Maria Cantwell: “I wanted to make a statement in support of the Small Business and Farm Energy Emergency Relief Act of 2005, S. 269…”

“I wanted to make a statement in support of the Small Business and Farm Energy Emergency Relief Act of 2005, S. 269, introduced yesterday by the Senator from Massachusetts, Mr. Kerry. This legislation establishes a critically important safety net for small businesses and family farms that suffer direct economic injury due to exorbitant and immediate increases in energy costs, and I am pleased to be an original cosponsor. The Small Business and Farm Energy Emergency Relief Act of 2005 would provide small businesses and farms economic relief in the form of low-interest emergency loans to help mitigate the effects of significant spikes in the prices of heating oil, propane, natural gas, and kerosene. To be eligible, an applicant must be a small-business owner or agriculture producer, must have used all reasonably available funds it may have, and must be unable to obtain credit elsewhere.”