried to negotiate 
agreements, not only with the Senate but also with the White House, 
that progress seems to be being made in the issue that we care about 
when it comes to preserving our family farms and protecting our farmers 
and ranchers across America.
  Clearly we have lots of problems when we see the price of wheat, 
cattle, and corn, what they are today, what they have been in the past, 
and recognize that this Congress should not adjourn. The final gavel 
should not hit the table before we make certain that those issues are 
addressed.
  Again, I ask just briefly tonight that our conferees and our 
negotiators with the White House continue to pursue tax assistance, 
reductions in taxes as they affect the family farmer, disaster relief 
due to the problems we face in price as well as natural disaster; that 
we clearly do something about the issues of embargoes and sanctions 
placed against many countries around the world.
  Our inability to export agricultural products around the world has a 
dramatic impact upon the income of the farmers and ranchers across this 
country. This House has passed relief as regard to sanctions and 
embargoes, and I hope that the Senate and certainly our negotiators 
will insist that those provisions remain in the version of the final 
omnibus bill that I hope we pass before we go home.
  Clearly, the farmers of Kansas, the ranchers of Kansas understand 
that trade is important, that exports matter, and our inability to 
export to all countries at a time when we have told agriculture to go 
out and farm the markets is an important factor in their ability to 
succeed in doing that.
  Tonight, having really addressed the issue of agriculture last night 
and to again plead that it not be forgotten in these last hours, I also 
wish to point out the difficulties we face in the domestic oil 
industry.

  We have significant production of oil in this country and 
particularly in my home district in Kansas. Forty million barrels 
annually is produced in our State, representing about 15,000 jobs, very 
important jobs to the economy.
  Again, when agricultural prices are what they are, usually something 
is good in Kansas. But wheat, cattle, and corn are all low. On top of 
that, the price of oil is the same. It is low, and there is little hope 
for the future.
  As that happens in Kansas, our small producers, those wells that 
produce less than 10 barrels a day, are being shut down and abandoned. 
When we lose them, we lose our ability to have production in the 
future. We became more reliant upon foreign sources of oil.
  So, again, as I asked last night with regards to agriculture, I ask 
that our negotiators continue to pursue relief for a beleaguered oil 
and gas industry in this country, particularly for the small producer 
and for those producers that produce marginal wells whose costs of 
production are very high to maintain.
  I said on the House floor not too many months ago that it is 
disturbing when we learn how much money we spend trying to protect 
foreign supplies of oil but virtually nothing to protect a domestic oil 
and gas industry, a fact that we will pay a huge price for, I am 
afraid, someday.
  So tonight let me remind our negotiators that we have a marginal tax 
well credit that matters, that it would allow a tax credit for our 
producers who have lost money year after year to go back and receive a 
tax credit for the years in which they actually had an income.
  Several months ago, we were successful in defeating the effort by the 
Department of Energy on a crazy idea to actually sell oil out of the 
strategic petroleum reserve at a time when prices were so low we bought 
oil at a high price and we were willing to sell it at a low price and 
dump more oil on the domestic market.
  Tonight I hope we do not forget about the provision that is included 
in the Senate bill that allows for the purchase of oil at a low price 
for the strategic petroleum reserve which can be a security matter for 
us as well as a benefit to the very depressed domestic oil and gas 
industry.
  This matters to the communities and to the families across Kansas and 
across the country. It is important that we do not forget what the 
domestic oil and gas industry represents. Again, before we adjourn and 
go home to our constituents, something I desperately want to do is to 
return to Kansas and to my family, but let us make sure that the oil 
and gas industry as well as agriculture is not forgotten.

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