Nolan Secures Key Appointment to House Agriculture Committee
Press Release
Minnesota's Eighth District Congressman Rick Nolan has been appointed to serve on the House Agriculture Committee, a key assignment he had requested during meetings with House leadership in December.
The word came from Committee Ranking Member and fellow Minnesotan U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (MN-07) and the House Democratic Caucus. Nolan served on the Agriculture Committee from 1975-1981 and chaired its Subcommittee on Family Farms and Rural Development. He was appointed earlier to serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Nolan, who owned and operated a forest products company in Emily, MN for many years, bought logs from local loggers, and sold pallets to Minnesota and regional manufacturers, noted that, "Timber and forest products are a cornerstone of our economy in the Eighth Congressional District. Because the House Agriculture Committee has jurisdiction over the U.S. Forest Service and the millions of acres of timber and national forests it oversees across northern Minnesota and America, this assignment is crucial to the timber and forest products industries, middle class jobs and economic development in our area."
"Beyond its influence on a healthy timber industry, the Agriculture Committee has a great deal to do with hunger and nutrition programs here in America and around the world, as well as advancing U.S. exports and trade through the Port of Duluth."
"It's also important to note that our Eighth District is primarily rural in nature, so our farms and rural communities are vitally important to our economy and way of life in northern Minnesota. I'm looking forward to working with my friend Collin Peterson and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a farm bill that protects and advances the interests of small and medium sized family farms and the towns and businesses that depend on their success to generate good local jobs."
In announcing Nolan's appointment, Ranking Member Peterson said, "Rick Nolan's familiarity and experience with the issues facing the Committee make him a strong and extremely valuable addition. I look forward to working with him to advance farm and rural interests in Minnesota and throughout our nation."
Further committee assignments will be announced at a later date.
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