Top Issues

2007 Farm Bill
TFI supports conservation programs that minimize reliance on idling of productive land resources; encourages farm support programs that comply with U.S. obligations under the WTO, and minimize trade distorting policies and encourage liberalization of agriculture trade, and; opposes attempts by the U.S government to create incentives to build government or private stockpiles of grain, which have a depressing impact on farm commodity prices.  TFI also promotes the use of advanced fertilizer technologies in federal conservation programs.
   
Tax Policy    
Potash Royalty Reduction Act
TFI only focuses on federal tax policies or proposed federal tax legislation that directly impact the production, sale and use of fertilizer products.  For example, TFI has advocated tax benefits for phosphate mining operations, opposed federal legislation attempting to tax fertilizer to fund water treatment facilities and opposed taxes on fertilizer to benefit the Superfund cleanups. Recently, TFI is supporting federal legislation H.R. 485, a measure granting a potash royalty reduction which would reduce the existing 2 percent royalty rate to 1 percent, with half of that amount being reserved by the U.S. Treasury to ensure successful post-mining land reclamation.  H.R. 485 passed in the House in the first session of the109th Congress and is being considered in the Senate.

Security Tax Credit
TFI supports H.R. 4718 in the House and H.R. 2052 in the Senate, which establishes a security tax credit for agricultural businesses that store agricultural pesticides and fertilizers at their facilities.  The bill entitled the “Agricultural Business Security Investment Act of 2005,” would provide a modest tax credit to agricultural retailers and distributors, manufacturers, formulators and aerial applicators of pesticides or fertilizers that take proactive steps to increase on-site security at their facilities. 

Energy    
TFI supported comprehensive energy legislation, which passed the House and Senate and was signed by President George W. Bush in 2005.  TFI continues to press the Department of Energy to promulgate rules and regulations as quickly as possible for the coal gasification loan guarantee program, which was mandated by Congress in the new energy law.  TFI also supports federal legislation that encourages oil and natural gas exploration and drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to increase U.S. supplies of natural gas.

Potash Enclave Protection Efforts
TFI works with Congress, the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to keep in place historic protections of the New Mexico potash reserves enclave.  TFI opposes any premature expansion of oil and gas exploration and drilling in the enclave that could contaminate federally protected potash reserves.

Global Warming
TFI opposes the McCain-Lieberman bill and other legislation that would impose mandatory first-time economy-wide controls on greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide. TFI tracks methods of carbon dioxide sequestration and other proposals regarding reduction of chemicals implicated in climate change.

State Fertilizer Preemption Laws
TFI supports state adoption of fertilizer preemption legislation to mitigate local ordinances seeking to limit or ban fertilizer use.
  
Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO)
TFI regularly confers with AAPFCO on various regulations affecting fertilizer (i.e. fertilizer preemption, heavy metals, BSE); and confers with the Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) to push fertilizer preemption in state legislatures.

Fertilizer Market Access
TFI works the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Commerce and Congress to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers that impact U.S. fertilizer exports an promote the elimination of all tariffs on U.S. fertilizer exports in all bilateral free trade agreement negotiations.

Ammonium Nitrate
TFI supports legislation introduced in the House (H.R. 3197) and Senate (S. 1141) to increase security of ammonium nitrate and assure its continued use in production agriculture.  In the first session of the 109th Congress, H.R. 3197 passed with a unanimous vote in the House Homeland Security Committee’s Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attacks subcommittee.   

Chemical Security
TFI monitors House and Senate developments regarding chemical security legislation and advocates workable alternatives to program proposals.  To date, one bill has been introduced in the Senate, and TFI has refrained from endorsing this legislation as it contains provisions of concern including provisions interpreted to require consideration of inherently safer technologies and the listing of ammonium nitrate separately as a substance of concern.   

Rail Security 
Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate on re-routing of hazardous materials and rail car integrity.  TFI opposes ordinances which require lengthy re-routing of hazardous materials, such as fertilizer, that are critical to the nation’s economy.  TFI is working through the AAR on issues involving rail tank car integrity for chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia. 

Methamphetamine
Last year, TFI strongly supported the “Combat Meth Act of 2005,” which regulates the sale of pseudophedrine by keeping products that contain it locked up.  The Combat Meth Act is contained in the reauthorization of the Patriot Act.  The Act also provides grants for deterrents that will help reduce meth production.