Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Legislative”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will start issuing final pandemic assistance payments to timber harvesters and timber hauling businesses through the Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers (PATHH) program next week. Overall, $200 million will be provided to loggers and log trucking businesses who experienced a gross revenue loss of at least 10% during the period of Jan. 1 through Dec. …
(TALLAHASSEE/NSF/Dec. 2, 2021) — While global supply chain issues are reportedly easing, Florida farmers told lawmakers Thursday that perishable items with short shelf lives continue to struggle in being moved from fields to markets. During a meeting of the Senate Agriculture Committee, growers said the industry faces transportation and labor shortages in getting products out of the ground and to …
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, otherwise known as the Build Back Better bill, is an infrastructure package focused on creating American jobs, rebuilding our nation’s roads and bridges, and combatting the climate crisis. President Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law back in mid-November. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane, says this …
It was announced Monday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had extended a waiver for commercial truckers from the federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulation to Feb. 28, 2022. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) thanked the Biden administration, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Meera Joshi, FMCSA deputy administrator for the extension. The HOS rule limits truckers to 11 hours of …
A Successful Farming article says there may be trouble ahead for the upcoming Farm Bill in Washington, D.C. A former USDA official says the 2023 legislation could be in trouble if the political turbulence surrounding the last two farm bills keeps going into next year. “The deep polarization heightens the uncertainty of how this farm bill will unfold in Congress,” …
While some in agriculture question the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better Bill, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he respectfully disagrees with those who say that it will cause the loss of family farms. AFBF President Zippy Duval told farm reporters last week that the bill’s costs outweighed increases for farm programs. But Vilsack said the bill actually has provisions that …
(WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2021) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the following statement following House Passage of President Biden’s Build Back Better bill. The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration. “Now more than ever Americans need this important piece of legislation to build up the middle-class and American competitiveness, to ensure the people of rural communities have a …
Statement by Johanna Chao Kreilick, President, Union of Concerned Scientists WASHINGTON (November 19, 2021) —The U.S. House has passed the Build Back Better Act—legislation that would launch the United States toward a clean energy economy, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), making historic investments in clean energy and transportation, climate-resilient agriculture, and environmental justice. Below is a statement by Johanna Chao Kreilick, president …
Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Army released a proposed rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The proposed rule would remove the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), which was finalized in 2020 and provided long-overdue certainty and clarity for farmers affected by the scope of WOTUS jurisdiction. Various commodity …
Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Robert Bonnie as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As Under Secretary, Bonnie will oversee the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Risk Management Agency and FPAC Business Center. He will also manage the USDA’s Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program. And various folks …
