"In the News"

Roanoke Times: Goodlatte to lead House judiciary panel
By Ralph Berrier Jr.
November 29, 2012
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For the first time in 125 years, a Virginian is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee — and it's U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County.

Goodlatte, who represents Virginia's 6th Congressional District, was named to the post Wednesday, becoming just the fourth Virginian to be chairman of the committee and the first since John Tucker, who served from 1883 to 1887.

The committee has wide jurisdiction over a host of issues, from courts and taxes to immigration and technology.

"This is a great opportunity for me and my constituents," Goodlatte said in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon.

Goodlatte's election as chairman drew praise from his 9th District neighbor and fellow Republican, U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.

"The Judiciary Committee is one of the 'A' committees," Griffith said.

"It is a big plum for our region. It's a benefit for our region. It deals with a lot of areas the general public doesn't pay attention to as much."

Economic growth is a primary goal of the committee, Goodlatte said, citing business regulations, immigration reform and intellectual property rights as several key issues his committee will tackle in the next Congress.

He pointed to the GOP-sponsored STEM Jobs Act, a bill that came through the Judiciary Committee and would eliminate the immigration visa lottery and replace it with a system that awarded green cards to foreign students studying science, technology and math, the "STEM" fields of study. That bill is set to be debated in the House of Representatives on Friday.

Goodlatte said that protecting intellectual property rights, especially on the Internet, is another important job for the committee.

Last year, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet, Goodlatte drew protests from many Internet users for co-sponsoring the Stop Online Piracy Act, a bill that aimed to protect American business interests from online theft. However, Wikipedia, Google, Craigslist and other websites vehemently opposed the bill, which was never brought to the floor for a vote.

Goodlatte said his committee will keep an eye on how the online businesses and the major websites work together to solve the problem of Internet piracy.

"The issues are not going away," he said. "We need to find ways that benefit both the creators of the content and the technology that delivers it to the consumers. We need to put all our great engineers together to find ways to fight crime on the Internet."

Goodlatte has been an active member on the Judiciary Committee. In addition to serving as chairman of the intellectual property subcommittee, he has been vice ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, ranking member of the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment and ranking member of the Antitrust Task Force.

Goodlatte also serves as a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. He is co-chairman of the Congressional Internet Caucus, chairman of the House Republican Technology Working Group and chairman of the Congressional Civil Justice Caucus.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said in a statement that, "[as] Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, [Goodlatte] will play a key role in promoting common sense solutions to help people get back to work, lighten the regulatory and tax burden on small businesses and limit wasteful government spending. I look forward to continue working with my good friend and fellow Virginian."

Staff writer Mason Adams contributed to this report.

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Daily News Leader: Goodlatte to head important Congressional committee
By Calvin Trice
November 29,2012
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Immigration reform, civil liberty safeguards and Internet tax equality are just a few of the issues on which area residents will have a powerful Congressional ear for their ideas during the next two years.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives chose U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, to head the prestigious Judiciary Committee during the next term of Congress, which begins in January.

“It’s a great honor,” Goodlatte said by phone Wednesday after GOP voted on committee assignments. “I appreciate their showing the confidence in me by giving me this responsibility.”

This month, he easily won re-election to an 11th consecutive term representing the western district that includes the Shenandoah Valley — providing him the seniority that put him in line to head one of the House’s oldest standing committees.

Bills referred to the Judiciary Committee for deliberation include those that cover anti-trust laws, crime and terrorism and legal and regulatory reform. Republicans chairing House committees will set the agenda for federal bills before they’re sent to the full chamber for a vote.

From his experience chairing the House Agriculture Committee, Goodlatte expects many suggestions from his Virginia constituents on changes to federal laws and regulations and welcomes them in his new chairmanship, he said.

“Now that I will be chairman of this committee, we’ll be able to do more things in a more hands-on fashion to look through those ideas and move forward with the ones that are good ideas,” he said.

With immigration reform slated as a top priority for the 113th Congress, Goodlatte’s role could be an important one for both Shenandoah Valley’s immigrant community and those among the district’s conservative electorate who want strict controls, said University of Virginia political analyst Geoff Skelley.

“If they’re gonna try to do something about immigration reform, Goodlatte’s role in (Judiciary) would play a very important part,” said Skelley, of U.Va.’s Center for Politics.

Goodlatte’s conservative stance on illegal immigration, including consistent opposition to the Dream Act and other types of amnesty proposals, would carry considerable heft as chairman of the committee, Skelly has said.

Goodlatte has said the direction of immigration reform will take shape after the next Congress is seated, and the membership and leadership for Judiciary and other committees have been set.

His party, meanwhile, is also likely to be thinking hard about immigration. Many analysts, and some GOP leaders, have said tough stance many Republican politicians have taken on immigration may have helped cost Mitt Romney the presidency.

Goodlatte is only the fourth Virginian to chair the committee. The last Virginian to serve as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee was John Tucker, who was Chairman from 1883 to 1887.

In addition to being elected Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Goodlatte also serves as a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. Goodlatte is also the co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, chairman of the House Republican Technology Working Group and chairman of the Congressional Civil Justice Caucus.

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News Virginian: Goodlatte to chair the House Judiciary Committee
By Bob Stuart
November 29, 2012
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Sixth District Rep. Bob Goodlatte was selected Wednesday by the House Republican Conference to serve as the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee starting in the 113th Congress in January of next year.

“I am honored to have been chosen to serve in this position of leadership,’’ Goodlatte said in a press release.

