Mr. President, I rise this evening to speak about an important resolution that passed the Senate last week. I introduced S. Res. 561, which designates September as Rural America Month. I first thank…
Mr. President, I rise this evening to speak about an important resolution that passed the Senate last week. I introduced S. Res. 561, which designates September as Rural America Month.
I first thank the majority leader and my colleague, Senator Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas, for their help in passing this resolution. For me, home means Nevada. Growing up as the son of a hard rock miner in a rural community called Searchlight, far from the bright lights of Las Vegas, has shaped my love for rural America. So when I became leader, I decided I wanted to do something to show how serious Democrats are about standing up for rural America. I couldn't think of a better person to lead this effort than Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas.
I appointed her the chairman of my Rural Outreach Program, and she has done a wonderful job. She is so articulate, has that wonderful smile, and she has done things we never realized would be so effective. I publicly extend my appreciation to her for her leadership in this area. The people of Arkansas are so fortunate to have this good woman serving in the Senate.
It is our love for rural America that brings us to the Chamber today. Senator Lincoln has been here. I appreciate her remarks very much. But it is what motivates us to support 55 million people who, like us, call rural America home. These small towns and rural communities are rich in heritage and tradition, and we need to do everything we can to protect and sustain the rural way of life.
Today, as we honor rural America, I would like to talk about some steps I believe the Senate should take to enrich rural economies, bring new and better services to small towns, enhance these pieces of fabric of America we call rural America.
During the last century, our rural communities have undergone an amazing transformation. With more than 2,000 rural counties accounting for almost 85 percent of the American landscape, the definition of what is rural often depends upon arbitrary lines of distinction. As rural economies become increasingly diversified, communities strive to adapt to the demands of a constantly evolving global community and economy. Take, for example, Elko, NV. Once, Elko was a small Basque enclave. It has grown dramatically during the past decade, and for so many years it has been growing in a way we never envisioned.
Today, Elko and the immediate vicinity produces 63 percent of the world's gold. It has recognized the challenge of relying upon the highly volatile industry, but it still carries on and does so well. The people of Elko worked together to identify local resources to foster not only growth but smart growth. As it turns out, one of Elko's most valuable assets is an unused railroad spur. Today, this is being developed and will become one of the busiest transportation hubs in the West because of the mining industry and ranching industry.
That is not all. Elko is also doing something else to capitalize on the uniqueness of their setting in the American West.
One of the reasons I am so proud of this legislation is because it honors America's farmers, ranchers, and, yes,
cowboys. Farming and ranching are the foundation of rural culture in America and continue to drive the rural economy. Today, with 95 million head of cattle, beef production in the United States is an $80 billion- a-year industry. This year, Americans will consume 25 billion pounds of beef. With the livestock they raise and the responsible stewardship of public lands, American farmers and ranchers help feed families across the country and around the world. Although less than 10 percent of the world's cattle are raised in America, we produce nearly 25 percent of the world's beef supply.
For 23 years, the Western Folklife Center has hosted the National Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko. Each year, poets, storytellers, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, and other performers descend upon the town to celebrate these American icons. The theme for this year's gathering is ``The Ranch.''
If you talk to ranchers and farmers this year, one of the first topics you hear is the rising cost of energy. The high cost of gasoline and diesel affects all Americans, but it hits rural America very hard. These are men and women who make a living driving tractors and other large pieces of equipment, hauling their grain and moving their livestock from place to place. This is one area in particular where we can help rural America, and I believe we should.
Instead of making farmers pay for dependence on foreign oil, it is time they were paid to make America energy independent. It is within our grasp. We are at a real turning point for alternative energy. Alternative energy technologies are finally becoming cost competitive with conventional energy sources such as oil and gas. In 2005, the three largest technology IPOs were, believe it or not, solar companies. By 2009, it is likely alternative energy technology will capture 10 percent of all capital venture investments. All of this is possible if we work together to take us in a new direction.
Another hardship faced by rural Americans is the loss of jobs. In the wake of outsourcing, rural communities have been left with the daunting task of retraining workers whose only training had been for jobs that no longer exist. For example, the manufacturing industry, which is so vital to so many small towns, has been hit the hardest, with as much as 30 percent of that sent abroad. It is not unusual for someone to work their ranch or farm but also have another job, and that has been very hurtful, with these jobs being shipped overseas. It has been particularly devastating for low-skill workers who make up more than 40 percent of all rural workers.
The problem is made worse when young unskilled workers leave the workforce in search of opportunities only available beyond the county line. While it is clear rural communities need to be more aggressive in attracting new industries, the task is easier said than done.
Prospective employers need to be assured they have a pool of talented workers. With the exodus of skilled workers and an untrained workforce, few companies are willing to roll the dice. That is too bad.
