Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat in line to take over as chair or ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee next year, insists it’s still possible to pass a new farm bill in the lame duck session at the end of the year.
In an interview with Lydia Johnson for this week’s Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Klobuchar says Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and ranking Republican John Boozman of Arkansas need to start negotiating a compromise bill in the next “month or two.”
“There's not huge differences in policy. There's some differences in the funding. … So, we get that worked out, and then we could pass it in the lame duck by putting it on something else,” Klobuchar says.
Take note: Stabenow is retiring from the Senate. Klobuchar says being tapped as Senate Ag chair or ranking member, depending on which party controls the chamber, "would be an honor."
This week’s Newsmakers will be available today at Agri-Pulse.com.
House Rs could face fight over green subsidies
A battle could be brewing among House Republicans over the future of key tax credits for biofuels and clean energy in the next Congress.
Eighteen House Republicans sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., this week, seeking to protect energy tax credits in the IRA, which was enacted with only Democratic support in 2022. The lawmakers’ letter doesn’t specify the tax credits they’re concerned about. But the 45Z credit that takes effect in January could potentially benefit a range of agricultural feedstocks that can be used for sustainable aviation fuel and other biofuels.
“Prematurely repealing energy tax credits, particularly those which were used to justify investments that already broke ground, would undermine private investments and stop development that is already ongoing. A full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions of taxpayer dollars and received next to nothing in return,” the lawmakers say in the letter, first reported on by E&E News.
On Thursday, Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy blasted the letter’s authors in a post on X: “In April 2023, every GOP Rep. that signed this letter voted to REPEAL the IRA's ‘climate’ subsidies.” Now, they “want to preserve so-called ‘green’ handouts to Democrats' corporate cronies The GOP must ignore K-Street lobbyists and refuse to fund the climate corporate cronies destroying our country,” he said.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here
Keep in mind: As a practical matter, Republicans must retain control of the House and win the Senate and the White House to roll back the IRA.
EPA gathering data on CAFOs for study
EPA plans to finish a study next fall to inform consideration of potential new discharge limits for concentrated animal feeding operations. Morgan Teachey in EPA’s Office of Water told a federal advisory panel the agency has been reaching out for data on all aspects of CAFOs to state environmental and agricultural agencies, environmental groups and USDA.
EPA’s review was prompted by a petition from Food & Water Watch, which is seeking tighter regulation of CAFOs. According to EPA statistics, 29% of large CAFOs have discharge permits. Large CAFOs have 1,000 or more cattle or 2,500 or more hogs.
By the way: A discussion at the Animal Agriculture and Water Quality Subcommittee Thursday illuminated the difficulty of finding a uniform way to address manure discharges.
After a presentation on best management practices, or BMPs, used in Pennsylvania, including trees planted near streams, Teena Gunter of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture said, “Number one, we're lucky to have streams that are actually flowing, and number two, if you could grow trees on those streams, you wouldn't want to, because they take up the water, and then people would have less water to be able to utilize.”
“From a BMP standpoint, it's virtually impossible to find one size fits all yet as EPA, that's what you kind of have to do,” she said.
FDA asks for comments on pre-market review of animal food ingredients
The feed industry says it will work with FDA as it develops a new process for evaluating animal food ingredients.
FDA is officially seeking comments on its plan for pre-market review of animal food ingredients, which has been implemented for 17 years under a memorandum of understanding with the Association of American Feed Control Officials.
American Feed Industry Association’s President and CEO Constance Cullman said last week her group was concerned the move would cause “uncertainty in the regulatory review processes.”
“The AFIA will continue working with the FDA and AAFCO on next steps to ensure any proposed changes to the current review processes bring about clear requirements for members and some sense that new ingredients will be reviewed in a timely and consistent manner across state and federal jurisdictions.”
Read more on our website at www.Agri-Pulse.com
BLM plans for federal advisory committee on public lands rule
The Bureau of Land Management intends to develop an advisory committee to guide the agency’s implementation of a recently finalized rule allowing that allows conservation leases for public lands and puts land protection and restoration equal footing with grazing, energy development and other long-standing uses.
In a press release Thursday, BLM said the committee will "represent a broad and diverse range of stakeholders and interests, and will help inform outreach and engagement, advise on best management practices, and participate in the development of agency guidance to support implementation.”
Take note: The agency also released a set of guidance documents for the rule today, including instruction memoranda, information bulletins, and manuals, according to the press release.
Final word: “Energy tax credits have spurred innovation, incentivized investment, and created good jobs in many parts of the country - including many districts represented by members of our conference.” – House GOP members in their letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., about the IRA tax incentives.
Philip Brasher and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