A 31-member Republican Steering Committee first interviewed Goodlatte. The Republican Conference then voted on the appointment. Members of the Republican Conference are all Republican members of the House of Representatives.

Goodlatte’s selection makes him the first House Judiciary Committee chairman from Virginia in 125 years.

The last Virginian to serve as chairman was John Tucker, who was chairman from 1883 to 1887.

Goodlatte is only the fourth Virginian to serve as Judiciary Committee chairman since the committee’s 1813 creation.

“My first priority is to get organized. We have a lot of work to do in December,’’ said Goodlatte in a later telephone interview from Washington.

That work involves selecting chairmen of subcommittees and selecting new members of the committee.

Then Goodlatte said he must sit and listen to the priorities of all committee members and subcommittee chairmen.

The congressman called the chairmanship “a great opportunity.”

The Judiciary Committee will look at the operations of the executive branch. The congressman has had a longtime concern that too much power is concentrated in that branch.

But he said the committee will also have oversight responsibility of the U.S. Department of Justice, of the Department of Homeland Security and will look at the immigration system.

“We want to make sure it (immigration) is fair and works for America,’’ Goodlatte said.

There is also the responsibility to protect the civil liberties of Americans.

Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, was re-elected earlier this month to serve his 11th term in Congress representing the 6th District. The district includes Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County.

The chairmanship of Judiciary will mark the second committee  Goodlatte has led in the House.

Previously, he served as the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in the 108th and 109th Congress, and subsequently became ranking Republican member.

On Judiciary, Goodlatte has held a variety of leadership positions including chairman of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet and ranking member of the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment.

There was reaction Wednesday from colleagues of Goodlatte’s upon hearing the news.

“Congressman Bob Goodlatte is a conservative leader committed to pro-growth policies that protect American innovation, boost economic growth and create jobs,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia. “As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he will play a key role in promoting common sense solutions to help people get back to work, lighten the regulatory and tax burden on small businesses and limit wasteful government spending.”

Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, said he was pleased to hear of Goodlatte’s appointment.

“Congressman Goodlatte clearly has the background, knowledge and experience necessary to be an effective leader for this important committee in these challenging times.”

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WSLS: Goodlatte elected chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
By Aaron Martin
November 28, 2012
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ROANOKE, VA --A local politician will be assuming a key role in Congress in January.

On Wednesday the Republican leadership elected 6th District Representative Bob Goodlatte as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

The committee overseas the U.S. Department of Justice, Homeland Security, as well as legal and regulatory reforms.

In a satellite interview with WSLS Goodlatte said his new position will be an important step for Virginia and the Roanoke Valley moving forward.

"It means that when somebody in my district contacts me about this legislation they'll be talking to the key person on the committee who can determine whether or not particular pieces of legislation will move forward," Goodlatte said.

Goodlatte will assume the chairmanship in January when the 113th Congress convenes. That's when Goodlatte will be sworn-in for his 11th consecutive term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Agri-Pulse: Push for RFS repeal continues with chain restaurant support
By Sarah Gonzalez
November 28, 2012
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2012- The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) today released a report on the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on the chain restaurant industry, which indicated the mandate increases costs throughout the food supply chain.

NCCR commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to complete the 32-page report, released during a Capitol Hill press conference today and available here.

John Stell, an author of the study and director at PwC, said the RFS costs a typical restaurant from $2,800 to $18,000 per year, according to low- and high-end ranges he used for the study.

“The RFS mandate artificially inflates the price of corn, which increases costs throughout the system, from cattlemen and poultry and pork producers to dairy farmers and restaurant operators,” said NCCR Executive Director Rob Green, who further maintained that the RFS forces business owners to spend more on commodities, “which ultimately drives up prices on the end-user, the consumer.”
[Farm Foundation Forum]

PwC concluded that the RFS mandate could cost chain restaurants up to $3.2 billion annually, with quick-service restaurants witnessing cost increases upward of $2.5 billion, and full-service restaurants seeing increases upward of $691 million.

“The federal RFS mandate is essentially an ethanol tax on consumers and should be repealed,” Green said.

Following the release of the PwC report, Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis released a statement calling the study flawed and claimed  “the true culprit behind rising food prices is the cost of energy, and in particular oil.”

Energy groups assert that more than 80 cents of every dollar spent on food comes from transportation, packaging, and advertising, which are driven by oil prices.

“Numerous independent studies and a recent EPA analysis have affirmed that ethanol production has little to no impact on corn prices, and therefore little to no impact on food and feed prices,” noted the Fuels America coalition today. The energy groups added the RFS also reduces the amount of fuel we need to import, saving Americans $50 billion on imported fuel costs last year.

“Only 14 percent of the price of food is attributable to the cost of the commodity, while the rest can be attributed to energy costs and marketing,” Growth Energy’s Buis said, adding that the restaurant groups are attempting to “distort the facts in order to justify higher profits.”

“Follow the money - the less these big corporations have to pay their hard working farmers and ranchers to produce the food, the bigger dividends for their shareholders,” he said.

However, Ed Anderson, owner of a four unit Wendy’s franchise in Virginia and Chairman of Wendy’s Quality Supply Chain Cooperative, said “chain restaurants aren’t all mega-corporations. Many are systems of small business franchises like the one my family owns.”

Anderson, who said the mandate is costing him $20,000 to $30,000 per restaurant, noted during today’s press conference that 80 percent of the Wendy’s system is owned by franchisees, “but Congress passed the ethanol mandate and restaurants are being hit at a time when our economy can’t afford it.”

