August Recess

A Nebraskan’s View by: Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson

The long August Congressional recess always presents an opportunity to get back to hear from Nebraskans while Congress is still in session. I’ve found it to be an excellent time to listen to the pressing concerns of Nebraskans and then to take those concerns directly to my colleagues in the Senate.

This August was no exception. I spent much of the recess sitting down with a variety of Nebraskans and talking about the issues that were on their minds as they look to the future. In particular, I was able to travel to Western and Central Nebraska for several days and hear about several concerns and issues facing rural communities in our state.

In McCook, I participated in the regional “Arsenic and the Old West” conference, discussing the problems created by the new federal arsenic standards. Several rural communities throughout Nebraska will not be in compliance with the new standards and will require extensive modifications to their existing water treatment facilities. However, these communities are not being given the resources needed from the federal government to update their equipment. This could potentially cost these towns many thousands, if not millions of dollars to comply. I support efforts to obtain more funding from the federal government to cover these costs and to ensure that future regulations are based on sound science.

Water issues of a different sort also dominated talks in Ogallala and Lake McConaughy – namely the continuing problems associated with the prolonged drought. It’s still Drought David and it is still hurting our farmers and ranchers.

This multi-year drought has devastated many parts of our states and though some federal assistance is on its way, it is coming in neither the amount nor with the speed that I had hoped. However, some aid is better than none and I will continue to push for full assistance in Congress.

We also need to look at the ways drought is affecting businesses not directly associated with agriculture. With Lake McConaughy at only a fraction of its normal level, tourism as well as irrigation will be hurt. It is difficult to see this Nebraska natural resource in this state and I have pledged to do what I can for the future of the lake.

A happier picture was seen in Kearney where I met with members of the Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance (KAAPA). They are currently at work getting a new ethanol production facility on line and I applaud their commitment to pursuing investment in new value-added ag products. There is good news to accompany their new facility as the Senate has just passed an energy bill that would double ethanol use – calling for a minimum of five million gallons of ethanol production by 2012. I strongly supported this legislation and, in fact, helped floor manage the debate on this issue last year. I will continue to push for final passage of this important measure and look forward to working on this as Congress returns from recess.

As always, my trip around the state gave me a much to think about and much to do. It also served to inspire me to do even more for all areas of Nebraska because we are one Nebraska and if all areas of the state do not succeed, none will be truly successful.

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	Column	August 29, 2003
August Recess A Nebraskan’s View by: Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson The long August Congressional recess always presents an opportunity to get back to hear from Nebraskans while Congress is still in session. I’ve found it to be an excellent time to listen to the pressing concerns of Nebraskans and then to take those concerns directly to my colleagues in the Senate. This August was no exception. I spent much of the recess sitting down with a variety of Nebraskans and talking about the issues that were on their minds as they look to the future. In particular, I was able to travel to Western and Central Nebraska for several days and hear about several concerns and issues facing rural communities in our state. In McCook, I participated in the regional “Arsenic and the Old West” conference, discussing the problems created by the new federal arsenic standards. Several rural communities throughout Nebraska will not be in compliance with the new standards and will require extensive modifications to their existing water treatment facilities. However, these communities are not being given the resources needed from the federal government to update their equipment. This could potentially cost these towns many thousands, if not millions of dollars to comply. I support efforts to obtain more funding from the federal government to cover these costs and to ensure that future regulations are based on sound science. Water issues of a different sort also dominated talks in Ogallala and Lake McConaughy – namely the continuing problems associated with the prolonged drought. It’s still Drought David and it is still hurting our farmers and ranchers. This multi-year drought has devastated many parts of our states and though some federal assistance is on its way, it is coming in neither the amount nor with the speed that I had hoped. However, some aid is better than none and I will continue to push for full assistance in Congress. We also need to look at the ways drought is affecting businesses not directly associated with agriculture. With Lake McConaughy at only a fraction of its normal level, tourism as well as irrigation will be hurt. It is difficult to see this Nebraska natural resource in this state and I have pledged to do what I can for the future of the lake. A happier picture was seen in Kearney where I met with members of the Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance (KAAPA). They are currently at work getting a new ethanol production facility on line and I applaud their commitment to pursuing investment in new value-added ag products. There is good news to accompany their new facility as the Senate has just passed an energy bill that would double ethanol use – calling for a minimum of five million gallons of ethanol production by 2012. I strongly supported this legislation and, in fact, helped floor manage the debate on this issue last year. I will continue to push for final passage of this important measure and look forward to working on this as Congress returns from recess. As always, my trip around the state gave me a much to think about and much to do. It also served to inspire me to do even more for all areas of Nebraska because we are one Nebraska and if all areas of the state do not succeed, none will be truly successful. ###