Colorado Corn

By JESSE CHANEY, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Although Colorado Congressional District 4 Incumbent Republican Marilyn Musgrave and opponent Democrat Betsy Markey took a few shots at each other, support for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) was one of the only issues of contention during a debate at Fort Morgan High School on Monday.

Musgrave said NISP is supported by several District 4 counties and would help protect 60,000 acres of farmland that may otherwise lose irrigation water.

“It breaks my heart when farmland is dried up, and we see that more and more in Colorado with the thirsty Front-Range cities going after ag water,” she said. “...We need to stop the cities from taking the water from agricultural areas and devastating their communities. My opponent has not taken a stand on this.”

There is no doubt Colorado needs more water storage, Markey said, as she saw how farmers who lost their wells suffered when she was working for Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.

“This is an area where your representative in Congress needs to help you and fight for you,” she said.

However, Markey said, she is not yet sure that NISP is the appropriate response.

“I want to make sure that this is the best project, that this is the best alternative that we can use right now,” she said.

During her opening and closing remarks, Musgrave referred to signs outside the high school that supported Defenders of Wildlife Action.

“That’s the radical environmentalist group that spent over a million dollars against me in this campaign,” she said, adding that the whole economy in Fort Morgan is based on agriculture.

“You can be sure that the Defenders of Wildlife Action hate our way of life out here in rural Colorado,” Musgrave said as the audience responded with booing and cheers.

In her closing remarks, Markey criticized Musgrave for calling the organization “radical,” for speaking about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a disparaging way concerning the farm bill, and for taking part in negative political advertising.

“This is exactly what’s wrong with Washington D.C.,” she said, adding that congressional representatives should rather focus on making a difference and solving problems.

During the debate, the candidates agreed there is no reason the U.S. can’t create a guest worker program that allows workers to meet the needs of agriculture and other industries. The country should not neglect border security, however, and it should create a proper employee verification system so employers can verify the legal status of their workers, they said.

Markey pointed out that her opponent is a member of an immigration reform caucus, and she said Musgrave has not sponsored any immigration bills during the six years she has served in Congress.

In a rebuttal, Musgrave said she has cosponsored immigration legislation and has worked to make sure foreign workers are available for the country’s agricultural producers.

“Please be correct on your statements, Betsy,” she said. “I worked very hard ... on immigration policy to bring in guest workers.”

Musgrave and Markey also agreed that corn-based ethanol has benefited economic development, but it is not a permanent solution.

“We need to do more,” Markey said, by diversifying the nation’s energy portfolio by incorporating biofuels and other renewables. “...As a member of Congress, I will make sure that Colorado gets it’s fair share of grant money at the federal level.”

Musgrave said language in the farm bill must provide tax credits for cellulosic ethanol and assure that grants are available for the transition.

“As a lead negotiator of the farm bill, I worked very hard for a tax credit for cellulosic ethanol,” she said.

Markey and Musgrave said they would both support comprehensive immigration reform that would help agricultural businesses secure immigrant labor, but they both were opposed to amnesty.

In response to a question concerning the Clean Water Restoration Act, Musgrave and Markey said the federal government should not be given control of all waters in the United States.

Musgrave said she was “adamantly opposed” to the legislation that would give the federal government the power to regulate irrigation canals along county roads in Morgan County.

“We have enough problems in agriculture,” she said.

Although Markey said she supports the intent of the legislation to keep the environment clean, she does not think it is a good idea to give the federal government control of all waters.

In response to a question about the role the federal government should have in regulating livestock husbandry practices and marketing agreements, Musgrave said the government should assure farmers have the international markets they need to sell beef. Additionally, she said, she has been working hard to make sure that the United States has the safest beef-supply industry in the world.

Markey said the federal government should ultimately work to keep the nation’s livestock business strong. Producers are responsible for regulating husbandry practices, she said, and the federal government should not take that away.

“Farmers and ranchers are the original stewards of the land and I think we should respect that,” he said.

Marketing is a more complex issue, Markey said, and the government should have a limited role in protecting small businesses from unfair practices by national and multinational companies with vast assets.

If elected to serve another term, Musgrave said, she would like to continue serving the House Committees on Agriculture and Small Business. The two committees are the most appropriate for the congressional candidate serving Colorado’s fourth district, she said.

Markey agreed that it would be critical to serve on the agriculture committee.

Both candidates also agreed that a system of uniform trucking weight limits should be implemented throughout the nation.