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., sponsor of legislation to repeal the RFS, said today the NCCR study “further underscores why this is bad policy and why Congress must act to fix this broken policy.”

Goodlatte highlighted the study finding that shows the RFS mandate to cost individual chain restaurants up to $18,000 per year.

“This $18,000 tax is caused by the federal government picking winners and losers,” he said. “Promotion of the RFS means this $18,000 cannot be used by restaurants to hire new employees or invest in upgrades to their facilities.”

Using Anderson as an example, Goodlatte said “these franchisees are small businesses and these added costs are not easily absorbable.”

Goodlatte, named as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for the 113th Congress and a member of the Agriculture Committee, said he plans to hold more hearings on the RFS. He added that the 156 House members who signed a letter asking EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to waive the mandate are likely supporters for his legislation. The Congressman called Jackson’s decision to turn down the appeal for a waiver of the mandate a “political decision.”

However, Goodlatte said “if turns out that reforming the law is more feasible to solving the issue then we’ll push for that” instead of a full repeal.

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Feedstuffs: Restaurant industry calls for end to RFS because of impact on food prices
By Jacqui Fatka
November 29, 2012
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To date, the food retail sector has not spoken out in the debate, but a new study released by National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) and conducted by PwC quantified the impact of the RFS on chain restaurants.

The study evaluated two scenarios, the first estimating an increased ethanol production of 6 billion gallons and 27% increase in corn prices and another estimating an increase in ethanol production of 1 billion gallons and a resulting 4% increase in corn prices.

Based on the scenarios, input cost increases are equivalent to $18,190 for the average quick service restaurant and $2,894 in the second scenario. For the average full service restaurant, the cost increases are $17,195 and $2,736 per restaurant.

PwC estimated the impact under several scenarios and concluded that the RFS mandate could cost chain restaurants up to $3.2 billion annually, with quick-service restaurants witnessing cost increases upward of $2.5 billion, and full-service restaurants seeing increases upward of $691 million.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) said the RFS is no longer a debate about fuel versus food, but rather about fuel versus small businesses and families. Goodlatte has proposed legislation to repeal the mandate as well as a bill designed to scale-back the RFS when corn-to-stock ratios reach lower levels. Goodlatte said he will be working hard to educate other members of Congress, which will be needed to reverse the policy.

Ed Anderson, chairman of Wendy's Quality Supply Chain Cooperative and owner of a franchisee of four Wendy's restaurants in Virginia, called on Congress to repeal the RFS in hopes of leveling the playing field between the food and agriculture community and ethanol manufacturers.

In a statement, Fuels America noted that oil prices, not corn prices dictate food prices. "Out of every dollar spent on food, 84 cents goes to transportation, packaging, and other inputs that are dependent on oil. In fact, there is a direct correlation between food prices and oil prices – as oil prices rise, so does the cost of food," the group noted.

The American Petroleum Industry (API) also held a press conference Nov. 27 with renewed calls for eliminating the RFS saying it is "unworkable and should be repealed," according to API Downstream Group Director Robert Greco.

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News & Advance:Goodlatte to serve as chairman of House Judiciary Committee
By Ray Reed
November 28, 2012
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Rep. Robert Goodlatte will serve as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee when Congress convenes in January.

“The House Judiciary Committee will certainly be at the forefront of some of the most significant issues facing Virginia,” including civil liberties, intellectual-property rights and immigration, he said.

Goodlatte, R-6th District, was elected to the chairmanship Wednesday by the Republican Conference in the House of Representatives. The district includes Lynchburg, Amherst County and part of Bedford County.

The Judiciary Committee has roles in protecting intellectual properties of businesses that own their trademark names, product patents and copyrights — interests important to many Lynchburg-area employers, Goodlatte said.

“Making sure that process continues to work is a centerpiece of growing jobs in America,” he said.

The committee also oversees regulatory reform. While it does not directly supervise the Environmental Protection Agency, of which Goodlatte has been a critic, it may have a voice in requiring agencies to produce a cost-benefit analysis of regulations they develop, he said.

The Judiciary Committee directly oversees the federal departments of Justice and Homeland Security, as well as legal and regulatory reform, innovation, competition and anti-trust laws, terrorism and crime, and immigration reform.

“It is likely that many of these issues will be the deciding factors in determining the future direction of our nation,” he said.

Goodlatte was elected in November to his 11th term in the House.

Goodlatte also is a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and co-chairman of the Congressional Internet Caucus. In addition, he has duties as chairman of the House Republican Technology Working Group and chairman of the Congressional Civil Justice Caucus.

As a longtime member of the Judiciary Committee, Goodlatte said he’s no stranger to one of its duties — impeachments.

“We have impeached a president [Bill Clinton] and a couple of judges,” he said.

Both judges were removed from office, one after Goodlatte prosecuted his case before the Senate.

Goodlatte said there are no pending impeachment cases.

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Daily News Leader: Goodlatte hopes to address U.S. ethanol mandate
By Calvin Trice
November 18, 2012
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U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte hopes during the next Congressional term to introduce legislation that would by-pass the Environmental Protection Agency for emergency waivers on rules mandating that some corn be sold to make fuel.

The EPA on Friday denied a petition to do so submitted this year by governors and federal legislators.

Goodlatte, R-6th, spearheaded a Congressional request asking the EPA to suspend the federal rules, called the Renewable Fuel Standard, that require a percentage of the nation’s corn be used to produce ethanol.

