Date: 1983-05-17
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. again I thank the distinguished gentleman from California and the members of the subcommittee for the excellent work which they have done on this legislation. and I rise in support of H.R. 2733. The bill extends the Native Latex Commercialization and Economic Development Act of 1978 through September 30. 1988. It also broadens the guayule research and development program to one of a more generic nature that includes other agricultural crops that have the potential for producing materials of strategic or industrial importance to the Nation. H.R. 2733 extends and strengthens the 1978 act because of the importance the committee attributes to the development of guayule production to help satisfy our need for natural rubber. The United States imports all of the natural rubber used in domestic production. Most of this rubber is derived from latex of the Hevea tree and is grown in the tropics near the equator. - Approximately 35 percent of the total domestic rubber consumption comes from natural latex. the remainder comes from synthetic rubber manufactured from hydrocarbons which are derived primarily from petroleum. Therefore. synthetic rubber production is dependent on the petroleum industry. and any curtailment of petroleum availability or increase in petroleum costs impacts directly on the domestic rubber industry. Notwithstanding the availability of synthetic rubber for many uses. it is inferior to natural rubber in most applications. For example. natural latex is used in the production of tires in amounts ranging from 20 percent for nonradial automobile tires to nearly 100 percent for airplane tires. It is a necessary component of these products since it runs cooler than synthetic rubber and thus degrades less. insuring fewer breaks and longer tire life. While most of the natural latex presently produced in the world comes from a tropical species which is not suitable for growth in the United States. there exists another species of plant. guayule. which is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. which contains commercial quantities of high quality latex. During World War II. when normal supplies of natural latex were Interrupted. the U.S. Government undertook a sizable research and development program to cultivate and process guayule In the Southwest. In 1946 the emergency rubber project was terminated by the Congress due to the return of normal production and importation of natural latex from other parts of the world. mainly Southeast Asia. The commercial development of guayule could free the United States from its dependence on natural rubber imports. It will lessen our dependence on synthetic rubber derived from petrochemicals which also must come to a large extent from overseas. Additionally. the development of guayule production would help strengthen our balance of payments. The 1978 act directed the Secretary of Agriculture to coordinate and carry out research on the commercialization of latex from guayule or other hydrocarboncontaining plants and established an advisory commission to assist the Secretary in carrying out his duties. This research and development is necessary since the application of the agricultural and industrial techniques used for rubber cultivation during World War II will not yield a commercially viable crop or product in todays market. The committee observes that this program has received only modest Federal support. State governments. however. have recognized the potential of the commercial development of guayule and have contributed a considerable amount of money. The private sector. mainly the major rubber companies. have been involved but have dropped many of their efforts due to the economically depressed rubber industry. I In the opinion of the committee. all of this adds up to a job left undone and a need which still- persists. The committee took certain positive steps to strengthen the role of the Department of Agriculture in this program by rewriting certain portions of section 5 to focus on an accelerated three step program procedure: First. accelerating present plant breeding. genetics. and selection programs for the purpose of improving and increasing latex yields. Second. establishing a system of largescale experimental plantingsaggregating 10.000 acres or moreto provide shrub for feedstock to process in the developmental rubber processing facility presently being developed. and Third. accelerating the refinement of present extraction and processing technologies. including the development- and construction of a developmental rubber processing facility for the extraction and production of test quantities of guayule natural rubber. H.R. 2733 has expanded the native latex program from an effort to develop one crop in one region into a farreaching challenge. It is our sincere hope that H.R. 2733 will serve to provide us with an integrated research and development system that can be utilized with other agricultural crops in addition to guayule that have the potential of producing critical materials for strategic and industrial purposes. The development of domestic industries for the production and manufacture from native agricultural crops of products. other than rubber. which are of strategic and industrial importance but for which the Nation is now dependent upon foreign sources. will benefit the economy. the defense. and the general wellbeing of the Nation. H.R. 2733 encourages additional research efforts in this area. Meadow foam. crambe. buffalo gourd. gopher weed. jojoba are but a few strangely named plants growing in every region which may hold commercial promise as renewable sources of critical materials. The committee believes that if the United States is to have a credible agriculture research program or a working national materials policy. we must explore these alternatives. for we must remember that. at one point. just a few decades ago. soybeans and sunflowers were on this list of crops. It is interesting to note the vast potential that these crops offer: Some bear an oilseed crop producing industrial oils. some produce chemical feedstocks. others produce industrial hydrocarbons. and. last. jojoba. a shrub whose beans produce a superior lubricant and feedstock for plastics and fertilizer. The oil from the jojoba bean is the only known replacement for sperm whale oil which is used for certain needs as a longterm lubricant for inaccessible parts. such as moving parts near nuclear reactors. H.R. 2733 authorizes the program for a period of 5 years with an authorization of appropriations on an annually graduating scale and totaling $50 million for the life of the program. It should be noted. Mr. Speaker. that H.R. 2733 was reported by our committee by a unanimous voice vote in the presence of a quorum. I urge the Members to join me in support of H.R. 2733. as amended.