Schock Receives Award from Districts Number 1 Employer
Peoria, IL,
Oct 29 -
Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) was presented yesterday with the Friend of Agriculture Award from the Illinois Farm Bureau.
"In a short time, Congressman Schock has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the needs of farmers and rural residents in the 18th congressional district, said Tazewell County Farm Bureau President David Uhlman. "Aaron has been very accessible, always listens to our concerns and has supported Farm Bureau positions on our priority issues. We are pleased to award Congressman Schock the Friend of Agriculture and the support of Illinois Agricultural Association."
“The number one industry in the 18th Congressional District of Illinois is agriculture,” said Schock. “Since coming to Congress, I’ve worked to secure funding for our locks and dams to help farmers move their goods to market; advanced pennycress based biodiesel fuels; and supported legislation waiving payment of the death tax for family farms. I’m grateful for this award, and look forward to continuing my work on this important issue.”
In the 111th Congress, Congressman Schock has focused intensely on Agriculture. He has helped central Illinois farmers in the following ways:
- Named one of the 10 most important advocates for renewable energy and biofuels in government by BioFuels Digest, the world’s most widely read biofuels daily. The list also included President Barack Obama, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Senator John Thune. Schock was the only freshman selected for this list.
- Secured over $20 million dollars, along with other Members from Illinois, to provide for lock and dam replacement, dredging, and other river restoration measures to ensure navigation of the Upper Mississippi & Illinois River is possible, helping farmers to move their goods nationally and globally
- Secured $500,000 to build a demonstration plant which will use pennycress, a winter covercrop, (which contains twice the oil content as soybeans) as a feedstock to create a more efficient supply of biodiesel fuel
- Secured $250,000 to strengthen Illinois Community Colleges’ ability to provide energy education and sustainable farming practices across Illinois
- Introduced: H.R. 3720, the Agricultural Machinery Illumination Safety Act, will raise the minimum lighting standards for farm equipment and drivable machinery so that their visibility can be enhanced when in transit on rural roads, will not be retroactive which means it will be introduced at no cost to farmers
- Introduced: H.R. 1167, the Green Streets Act, directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a demonstration program in which biomass from farm animals can be used as an asphalt binder in federal highway construction projects
- Authored a letter to EPA Administrator Jackson expressing support for changes in the ethanol blend wall that will help reach the renewable fuels standard (December 14, 2009)
- Authored a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in order to get a more favorable ruling on the issue of Indirect Land Use
- Rebutted the call for more Federal regulation on farms using fertilizer and GE crops during a hearing before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee
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