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Capitol News
Thursday, May 24, 2007 12:35 PM CDT
By Joan Sanstadt, Agri-View News Editor

Industrial hemp vote

The Assembly Rural Economic Development Committee, chaired by Rep. Jeffrey Mursau (R-Crivitz) last week voted unanimously to move the industrial hemp bill out of committee and recommend it for debate on the Assembly floor.

Over the years, industrial hemp (because of its feared link to marijuana) has been one of the more controversial topics this reporter has covered. That's why a unanimous committee vote on what has been a contentious issue was gratifying.

Granted, the committee wasn't voting on the right of farmers to grow the crop - it is still illegal to do so. But what it does do is advance the matter to the Assembly and then, hopefully, to the State Senate and ultimately to Gov. Jim Doyle.

As attorney general, Doyle opposed the idea of growing industrial hemp in the state. But years have passed and now as Gov. Jim Doyle - a governor that has launched a major bio effort - many are hopeful that he is willing to take another look at a crop that not only could offer significant quantities of biomass, it just might also lead to new economic development in the state.

So, as a committee devoted to rural economic development, it seems as though members did exactly what the committee seemed designed to do - look at new ways of bringing industry and jobs to rural areas.

The committee's action doesn't take a giant step in any direction. What it does do is take a teeny-tiny step in the direction of learning real facts about a "new" crop for which Wisconsin offers ideal growing conditions. (It's not exactly "new" because it was grown very successfully in the state up until the late '30s and then was grown again - at the request of the U.S. government - during WWII.)

Here's what the bill does: It creates a 13-member committee to study the uses of industrial hemp. The bill requires the committee to review literature related to industrial hemp, to evaluate the economic opportunities for the state that could result from producing and using industrial hemp, and to report its findings and recommendations to the legislature. The committee would have to complete its work in about a 12-month period.

Mursau said "the federal government may be closer than ever before to approving industrial hemp. If the feds approve, we want to be prepared to grow the crop - We want Wisconsin to be a leader in this."

Ervin a. "Bud" Sholts, chair of the North American Industrial Hemp Council, called the committee action "a start down the road to bringing this crop back to reality in Wisconsin. It has enormous potential in bioproducts and good potential in biofuels."

Rep. Gene Hahn (R-Cambria), author of AB146, recalled a hearing about four years ago when he was surprised to learn "how many came to tell us how they imported hemp oil. A chef from New York had written a recipe book containing recipes that used hemp ingredients - one of his restaurants was destroyed on Sept. 11," he added.

Hahn said he felt "encouraged by the many entities that have shown an interest in hemp. It has lots of potential in diesel fuels and other bio products. I'm very hopeful something can happen - it's going smoother than it did the last two times around and nobody from law enforcement appeared in opposition to the bill," the author noted.

(While channel surfing over the weekend, I paused to watch a segment from a "green products" convention held in Chicago. There were people drinking "hemp milk" and there was also an exhibit of carpeting made by the Interface Corporation. This company uses hemp fiber in its biodegradable carpets.)

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