Ten governors asked for the waivers because the severe Midwestern drought destroyed corn crop – making the commodity scarce and driving prices up for consumers, food sellers and livestock farmers who use corn to feed their animals.

Goodlatte drafted a letter to EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed by 156 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from both parties asking her to use her discretion to enact waivers.

Jackson turned them down last week.

The EPA said Friday it believes waiving the requirement would have had little impact on corn prices.

“We recognize that this year’s drought has created hardship in some sectors of the economy, particularly for livestock producers,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “But our extensive analysis makes clear that congressional requirements for a waiver have not been met and that waiving the Renewable Fuel Standard will have little, if any, impact.”

Goodlatte, who is vying for the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee, plans to remain on the Agriculture Committee, from which he ultimately hopes to eliminate the mandate, he said during an interview Friday.

Short of getting that passed, Goodlatte hopes to introduce legislation that would set automatic triggers to suspend the federal rule on corn sales whenever situations send commodity prices soaring.

“When corn stocks fall below a certain (level), then the mandate would automatically suspended,” he said.

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Daily News Leader:Goodlatte to lead important committee
By Calvin Trice
November 18, 2012
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Before his election to Congress in 1992, Bob Goodlatte practiced immigration law as an attorney in Roanoke, helping legal immigrants get themselves on the path to citizenship.

Decades later, Goodlatte’s re-election this month to an 11th term representing Virginia’s 6th District in the House of Representatives has made him eligible for a position that will set the legislative agenda for reforms to the nation’s immigration policy.

Twenty years of seniority in the chamber that will continue operating with Republican control next year has put Goodlatte in line to be the next chairman of the House Judiciary Committee – an effort he’s calling his third campaign of the year.

“It is one of the most important committees in Congress,” Goodlatte said during a phone interview Friday. “A huge percentage of the bills in the House are referred there.”

Congress refers legislative proposals to committees that debate them and vote on whether or not to send them to the full chamber for a vote. Judiciary is the House’s second-oldest standing committee and handles bills concerning immigration and homeland security, Constitutional amendments, patents and copyrights.

The committee oversees the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.

“It would a great honor to be chairman of that committee and obviously, help bring my constituents’ issues that are related to judiciary matters to the floor of the committee,” Goodlatte said.

An attempt at comprehensive immigration reform is expected to be one of the legislative goals of the federal government after the next Congressional term begins two months from now.

Goodlatte’s conservative stance on illegal immigration – which has included a consistent opposition to the Dream Act and other types of amnesty proposals – would carry considerable heft as chairman of Judiciary, said political analyst Geoff Skelley.

“Given his political positions, it would be a big deal to have the chairmanship of the committee that would be shepherding any kind of immigration reform effort,” said Skelley, of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Goodlatte believes the direction of immigration reform will take shape after the next Congress is seated and the membership and leadership for Judiciary and other committees have been set.

“There are a lot of areas of immigration law, both legal and illegal, that are in need of reform,” he said. “But again, I think we need to wait to see what the make-up of these committees is going to be.”

His party, meanwhile, is also likely to be thinking hard about immigration. Many analysts, and some G.O.P. leaders, have said tough stance many Republican politicians have taken on immigration may have helped cost Mitt Romney the presidency.

The Congressmen spoke on a wide range of issues after returning from a vote to normalize trade relations with Russia – a change that would open up that country’s markets to agricultural products from the Shenandoah Valley and elsewhere.

Among other benefits, normalization would give U.S. farmers a legal recourse if Russia suddenly cut off agricultural exports from the U.S. as it has in recent years with poultry, Goodlatte said.

“This would give us some tools to fight back on that,” Goodlatte said. Retaliatory trade moves would be possibilities.

Energy policy during the next term should include lifting the ban on exploring for resources off Virginia’s coast, Goodlatte believes.

He also hopes to go after what he calls the over-regulation of the national economy, he said. And Goodlatte expects to find ways to loosen the rules governing Chesapeake Bay cleanup.

“We’ll continue to hold hearings on that and push legislation ... and try to find the way forward on that,” Goodlatte said.

Around the time that Goodlatte spoke just after noon Friday, Congressional negotiators were meeting with President Barack Obama to come up with a deal that would avert the dreaded “fiscal cliff.” The phrase applies to major tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to take place at the end of the year unless legislators strike a budget deal to avert it.

Goodlatte still opposes an increase in tax rates and believes that tax reform that closed loopholes and and ended deductions could enough generate revenue to allow the government to lower the corporate rate, he said.

Allowing tax cuts on the wealthy to expire as Obama has asked, would only discourage investment money that could stimulate the nation’s economic recovery, Goodlatte said.

For the next Congressional term, progress on long-term debt reduction will require the Democratically-controlled U.S. Senate to propose a budget as the House has done the last two years, he said.

“If you don’t even bother to pass a budget, then we’re never gonna get spending under control,” Goodlatte said. “That’s gotta be one of the higher priorities in the new Congress.”

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Daily News Record:Food or Fuel? Ethanol Waiver Rejected
By Preston Knight
November 17, 2012
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HARRISONBURG - Reaction to the Environmental Protection Agency's decision Friday not to grant an ethanol waiver was swift in the central Valley, with U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte sharply criticizing the agency for "choosing to put more ethanol in gas tanks rather than food on the table."

