Fruit and vegetable plant breeders who use gene editing are now facing more regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA recently increased oversight of some gene-edited crops and added to the workload and waiting time for those breeders. Dr. Margaret Worthington is an Associate Professor of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and she believes …
USDA and EPA Announce Continued Commitment to Support Rural Water Systems
(USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will help rural water systems face the challenges of aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, increasing costs, limited management capacity and declining rate bases. Through this MOA, USDA and EPA will conduct joint activities to help rural water systems continue …
Coalition Challenges EPA on 2018 Refinery Waivers
(NAFB) — A coalition of renewable fuels and agricultural trade organizations filed a petition with the Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals on Tuesday. The petition challenges the process the Environmental Protection Agency uses to exempt certain unknown small refineries from their respective obligations under the Renewable Fuels Standard in 2018. The coalition includes American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, National …
EPA Finalizes Rule to Repeal WOTUS
(NAFB) — The Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday published the final rule repealing the Waters of the U.S. rule. The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers effort repeals and returns the law to provisions in place prior to 2015. The new rule will go into effect on December 23, 2019. However, legal challenges are expected from environmental groups. First announced in …
Ag Groups Respond to Trump Administration Announcement Upholding the RFS
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA-Oct. 4, 2019) — The National Corn Growers Association welcomed an announcement from President Trump directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow the letter of the law and keep the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) whole. The RFS and corn farmers have repeatedly come under attack from big oil and the EPA, including the most recent …
2015 WOTUS Rule Officially Repealed
The 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule was officially repealed last week. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will now take the next step in a definition clarification and revivision. AgNet Media’s Danielle Leal has the report. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Industry Responds to EPA WOTUS Announcement
(Washington, D.C. (USDA-September 12, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for taking another step to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Repealing the WOTUS rule is a major win for American agriculture. The extreme overreach from the past Administration had government taking …
Trump Says Farmers will be Happy with Ethanol Package
(NAFB) — President Donald Trump says “the farmers will be so happy” when they see what the White House is doing for ethanol. On Twitter, Trump says “it will be a giant package, get ready.” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the Farm Progress Show this week said President Trump would announce details within the next couple of weeks. Perdue declined …
NCC to EPA: Slash Proposed 2020 Ethanol Volumes, Implement ‘Off-Ramp’ Waiver
Chicken producers incur $68 billion in higher feed costs since 2007 RFS Washington, D.C. (NCC) – Given the current uncertainty regarding the 2019/2020 crop year corn supply, NCC in comments submitted today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the proposed volume for 2020, coupled with the recent waiver that will increase the use of E15, is overly aggressive, overly …
RFA: EPA Rejected White House Recommendation on Waivers
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) claims White House documents show the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ignored Trump Administration recommendations on small refinery waivers. Documents obtained by the association apparently show the EPA ignored strong recommendations from within the Trump Administration to redistribute Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations lost to small refinery exemptions in the proposed rule for 2020 volumes. According …