By Joel Kurtinitis
Correspondent
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had his shot at the spotlight Saturday morning at Bruce Rastetter’s Iowa Ag Summit. While his interview with Rastetter didn’t’ register much applause and lacked the laugh lines presented by earlier candidates, Bush was clearly comfortable with the crowd and the questions.
He started off by discussing his prior trip to Iowa while campaigning with his father, former US President George H.W. Bush. “I remember eating really well, and meeting a lot of nice people,” he said.
Rastetter then asked Bush about his thoughts on the United States’ relationship with China. ““It’s one that we need to manage carefully.” Bush said that China presents a a complicated relationship, as they use cyber warfare against America, but present great trade opportunity for us as their middle class grows.
On illegal immigration, Bush stood on his “path to citizenship” rhetoric, which has proven unpopular with conservatives nationwide. BR: While he opened his response on immigration by asserting that, “Rule of law is a sacred value in our country,” Bush also said that “Immigrants that are here, need to have a path to legalized status.”
With regard to the Renewable Fuel Standard, Bush said that the Environmental Protection Agency needs to create guidelines in the absence of congressional action. He believes that action by the EPA will foster a more predictable business environment, which will help businesses plan for the future.
Bush also discussed tax credits for wind energy, and the importance of such credits in the economy. “This is how America works: We create an incentive – in this case the production tax credit – that creates an industry.”
Bush also supported extending wind tax credits indefinitely, to ensure competitiveness in the energy market.
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