Gov. Bob McDonnell and five other governors requested the waiver earlier this year, citing the drought in the nation's midsection and sky-high corn prices.

But the EPA said on Friday that it found no evidence of severe "economic harm" that would warrant granting a 2012-13 waiver of its production requirements for corn-based ethanol. The renewable fuels act, which was passed by Congress in 2005 and expanded two years later, requires that 13.2 billion gallons of ethanol be produced by 2012 and 15 billion gallons by 2015.

That's good for corn farmers, but it has angered hog, cattle and poultry growers, including those in the central Valley. They say they've seen big jumps in corn-based feed costs as corn is diverted to make ethanol vehicle fuel.

The EPA said it based its decision on studies performed in conjunction with the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Energy.

"We recognize that this year's drought has created hardship in some sectors of the economy, particularly for livestock producers," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "But our extensive analysis makes clear that congressional requirements for a waiver have not been met and that waiving the [standard] will have little, if any, impact."

Higher Grocery Prices?

Goodlatte, who has long chided the EPA for handing down what he says are unfair and heavy-handed regulations on farmers and others whose industries often cross paths with the environment, expressed "great disappointment" at the decision.

"For many farmers and businesses in the 6th District who use corn to feed livestock or produce products, rapid increases in the price of corn weigh heavily on their bottom line," Goodlatte said. "But it doesn't stop there - higher corn prices are ultimately reflected in the price of food on grocery store shelves."

Bob Threewitts, president of the Rockingham County Farm Bureau, said some dairymen could pay as much as $1,000 more a month for feed because of the standard. Compounding the problem is the high price of alternative feed, he added, because the baseline for costs is the price of corn, which has increased as more of it is used for fuel.

"In an area like us, it's certainly more of a detriment than an asset to have that waiver disregarded," Threewitts said.

High Threshold

Environmental groups also have opposed increased ethanol production, saying the excess corn planting is tearing up the land.

Scott Faber, a lobbyist for the Environmental Working Group, said the latest waiver denial may further energize ethanol opponents to lobby Congress to repeal the entire renewable fuels law and not "tinker with a safety valve that is too tight for either a Democratic or Republican administration to turn."

Under the EPA's interpretation of the renewable fuels law, it is not easy to qualify for a waiver. The EPA can grant one if the agency determines that the set ethanol production would "severely harm" the economy of a state, region or the entire country. It's not enough that the standard just contributes to the harm, the EPA said, noting that the agency also has a high threshold for the degree of harm done.

`Winners And Losers'

Goodlatte has endorsed a measure to do away with the renewable fuel standard, a move that would lift the production requirements and by extension reduce the demand for corn that has driven up prices.

"In the debate over ethanol," the congressman said, "the government is picking winners and losers. Livestock and food producers as well as consumers of these products are on the losing end."

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Daily News Record: Broadway Dedicates Memorial and Seasonal Farmers Market
By Doug Manners
November 13, 2012
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BROADWAY — For years, Broadway residents came to call an abandoned property on the corner of Rock and Main streets the “rock lot.” It wasn’t a term of endearment.

Exposed rock had started to erode, turning the lot into an unsightly mess, not to mention a potential safety hazard adjacent to a residential area.

Mayor John Long called the property “an eyesore.” Town Manager Kyle O’Brien referred to it as “ugly.” Del. Tony Wilt, R-Broadway, trying to choose his words delicately, said the lot had its challenges.

On Monday morning, more than 100 people gathered at the once-maligned site for a dedication ceremony to celebrate the renovated property, which now features a veterans wall and space for the seasonal farmers market.

“This truly is a miracle to see the outcome of all the hard work and the labor that has gone into this,” Wilt said. “[The town] took the bull by the horn, so to speak, to [buy] this lot and turn it into something useful and vital to the community.”

The 14-foot brick wall, which tapers off on the sides, now greets visitors to Broadway as they drive through town on Main Street.

Construction was completed this fall on the $200,000 project, which was partially funded by a $99,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, O’Brien said.

Town officials wanted to take a multifaceted approach to the project. In addition to the wall honoring the nation’s veterans, the lot will accommodate Broadway’s burgeoning farmers market, and double as a public green space the rest of the time.

The timing of the dedication, Long noted, worked out perfectly.

“It’s especially fitting that we are able to dedicate this wall and this lot during the observed Veterans Day,” Long said. “[Town staff] has worked tirelessly to get it to this point so we could have this celebration today.”

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, who helped Broadway secure the USDA grant, called Broadway a “great spot” for a farmers market with its location in the heart of the agriculturally rich Shenandoah Valley.

“It’s only appropriate that … the farmers, of whom there are many in this area, should have the opportunity to have a good spot where they can offer their production,” he said.

In dedicating the veterans wall, Goodlatte honored a hometown fallen soldier in Army Spc. Brian “Bucky” Anderson, who was killed in Afghanistan in June 2010.

After his speech, Goodlatte stepped down from the podium, and presented Anderson’s mother, Margaret, a Bible embossed with her son’s name.

“This is really for you and your son that the Town Council has created this memorial,” Goodlatte said.

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News Virginian: Mary Baldwin College breaks ground for new health sciences campus
By Bob Stuart
October 19, 2012
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A dream of Mary Baldwin College became reality Thursday as the institution broke ground on the future site of the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences off Goose Creek Road.

The 52,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in two years. The college’s doctor of physical therapy and doctor of occupational therapy programs will start in 2014. A master of physician assistant studies program will begin in 2015.

