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Committee accepts Conrad energy amendment

Sen. Kent Conrad. D-N.D.
Sen. Kent Conrad. D-N.D.
The Senate Agriculture Committee has accepted an amendment offered by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., to continuing energy programs at the Agriculture Department with $800 million in mandatory funding over five years.

Conrad thanked Sens. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa and John Thune, R-S.D., for their help in writing the bill.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said the Congressional Budget Office had ruled that savings elsewhere in the bill made it possible to fund the Conrad proposal.

Conrad had included offsets to pay for it. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., offered an amendment removing an offset from the upland cotton program to fund the energy program, and Conrad supported it.

The amendment was approved by voice vote but Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Pat Roberts, R-Kan., opposed it.