A lot of these small communities just cannot afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars that it takes to do the studies to be able to get in compliance.

I would urge you to consider extending the production tax credit for wind energy.

It is about production. That is what you get the credit on.

I wish to really express my appreciation to the esteemed Chairman, Mr. Tiberi, and Mr. Neal, for holding this hearing to discuss the fate of several expiring tax provisions.

I have long been a supporter of domestic energy resources as a means to support American jobs, decrease our dependency on foreign oil, and to ensure our own energy independence.

I have been in this business for 37 years and this is the most serious I have ever seen our situation our Nation is in.

I am also concerned that changes are being recommended to Congress based purely on meeting the right budget number.

I believe the decision would have three significant national security implications.

It seems to me that pre-disaster mitigation is cheaper than paying the damages afterwards.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And welcome, Mr. Administrator. Thank you for what you do for a lot of people who have been experiencing real disasters out there.

I was stunned, I guess, in the President's State of the Union that he did not once mention anything about agriculture.