But, for now, grading work is taking place on the 30-acre site.

Mary Baldwin President Pamela Fox told a crowd at the groundbreaking that the newest transformation did not come easily for the 171-year-old private women’s college.

“We analyzed and anticipated, conceptualized and reconceptualized,” she said. “We questioned and suffered pause on more than one occasion.”

Fox said the decision to pursue the new graduate programs was cemented by a $15 million gift from lead donor Bertie Murphy Deming Smith and by a partnership with the Augusta County Board of Supervisors and Augusta County Economic Development Director Dennis Burnett.

The president said the visions of Mary Baldwin and Augusta County have joined as the college “becomes an anchor in the economic development of Augusta County and as we become a cornerstone of this developing medical corridor.”

Augusta Supervisor Jeff Moore said the county would benefit from the 55 professional jobs the new program will provide, as well as the 160 construction jobs needed to build the new campus.

And Moore said the green light to improve Interstate 64’s Exit 91 interchange and the Route 636 corridor would augment the Mary Baldwin project.

Moore also noted that vibrancy of the economic sector Mary Baldwin’s new facility targets.

“The health care sector is one of the largest job opportunities in the region,” he said.

Del. Dickie Bell, R-Staunton, said both jobs for the professional staff and careers for the graduates would be created in the three programs.

And 6th District Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, said the synergy of the Mary Baldwin campus being so close to Augusta Health “will boost the engagement of the students.”

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WHSV: British Company opens office in Waynesboro
October 17, 2012
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WAYNESBORO -- Today, a grand opening is being celebrated in the valley. It's a new office for a British company, called David Brown Gear Systems. The office is in downtown Waynesboro.

David Brown is a global company, and the Americas headquarters will be in Waynesboro, so far there are three employees in the office, but more could be coming. This morning was a celebration of the opening at the Waynesboro Country Club.

Local leaders were there, including Rep. Bob Goodlatte, and Waynesboro's mayor, Bruce Allen. The company is a supplier of gearing technology, servicing various energy industries.

The office in Waynesboro will be a sales and management office for the 16 employees so far in the U.S, along with more in Canada.

A big subject of discussion was why the city was happy to welcome them, and how that fits into the changing business world. "We are an international community.

This is a global economy. It's not just the United States' economy. It's not just Virginia's economy. It's not just Waynesboro's economy. We are a global economy, and it's great to see this merging," said Waynesboro City Councilman Mike Harris.

There is another office opening for the company on Friday in Kentucky that will focus more on assembly and service.

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Daily News Leader: Goodlate calls for spending cuts
By David Rees
October 5, 2012
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STAUNTON — Holding down spending called for in the farm bill, making sure federal mandates on runoff into Chesapeake Bay make sense and ending favoritism for ethanol are Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th‘s top priorities, the Valley’s congressman said Friday.

Goodlatte outlined all three as key goals in an interview with The News Leader editorial board.

He said he’ll continue pushing for a balanced budget to the U.S. Constitution, and added that insuring the country’s energy independence is also critical.

Goodlatte said Washington needs to rein in spending, now that roughly 42 cents of every dollar it collects goes to cover IOUs.

He said he thinks the government interferes too often with the market, citing mandates to use renewable fuels, such as ethanol, as an example.

“I don’t think the government should pick winners and losers, between those who support using corn for food or corn for fuel,” he said.

He said the renewable fuel mandate is keeping food prices high, prompting an unusual coalition of free market advocates, environmentalists and groups concerned about overseas poverty to join in opposition.

Though Goodlatte represents a farming district, he said he opposed the pending farm bill because it did not do enough to hold down spending.

Roughly 80 percent of agricultural spending is on nutrition programs, such as food stamps, and the bill would reduce projected spending increases by 2 percent.

It would cut projected increases in farm program spending by about 20 percent, which is more appropriate, he said.

“But I’d actually want to cut spending,” he said. “When you look at the (budget) deficit, we need to start cutting a lot of spending.”

Goodlatte said he favors increasing American production of energy, saying that is why he had pushed for legislation allowing drilling off the coast of Virginia.

He said he’s asked the U.S. Forest Service to take another look at a proposed regulation to ban horizontal drilling for natural gas in the George Washington National Forest, describing it as an indirect way to ban hydrofracking, the controversial drilling technique that involves pumping chemicals underground to force up gas. Instead, he’d prefer the Forest Service propose specific rules, such as disclosure of the chemicals use and standards for recapture and disposal of them.

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The Hill: Italy, Switzerland added to congressional anti-piracy watch list
By Jennifer Martinez
September 20, 2012
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The Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus on Thursday named China, Russia, Italy, Switzerland and Ukraine to its annual watch list of countries that need to step up their enforcement of intellectual property rights.

This is the first year Italy and Switzerland have appeared on the list. The Anti-Piracy Caucus said both countries lack adequate laws that crack down on online piracy and protect copyrighted movies, music and other content from being offered on illegitimate websites.

The Anti-Piracy Caucus releases the watch list each year to put a spotlight on countries it believes are failing to protect copyrighted material and clamp down on websites that offer pirated content. In its report, the caucus also makes recommendations on how each country can improve its copyright enforcement efforts and eventually be removed from the list.

"Our creative industries employ millions of Americans and are some of our most competitive exports," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a statement. "All we want is a level playing field where all nations live up to their obligations to protect intellectual property and enforce existing laws.”

