05/20/05 They like Highway Bill; Not COOL funding

The Northwest Senate delegation seems to be pleased overall with the $295 billion dollar federal Highway Transportation Bill passed earlier this week. For example, Idaho's Senators praised an amendment to high priority designation rules that could finally allow much needed federal funding to improve that state's major North-South thoroughfare, Highway 95. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden saw his amendment to boost the amount of federal highway repair bonds pass. Washington Senator Maria Cantwell won approval of her amendment that would update federal fuel-economy testing results to show real-life driving conditions. The Senate version of the Highway Transportation Bill passed by a significant margin, but it faces the possibility of a Presidential veto. While the Bush Administration supports an extensive Highway Bill, it is balking at the price of the Senate version&eleven billion dollars more than the Administration is proposing. The House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee approved a 2006 ag budget. But the big news was what it didn't contain & funding for mandatory country-of-origin meat labeling. That came after Subcommittee Chair Henry Bonilla added language delaying implementation of C.O.O.L. for meat products until September of 2007. Those moves had proponents of mandatory C.O.O.L. claiming the actions were not only to delay improved promotion of U.S. products but at worst could be an attempt to kill mandatory C.O.O.L. all together. U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns continued his rounds in the Northwest Wednesday &one day after his visit during a regional Animal I.D. symposium in Boise. Johanns was on hand near Mt. St. Helens to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the May 18th 1980 eruption. And he used the occasion to announce the release of $860,000 dollars in federal Urban and Forestry Grants. The matching grants were awarded to thirteen organizations nationwide, including the University of Washington and its study on urban forestry technology transfer. No one knows for sure when exactly the Bush Administration will send the Central American Free Trade Agreement before Congress for a vote. That's because of rumors around Washington D.C. that there are not enough votes in Congress to pass the measure. But for now, the Administration is doing its best to lobby Congress to approve the trade deal. An example of that occurred last week when Presidents of the six member nations of C.A.F.T.A. gathered in Washington D.C. to meet and discuss the agreement., and later visited with Congressional members to lobby on behalf of the trade deal.