Living in rural America is something that you do not see on a balance sheet. It is only a live experience. More people should experience the joy of living in rural America.
Just as good jobs are hard to find, so is good health care and good emergency response. In many parts of the country, such as Ely, NV, when there is an emergency--whether it is a small brush fire or national catastrophe--we look to our neighbors to keep our families safe. We rely on volunteer firefighters and police officers. This fact was made painfully clear after Hurricane Katrina.
That is why I feel so strongly that the Senate must do everything it can to make sure our first responders have the tools they need to get the job done right. Volunteer fire departments depend on programs such as Fire and Citizen Corps grants. Every day, rural law enforcement officials rely on the funding that the Byrne and COPS Programs provide.
Often, when we talk about veterans issues, we are talking about rural issues. Rural America is home to many U.S. veterans. In fact, according to the Census Bureau, rural and nonmetropolitan counties account for the largest concentration of veterans.
This is true for my home State of Nevada. With more than 250,000 veterans, Nevada has the third largest population of veterans, and it continues to grow. During the last decade, Nevada saw its veterans population increase by more than 30 percent--the highest increase in the country.
That is why for so many years now, I have been pushing Congress to revisit the injustice in compensation for our nation's veterans--the ban on concurrent receipt.
As too many are well aware, disabled veterans face the obstacle of forfeiting retirement pay dollar-for-dollar if they receive disability compensation. This policy is unacceptable, and I am committed to securing fair policy to provide our veterans with the entirety of their earned compensation.
I have been fighting for five years to allow for full concurrent receipt, and despite veto threats from the administration, we have made many great strides towards fair compensation for our veterans. In 2003, Congress passed my legislation allowing disabled retired veterans with at least a fifty percent disability rating to become eligible for full concurrent receipt over a ten-year period. This measure passed despite veto threats from the Bush administration.
Most recently, I have introduced legislation--S. 558--which would provide concurrent receipt to military retirees, with 20 or more years of service, who are rated less than 50 percent. It would also eliminate the 10-year phase-in period for veterans who draw their disability and retirement pay; it will also change my 2003 bill to give full concurrent receipt to all veterans with service connected disabilities. There are currently 29 cosponsors to this legislation.
Additionally, the CARES commission on veterans' health care recognized the need for a Community Based Outpatient Clinic--CBOC--in Fallon and an expansion of services at the Reno VA Medical Center. I am committed to providing Nevada's veterans with more access to quality health care options, including a new CBOC in Elko.
And finally, no discussion of helping rural America would be complete without a discussion of Broadband.
For rural America, competition and active participation in the local and global marketplaces not only means having a computer, but also access to high-speed internet services.
Rural areas are consistently left behind urban areas when it comes to federal investment in the infrastructure systems that are essential for any economy to thrive--including telecommunications systems.
Although the Internet has touched the lives of billions of people around the globe, most of rural America has been left behind even the least developed countries.
Less than a decade ago, the Internet meant email and chat rooms. Today, access to broadband Internet is so much more. With high speed internet, incredible amounts of information can change fingers at the speed of light.
However, even in rural areas where broadband access has been introduced, problems such as affordability and adoption rates remain huge obstacles to progress/leaving dial-up the only realistic option. Affordability and adoption rates are the biggest obstacles we have.
Broadband Internet has proven itself to be a potent catalyst in job creation, economic development, and a critical component of education and public safety. In fact, the deployment of broadband service to our rural areas may be as important to economic development as rural electrification was during the Great Depression.
And so, my colleagues and I are committed to investing in innovative broadband technologies so that rural communities can begin to form new kinds of partnerships, and reach new levels of connectivity.
For example, Senator Clinton has worked to link local businesses in St. Lawrence County to global markets using eBay. Many parts of St. Lawrence County are remote, and businesses have a hard time finding customers. But not on eBay. eBay also offered training to small business owners and their employees.
Senator Clinton has also previously secured Senate passage of tax incentives for telecommunications companies to deploy broadband to rural
areas. This technology will allow small businesses around New York to compete for customers around the globe.
We have seen how one small business has worked with several communities to bring free wireless internet service to nine cities in Eastern Oregon. The service is now being used to track cargo shipments on the Columbia River, monitor a munitions depot, and has improved the efficiency of the police department.
I have spent the last few moments talking about the joys and challenges felt by rural America.
As I've cited in examples today from Elko and Ely, Nevada, rural communities are coming together to create new opportunity themselves. But we here in Washington need to do everything we can to help them succeed.
We need solutions that make sense for the whole country--not just for Washington, D.C., but for places like Winnemucca, and Aurora, NE.
We can do it. And we'll be a better, stronger nation as a result.
