State pesticide regulators sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency with recommendations on re-registering three dicamba products for 2019. A DTN report says the American Association of Pesticide Control Officials want the EPA to set an early-season cutoff date, but only if states are permitted to use Special Local Needs labels to adjust those dates. These recommendations will carry …
Environmental Groups Urge EPA to Revoke Dicamba Approval
Environmental groups are using the courts to argue against renewing approval of dicamba. The groups are arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failed to analyze the risks of now Bayer’s dicamba-based weed killer posed to nearby crops before approving it in 2016, according to Reuters. Monsanto, a unit of Bayer, urged the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Bayer expects …
Continued Abuse of Small Refiner Waivers Renders Proposed 2019 RFS Volumes ‘Meaningless,’ RFA Tells EPA
In comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its proposed 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said it is “greatly concerned that continued abuse of small refinery exemptions will render the proposed volumes meaningless.” RFA urged the agency to account for small refinery exemptions prospectively when it calculates the RVO percentage, as …
American Farm Bureau Coalition Fights to Stop Illegal 2015 WOTUS Rule
The American Farm Bureau Federation and a broad coalition of business organizations have notified the federal district court in South Carolina they will appeal that court’s ruling yesterday that revived the overbroad, vague and illegal 2015 Waters of the United States Rule and made it the law of the land in 26 states. In a separate filing, the same coalition …
Sorghum Growers Disappointed in Chlorpyrifos Ruling
National Sorghum Producers expressed disappointment in last week’s court decision to impose a ban on chlorpyrifos, a useful pesticide for sorghum growers. Last week, a U.S. appeals court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to revoke tolerances and cancel all registration for chlorpyrifos within 60 days. In response, NSP chairman Don Bloss of Nebraska expressed disappointment in the decision, calling the …
Court Tells EPA to Ban Chlorpyrifos
A U.S. appeals court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban chlorpyrifos within 60 days. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reverses a Trump administration reversal of an Obama administration plan to impose a ban. Chlorpyrifos is used on cotton, corn, almonds and fruit trees including oranges, bananas and apples, to kill worms …
NCGA Welcomes Administration Support for High Octane Fuels
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation are recognizing the benefits of high octane fuels, such as a mid-level ethanol blend, in their SAFE Vehicles rule. That is potentially very good news for corn farmers. The agencies specifically requested comments on how EPA, “could support the production and use of higher octane gasoline” in order to support fuel …
EPA Approves Sorghum Oil for Biofuels
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler approved sorghum as an eligible feedstock under the Renewable Fuels Standard. The announcement marks a significant step toward leveling the playing field for ethanol plants that extract oil from sorghum. The National Sorghum Producers worked closely with EPA over the past two years to establish a biofuels pathway for sorghum oil in the …
EPA 2019 RFS Proposal Missing Opportunity to Set Things Right
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) implored the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) rulemaking process to fix the extensive damage done to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by former Administrator Scott Pruitt. In testimony delivered at a public hearing in Ypsilanti, Mich., RFA Vice President of Government Affairs Samantha Slater said EPA’s 2019 RVO rule is an opportunity to correct the extensive damage done to demand for ethanol and America’s …
EPA Reportedly Ditches Hardship Waiver Fix
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ditched a proposal to make up for lost biofuel volumes stemming from hardship waivers as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard. The plan was seen as a fix for the waivers granted generously by the EPA under former administer Scott Pruitt, which lowered biofuel volumes by granting refiners a break from the rules. The …