The first session of the 109th Congress held some good news for Missouri's farmers. After 4 years of trying to pass a national energy plan, we finally succeeded. I firmly believe that we have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, which right now stands at 62 percent. One of the solutions is grown in the fields of Missouri.

Ethanol and biodiesel got a tremendous boost in the energy bill. The bill adds an additional 7.5 billion gallons per year of ethanol and other renewable fuels to U.S. gasoline supplies by 2012. The Renewable Fuels Association reports that Missouri has the capacity to provide 100 million gallons of ethanol a year.

Increasing the amount of ethanol and biodiesel in our nation's gasoline supply is a triple hit. It's good for consumers, good for producers and good for the environment. I would much rather rely on Missouri farmers than Saudi Arabia for our energy needs.

In addition, the House passed the first reforms to the Endangered Species Act in nearly 30 years. As you know the first instinct of most farmers when they find an endangered species on their property is to shoot, shovel and shut up.

That is part of the reason that the ESA has been a failure. Of the over 1,200 species that have been added to the list since 1973, less than 10 have been recovered. Only in Washington can a 1.2 percent success rate be considered an accomplishment.

The bill included a provision, which I wrote, that allows landowners to be compensated for land that has been taken for species habitat. Too often, the federal government comes in and takes your land because it could be critical habitat.

Not only is ESA unsuccessful, but it has been harmful to small businesses and farmers trying to earn a living off their own land. It is a lesson that Rex Wood of Linn County learned all too well.

The floods of the mid-90s caused a massive logjam in Locust Creek. The jam raised channel levels and prevented fields from draining. Forty farmers donated over $18,000 to clear the logjam.

However, the Fish and Wildlife Service stopped their plans for more than 2 years by claiming any cleanout would harm Indiana Bat habitat. Even though no one had seen an Indiana Bat, the farmers could do nothing but watch productive fields waste under standing water. It cost the farmers over $3 million in losses.

I believe that the ESA can save more species by working with landowners instead of against them. The bill also defines specific standards for science used to make decisions. The current law vaguely defines the criteria as the best available science, which means the data does not need to be verified, reliable, conclusive or even good. The absence of objective science has in some cases led to poor judgments on species protection and critical habitat. Using better science means that we can make better decisions.

Even more important, reforming the ESA will have a positive effect on the battle over the Missouri River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to promote a plan that allows spring rises. Some scientists believe that the pallid sturgeon needs higher levels of water to reproduce.

I care more about the rights of landowners than the pallid sturgeon. Creating man-made floods in the spring will wipe out crops and livelihoods. Farmers have a hard enough time fighting natural disasters without adding man-made ones.

In Congress there are only a handful of farmers left and I'm proud to be one of them. I will continue to help my fellow representatives to understand that meeting the bottom line is a daily challenge for today's farmers.

I know that for many of you farming isn't a business, but a way of life. It's something that I understand and will continue to fight for in the United States Congress.

Sam Graves is the U.S. Representative from Missouri's Sixth Congressional District.