China, Russia and Ukraine were all featured on the watch list last year. The Anti-Piracy Caucus argued in its report that Russia should take action against the websites included in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's "Notorious Markets" list of infringing sites since it's now a member of the World Trade Organization.

While the Anti-Piracy Caucus says piracy remains rampant in China, it acknowledged that popular Chinese sites Baidu and Taobao have strengthened their efforts to clamp down on pirated material.

Both Canada and Spain were on the list last year but have been deemed "countries in transition" after they recently passed anti-piracy legislation. The Anti-Piracy Caucus said in its report that it hopes to see both countries continue to strengthen their copyright laws.

Other than Schiff, members of the Anti-Piracy Caucus include Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

The members supported a pair of anti-piracy bills that were defeated earlier this year after a wave of online protests forced Congress to shelve them. Goodlatte and Schiff were co-sponsors of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Whitehouse and Hatch both were co-sponsors of the Protect IP Act (PIPA), though Hatch later reversed his support for the bill on the day Wikipedia, Reddit and scores of other sites blacked out to protest the anti-piracy bills.

Both measures aimed to crack down on copyright-infringing sites based abroad and would have forced search engines, online ad companies and others to cut off business with the sites if served with a court order. Critics said the bills lacked due process and would hamper innovation on the Web.

Copyright protection is a top policy issue for the entertainment industry's lobby shops in Washington. Although the entertainment lobbies continue to push for stepped-up anti-piracy measures, it's unlikely that Congress will act on legislation this year after SOPA and PIPA went down in defeat.

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Daily News Record: Goodlatte Discusses Effects Of Ethanol Mandate During Stop On Valley Tour
By Candace Sipos
September 19, 2012
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HARRISONBURG — Surrounded by local poultry growers and industry leaders, Rep. Bob Goodlatte explained Tuesday why he believes EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson should put the ethanol mandate on hold.

A crowd of roughly 20 people gathered around the congressman at the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative Inc.’s grain unloading site off Gravels Road north of Harrisonburg.

The Roanoke Republican, who represents Virginia’s 6th District, also stopped at Maple Springs Farm in Weyers Cave as he concluded his two-day Valley tour in which he focused on the mandate that requires about half the nation’s corn crop to go toward the production of ethanol for fuel.

In light of the ongoing drought that has significantly reduced the expected yields from the nation’s biggest corn-producing states in the Midwest and Great Plains, a slew of politicians, farmers and industry leaders have called for a temporary waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, or ethanol mandate.

The RFS requires that an increasing amount of corn go toward ethanol production each year in the name of energy independence. For the first time, more U.S. corn will go into ethanol production than food this year.

Proponents of the temporary waiver say the RFS is raising grain prices, which are especially high now because of the drought. Consumers, they say, will ultimately bear the burden, as decreased supply and steady demand means higher prices for food items in the store.

A waiver of the mandate would provide a measure of relief, according to supporters of the move.

And if more farmers try to plant corn because of higher profit margins, they may plant less of other crops, causing the entire agricultural system to become unbalanced, Goodlatte added.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the mandate, announced a 30-day public comment period regarding the potential waiver in August. The announcement came soon after the EPA received a letter in support of the waiver signed by 156 members of Congress, including Goodlatte.

Jackson will make a decision on whether to use her authority to temporarily waive the mandate by mid-November.
 
 “If these circumstances don’t justify a waiver … then the waiver provision is a sham,” said Hobey Bauhan, president of the Harrisonburg-based Virginia Poultry Federation, before introducing Goodlatte.

If Jackson doesn’t waive the RFS, Goodlatte plans to amp up a push of two bills he introduced last October.

One would eliminate the fuel standard completely. The other would link the amount of corn required to meet the mandate to the size of the nation’s corn yield, essentially creating an automatic waiver of the mandate during a corn shortage.

“You see [the mandate] affecting food prices across-the-board,” Goodlatte said. “It’s the federal government interfering in the marketplace.”

Last year, the average cost of a bushel of corn was $6.80 and a ton of soybean meal cost around $344 on average. Corn prices have been hovering around $8 per bushel since the drought hit, with soybean meal costing more than $550 per ton.

James Mason, president of the cooperative, said filling the site’s two silos, which hold 300,000 bushels of grain each, cost about $2 million in 2006. Once the ethanol mandate was introduced, that number rose to about $3.5 million, and it’s climbed to roughly $5.5 million in the past three months.

The company ships about 125,000 bushels of grain to the feed mill in Broadway each week. The cooperative buys about 1 million bushels of corn from growers within a two-hour radius, which sustains the company’s needs for about eight weeks.

For the other 44 weeks, the cooperative has to buy corn from the Midwest.

Any jump in corn prices hurts local farmers and, in turn, Rockingham County, according to David Rees, who has produced turkeys for the cooperative since it started.

“In this coming year, we’ll be getting paid significantly less,” he said.

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Daily News Leader: Goodlatte calls for suspension of ethanol mandate
By Calvin Trice
September 19, 2012
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STAUNTON — Since nature has pushed corn prices higher by making it scarce, the government should remove what U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte believes is an unnatural cause for higher food prices: a federal mandate to turn food into fuel, the congressman said.

Goodlatte, R-6th, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend the federal rule that a certain amount of corn produced in the U.S. be sold to make ethanol. The EPA set a public comment period on the request.

The federal mandate to turn corn into fuel has caused prices to prices to soar for the commodity, he said during a stop in Staunton on Tuesday while on a tour of farm operations to highlight the issue.

