09/13/07 Craig's departure, its impact on agriculture

Many Idaho agricultural leaders say that the state and US agriculture are losing one of their best advocates with Larry Craig's resignation from the Senate. They cite his record in both the House and Senate on ag issues. Craig was a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee who also took criticism from salmon advocates but he fought back when several environmental groups called for the removal of four dams on the lower Snake River. He worked for years to get his AgJobs bill passed and in doing so he alienated many Idahoans who felt the guest worker program was nothing more than amnesty for illegal immigrants. Fellow Idahoan and about to become the state's Senior Senator is Mike Crapo. CRAPO "Losing someone with Senator Craig's seniority is going to be a loss of some clout in the Senate. On the other hand in the United States Senate seniority is significant but it's not the entire ballgame and we would I think be able to work forward to continue and to represent Idaho very aggressively regardless of who the new senator is." Crapo says the Idaho delegation will continue to work on projects and initiatives that Craig had been working on prior to his resignation announcement and he's sure the new senator will champion that cause as well. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott