Last week the American Soybean Association helpfully took apart the Republic platform as it pertains to agriculture, energy and the environment for those of us without the motivation or time to read the manuscript ourselves. Now the Democrats have released their platform and ASA has once again summarized the information.
Biodiesel – No specific mention of biodiesel, but discusses clean energy and clean fuels. Promotes “clean energy leadership and collaborative stewardship of our natural resources, while expanding opportunities in rural communities across America.” Also plans to extend tax credit for clean energy.
Conservation – states the party will provide assistance to producers using conservation practices and notes the benefits of working cooperatively with growers.
Farm Safety Net – States their commitment to providing a “focused safety net to assist family operations that need support during challenging times.”
Hunger and Nutrition – Committed to protecting “proven programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) … that help struggling families put food on the table.” Also opposes the block-granting of the SNAP program.
Infrastructure Investment – Outlines plans for “rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure,” specifically roads, bridges, and freight rail lines and waterways. It also calls for the creation of a national infrastructure bank to focus on infrastructure improvements, and the permanent establishment of Build America Bonds to spur investment at the state and local levels.
Rural Broadband – The platform commits to bringing high-speed internet connectivity to “every household in America.”
Trade – The document neither supports nor opposes TPP. It does contains language on trade, referencing a desire to “review agreements negotiated years ago to update them,” and to not take “shortcuts on labor policy or the environment.” The platform includes language on currency manipulation and dumping calls for an end to both the travel ban and the trade embargo with Cuba.
Waters of the U.S. – The Clean Water Act refers only to mining discharge. There is no mention of the WOTUS rule.
You can read the document in its entirety here.