This year’s drought in the Midwest has cut corn production, which will cause prices to go up even further for farmers who use corn to feed their animals, for grocery stores, consumers and food-related consumption and businesses near and far, Goodlatte said.

Higher food prices here means others in poorer countries could start going hungry, he said inside Staunton Union Stockyard.

“When food prices go up for corn, it’s internationally — not just here domestically,” Goodlatte said. “If you only make a few hundred dollars a year, and most of your income goes to food, you’re really being very detrimentally affected by this.”

The congressman sent a letter signed by 156 congressional representatives from both parties to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson asking that she suspend or reduce the ethanol rule, which is called the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Since the rule was first put into effect in 2005, the proportion of corn used to produce fuel has grown to 40 percent, Goodlatte notes in the letter.

It isn’t the only commodity used, but Goodlatte thinks corn should be sold according to demand rather than federally mandated uses, he said Tuesday.

Besides the stockyard, a livestock auction business, Goodlatte this week toured a poultry farm, a cattle farm and other operations to talk about the impact of the ethanol rule and to let those affected know that they can weigh in during the public comment period.

“We’re telling people that they have the opportunity to participate in the process,” he said.

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News Virginian: Seventy two new citizens sworn in at Frontier Culture Museum
By Bob Stuart
September 19, 2012
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STAUNTON, Va. -- Six years ago, Andy Bindea arrived in the United States from his native Romania with only a backpack and dreams.

On Tuesday, the owner of the Waynesboro renewable energy business Sigora Solar joined 71 others in becoming new United States citizens. All were naturalized during a swearing-in ceremony at the Frontier Culture Museum.

“This is phenomenal. This is the best day of my life,” said Bindea. He felt overwhelmed about being a part of “something so fantastic” as the United States.

And he said it would feel good to say, “I’m an American from Virginia.” Other new citizens expressed similar sentiments. New citizen Julian Alleyne said he arrived in country from Barbados to study.

“I fell in love with the country and that is why I’m here,” Alleyne said. Another new citizen said his citizenship came just after he celebrated his 40th anniversary of arriving in America.

“I believe in the dream. All of us need to be dreamers,” the man said.

The new citizens were given a brief lesson their new rights and responsibilities by 6th District Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. The congressman told the new citizens they have the right to free speech, free religion, the right to private property and the right to travel anywhere in this free land.

But Goodlatte said citizenship also means responsibility. There is the civic duty to vote, to obey the laws and to respect your fellow citizens.

“I hope you become an active participant in our society,” said Goodlatte, who said the drive and passion exhibited by the new citizens resembled that of those who fire came to America centuries ago.

Several schools attended Tuesday’s ceremony. Students from Clymore Elementary in Fort Defiance were in attendance as were students from Stuart Hall Middle School in Staunton, Ridgeview Christian School in Stuarts Draft, Parry McClure Middle School in Buena Vista and the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in Staunton.

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Richmond Times Dispatch: Bauhan et al.: Waive the ethanol standard for Virginia
By HOBEY BAUHAN et al
September 17, 2012
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Last month, Gov. Bob McDonnell petitioned Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to waive the federally mandated Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Virginia's chicken, turkey, dairy, beef and pork producers and processors applaud him. This is not a partisan issue; this is about saving Virginia jobs, the commonwealth's economy and our farms, and keeping food affordable.

The crop report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in August showed the drought that is decimating the U.S. Corn Belt has destroyed a sixth of the country's corn crop in just one month. Yet, the RFS mandates that a certain percentage of corn ethanol be blended into gasoline each year – no matter what.

Corn is the No. 1 ingredient in poultry, dairy, and hog feed, and feed is the single biggest cost in raising livestock and poultry. With this year's drought, however, there may not be enough corn to go around. Corn prices already have soared to record levels, and Virginia's livestock and poultry producers are being hit, and hard — to the tune of more than $330 million in added costs.

"Although the severe drought that our nation has experienced is an underlying factor in current economic conditions, the direct harm is caused by the RFS requirement to utilize ever-increasing amounts of corn and soybeans for transportation fuel, severely increasing the costs of producing food and further depleting already severely stressed grain supplies," McDonnell said in his petition.

He is right. The economic impact is happening already here at home. Livestock and poultry producers' livelihoods are being threatened as they are forced to pay record-breaking costs to feed their animals. As the trickledown effect occurs, average Virginians soon will see this price increase at their grocery store. In a tough economic time, our citizens do not need to have an even harder time putting food on the table.

In 2007, Congress gave the EPA administrator the authority to waive in part or in whole the RFS requirement for just this situation. Because of the impact the RFS has on the availability of corn in this drought situation, we support the governor's petition asking EPA to issue a waiver for the RFS now. And we're not the only ones. The petition is supported by the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, National Pork Producers Council and National Cattleman's Beef Association, among other groups. Twelve bipartisan members of the Virginia congressional delegation have also called for an RFS waiver, including: U.S. Sens. Jim Webb (D) and Mark Warner (D), and Reps. Rob Wittman (R-1); Scott Rigell (R-2); Bobby Scott (D-3); Randy Forbes (R-4); Robert Hurt (R-5); Bob Goodlatte (R-6); Jim Moran (D-8); Morgan Griffith (R-9); Frank Wolf (R- 10), and Gerald Connolly (D-11).

Poultry and livestock are vital parts of Virginia's economy. The farm market value of all livestock and poultry sold in Virginia exceeds $1.7 billion annually and represents more than 70 percent of all agricultural farm market value for the co