Senator updates business leaders on trade, energy issues - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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Martinez, a first-term Republican, has worked hard to support the which couldsave U.S. exporterws an estimated $1 billion a year in The Colombian agreement was signed in November 2006 and sent to Congress by President Bush in April after amandatory review. Bush has said the agreement is good for the economy and woul dbolster U.S. security interests in South America. Like many however, the agreement has been swept up inthis year’s election cycle with Congressional Democrates contending foreign trade deals slash domesticd jobs. Democrats also have said Colombiaq hasn’t done enough to improve its human rights including anti-union violence.
Martinez didn’t make any promises about what will happenn afterthe election, when Democrate are expected to make gains in Congress. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, in statement prepared for the Tampa Bay Business Journal, said he has met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe abouf the agreement. “I believe closer economic ties and trade can improvew cooperation on a range of including U.S. anti-drug efforts,” the Florida Democrat “But any free trade agreement must not create an uneven playing field that disadvantages American workers and Port of Tampa officials support the pactwith Colombia, which is the port’d fourth largest trading partner.
Last year Colombia imported nearly 670,00 0 tons of cement, coal and granite, while the port exportedr about 173,000 tons of fertilizer and scrap metal. “Senator Martinez’s comments were certainly well received, as the Port of Tampaa and the state of Florida woulcd realize tremendous economic benefits from open tradewith Colombia,” Port Director and CEO Richard Wainio said Martinez is a member of the committees. He addressed aboutt 200 business and community leaders at one ofthe port’d cruise ship terminals. The styled as an energy was scheduled beforethe nation’s economifc crisis forced Congress to enact a $700 billiohn economic rescue plan.
who voted for the sought to link the two topics duringhis 20-minute which steered clear of overt politics. “Thw relationship between Wall Street and Main Street is very he said of thefinancial turmoil. “We must avoid a deep and long-lastint recession.” Martinez supports President Bush’es plan to pump the first $250 billion of the packagse into bank securities to unfreeze thecredi market. Congress and the administration do not have any pland to help financially strapped citiessand states, he Martinez also said he trusts Chairman Christopher Cox to rein in shoryt sellers on Wall Street. A two-week ban on such activity ended Oct. 2. Sen.
John McCai of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee supportesby Martinez, had called for Cox’s oustedr at the beginning of the Martinez called for more production of energy from clean-coall technology, nuclear power and renewable He echoed Charles Black, presidenrt of , who in introducinv Martinez said there is “no silvedr bullet” to solve the nation’s energy Martinez reiterated his support for drilling off Florida’a coasts, provided there’s at least a 50-mile bufferr and state lawmakers approve the “I want to drill and I want to be aggressiv e about drilling, but there’s got to be a balancr there,” he said.
In July, Bush repealed an executive ordedr prohibitingoffshore drilling, reversing the 1990 ban signed by his the first President Bush. Facinvg pressure from constituents as gas priced climbed throughthe summer, Congress last month agreed to lift a separated legislative ban on offshore oil and gas leasing. Acknowledging the United States “can’t drill our way to energyh independence,” Martinez said consumersa should continue to conserve fuel to hold downpump “The other day I filled up at $2.96 and thought I was on anothe r planet,” Martinez said. “But we cannot get that falsew sense of security that everythingis OK.
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