(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 …
US House Passes Bill with Historic Investments in Climate Action and Environmental Justice
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 …
Reactions to Latest EPA Announcement on WOTUS
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 …
Robert Bonnie Confirmed as Under Secretary of Agriculture for FPAC
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 …
President Biden Signs Infrastructure Bill
Monday, President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law. The plan includes $550 billion in new funding for transportation, broadband and utilities. The President said the new infusion of cash for roads, bridges, ports and more is going to make life “change for the better” for the American people. This includes high-speed internet connection. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy …
Keep Food Local & Affordable Act Introduced
U.S. Representative Greg Steube of Florida recently introduced the Keep Food Local and Affordable Act to combat the recent rise in food prices due to historic labor shortages and inflation. This legislation would implement a temporary stay on the H-2A adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) for states struggling to find domestic workers. The H-2A program allows temporary foreign workers in the U.S.; …
Senators Announce Plan to Improve Cattle Market Fairness
Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Deb Fischer of Nebraska joined Democrats Jon Tester of Montana and Ron Wyden of Oregon in announcing the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The compromise cattle market bill is an effort to return fairness to the cattle marketplace dominated by four major meatpackers. The legislation will establish regional mandatory minimum thresholds of …
Ag Groups Pleased With Passage of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The U.S. House of Representatives did pass H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). It is a bipartisan infrastructure package focused on creating millions of American jobs, rebuilding our nation’s roads and bridges, and combatting the climate crisis. Many in agriculture were pleased with passage of the legislation and now look forward to the bill going to President …
Legislation Seeks to Remove Red Tape Surrounding Farm Vehicles
Senate lawmakers Tuesday introduced the Covered Farm Vehicle Modernization Act. The legislation expands and modernizes the exemptions for Covered Farm Vehicles to reflect the variety of vehicles commonly used by today’s farmers and ranchers. The bill adjusts exemption thresholds and removes the extra regulatory red tape regarding Department of Transportation registration and fuel tax licensing requirements that have little to …
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses Opportunity in Reconciliation
We are hearing a lot about the budget reconciliation legislation, otherwise known as the Build Back Better Act, being discussed in Congress. During a recent interview on RFD-TV, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Senior Vice President of Communications, Alan Bjerga, talked about some of the opportunities for dairy that’s currently in that legislation. The legislation also includes $27 billion in a once-in-a-generation …