Press Releases
Luetkemeyer, Graves Secure Waiver to Assist Missouri Farmers' Planting Preparations
Washington, DC,
March 18, 2010
In a victory for hard-working farm families, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9), a farmer from St. Elizabeth, and Congressman Sam Graves (MO-6), a farmer from Tarkio, today announced that they have successfully helped secure a federal waiver that ensures a timely delivery of farm supplies for the 2010 planting season. Luetkemeyer and Graves both serve on the House Agriculture Committee.
In a victory for hard-working farm families, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9), a farmer from St. Elizabeth, and Congressman Sam Graves (MO-6), a farmer from Tarkio, today announced that they have successfully helped secure a federal waiver that ensures a timely delivery of farm supplies for the 2010 planting season. Luetkemeyer and Graves both serve on the House Agriculture Committee. After working with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Anne Ferro, Luetkemeyer and Graves were informed that the FMCSA has granted a 90-day waiver from the hours-of-service regulations for the 2010 planting season. The waiver extends the agricultural operations exemption for a motor carrier in the distribution system provided that the motor carrier is delivering anhydrous ammonia, none of the transportation movements exceed a 100 air-mile radius, and the motor carrier has a satisfactory safety rating. Luetkemeyer and Graves held that Congress intended this activity to be included when the provision of law was created, but sought the waiver after concerns were raised about the interpretation of the FMCSA hour-of-service exemption for agricultural operations, in particular the delivery of anhydrous ammonia during the planting season. “Agriculture is an important industry for Missouri’s 9th District and all of Missouri, and I am pleased that this waiver will provide a timely delivery of supplies Missouri farmers need for the 2010 planting season. I look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Transportation and my colleagues in Congress to resolve this issue permanently,” Luetkemeyer said. “I’m glad that the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration agree that the ‘just in time’ delivery system of anhydrous ammonia should remain exempted from the hours of service regulations during the busy planting and harvest seasons. The agriculture industry and farmers have enough to worry about, without adding more excessive regulations from Washington on top of it. While there is more work to be done in this issue, the DOT and FMCSA have taken a step in the right direction,” Graves said. ###
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