U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte appointed Congressman Gil Gutknecht to chair the Subcommittee on Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry Tuesday.

The subcommittee is also in charge of overseeing the implementation of the new farm bill, dairy policy and biofuel programs.

&uot;It’s a big honor for me and big honor for the state of Minnesota,&uot; Gutknecht said during a telephone conference with reporters across the state Tuesday. &uot;A lot of people think because we passed the farm bill last year, we won’t have much to do this year. But, the truth of the matter is we’ve got an awful lot of things to do.&uot;

To receive the farm subsidy under the new farm bill, farmers have to file their yield reports by April. But, according to Gutknecht, in Minnesota more than 80 percent of farmers have not signed up yet. Gutknecht said he would organize some informational meetings with area farmers to aid in the filing process.

Gutknecht also pledged to defend biofuel programs that he emphasized would bring enormous opportunity, not just for farmers, but for the environment and nation’s energy independence.

Budget woes have been driving some legislators in the capital to secure the transportation fund by cutting biofuel programs.

&uot;We have to get the transportation people to look at the big picture. It’s not just about how many dollars go into the trust fund, but it’s also about how many dollars stay here in the United States,&uot; Gutknecht said. &uot;I think we can make a very good case that the programs we have right now has very little real cost to the taxpayers and ultimately has enormous benefits to everyone who travels and everyone who wants to breathe clean air.&uot;

From recent a visit to Taiwan, Gutknecht says he found potential opportunities for the biofuel industries to export their products to the world market. Sixty-seven percent of gasoline sold in Taiwan contains MTBE, which is believed to affect health through groundwater contamination, and the country is interested in importing ethanol, according to Gutknecht.

Referring to President Bush’s State of the Union address, Gutknecht said he would support the U.S. commitment to punish Saddam Hussein by being engaged in war with the Middle Eastern oil-producing nation.

Quoting Henry Kissinger, he said, &uot;It’s true actions have consequences. But when you are dealing with foreign policy, inaction can have consequences.&uot;

&uot;While we don’t want to be the only country in the world that’s enforcing the U.N. resolutions, it seems to me that somebody has to enforce those resolutions. And, unfortunately it does appear more and more that responsibility is going to be left to us.&uot;