Last week, the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously passed its Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022). WRDA provides improvements for the nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources infrastructure. It’s good news for farmers who transport their crops through the infrastructure system and will allow them to remain competitive …
EPA Sending Biofuel Blending Mandates to White House This Week
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to send the long-awaited 2020-2022 biofuel blending mandates to the White House early this week. Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the White House would then be working through a final review of the numbers. The EPA released a proposed rule in December, but it’s not known whether the mandates sent …
Senate Ag Committee Split on Cattle Market Reform Bill
A Senate Ag Committee cattle market reform hearing Tuesday proved again just how divided the industry is over how to deal with packer concentration, and in some cases, how afraid some producers are to say. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley claimed momentum for his Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act ahead of the Senate Ag hearing. “It does not include the …
Federal Wildlife Officials to Weigh Protections for Gopher Tortoises
(NSF/TALLAHASSEE/April 26, 2022) — Federal wildlife officials will decide in the coming months whether increased protections are needed for gopher tortoises, as Florida looks for ways to move the animals out of the path of development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Biological Diversity reached a settlement Tuesday that will require the federal agency to determine …
‘Clean and Healthy Waters’ Initiative Proposed?
(NSF/Tallahassee/April 25, 2022) — A political committee has filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a “fundamental right to clean and healthy waters” and allow lawsuits against state agencies for harm or threatened harm to lakes, rivers, wetlands and other types of water bodies. The committee FloridaRighttoCleanWater.org has proposed the initiative for the 2024 ballot, according to newly posted information …
Phase 1 NEPA Revisions Met with Criticism from Farm Groups
Last week, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced their final adjustments to portions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Several ag groups have raised concern about the Phase 1 NEPA revisions and the negative impact it will have on agriculture. The latest revisions would effectively reverse the amendments made in 2020, which was the first comprehensive update in …
Veterinarians Heading to Capitol Hill
On April 27th, a group of veterinarians will head to Capitol Hill to meet with senators and representatives to talk about legislation that will increase access to veterinary services in rural areas. They also want to talk about legislation to help in reducing the spread of diseases that pose a threat to animal and public health. The American Veterinary Medical …
Senator Previews Support, Opposition to Cattle Market Reforms
The chief sponsor of cattle market reform legislation, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, recently spoke with farm reporters about his expectations for upcoming hearings on his bill later this month. Grassley says he knows what the top four beef packing company executives think of his Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. “What they think about it is, everything’s alright, nothing needs to …
Farm Groups Oppose Final NEPA Changes
Key farm groups are opposing the Biden Administration’s final phase 1 revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) affecting major infrastructure projects. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) say the revised NEPA rules are a step backwards and jeopardize the very projects the Biden Administration is promoting. Here is AFBF’s Shelby Hagenauer. …
AFBF: NEPA Changes Signal Return to Outdated, Cumbersome Regulations
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall commented Wednesday on the final phase 1 revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA. Duvall says, “AFBF is disappointed that the Biden administration has decided to reverse commonsense reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act.” AFBF says farmers and ranchers share the goal of caring for the natural resources …