WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today held a virtual call with members of the Illinois Soybean Association Board to discuss her Illinois and legislative priorities for the upcoming year. Duckworth discussed the importance of biofuels, addressing climate change, and improving transportation, infrastructure and trade.
“The strength of America’s farmers is a reflection of our strength as a nation,” Duckworth said. “I enjoyed meeting with the Illinois Soy Board today to hear their concerns and discuss how I can be helpful at the federal level to their small businesses and working families. I will continue to advocate on behalf of our agriculture community to help ensure they have the resources they needed to feed and fuel our country and our economy in the years ahead.”
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Senator Duckworth has been a longtime supporter of agriculture. Earlier this week, after weeks of leading an effort calling on the Biden administration to take such action, she applauded the Administration’s decision to support farmers and rural communities by restoring the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) policy, which supports a $5 billion biofuel industry in Illinois that employs more than 4,000 people. In June 2019, Duckworth introduced the RFS Integrity Act of 2019 to make applications for small refinery exemptions (SRE) public and create more certainty for rural America. In 2020’s America’s Water Infrastructure Act, Duckworth also helped secure a provision to increase inland waterways cost sharing for lock and dam modernization projects on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers, which give farmers and competitive advantage in the global market.
The Illinois Soybean Association represents more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois and supports connections between soybean growers and local, state and national government entities.
