Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he used the G7 ag ministers meeting last week to press his counterparts on several concerns for U.S. producers.
The issues included moves by the European Union to prevent deforestation and to require additional testing for meat products. He told reporters this weekend there doesn’t appear to be a rationale for the additional testing. “We've got more work to do in terms of understanding precisely the nature of it,” he said.
Vilsack also pushed back on the EU’s ongoing efforts to protect the use of geographic indications such as parmesan and feta cheese. And Vilsack told his EU counterparts that regulations on deforestation need to account for the fact that the U.S. isn’t destroying forests to expand cropland.
Vilsack pushed his Japanese counterpart for expanded imports of table potatoes and to use more ethanol and other biofuels.
Michigan, Indiana electric co-ops to benefit from $1.3B in grants
Two Midwest electric cooperatives will receive more than $1.3 billion in USDA grants to purchase power from a recommissioned nuclear plant in Michigan.
Wolverine Power Cooperative in Michigan will get about $650 million and Hoosier Energy $675 million to cover about a quarter of the cost of a power purchase agreement with Holtec Palisades, which is restarting an 800-megawatt nuclear facility in Covert, Michigan.
Deputy Ag Secretary Xochitl Torres Small told reporters that the $1.3 billion in New ERA grants funded through the Inflation Reduction Act would pass “directly to the homes and businesses served by the member electric cooperatives. This means that every dollar will go straight to the communities they serve, and that will help reduce wholesale power costs, provide community benefits and keep electricity reliable and affordable.”
The $1.3 billion is part of a total of $2.8 billion being announced by the Biden administration today; $1.5 billion will be in the form of a loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades.
Senators launch Sustainable Aviation Caucus
Four senators are launching a caucus focused on bolstering sustainable aviation fuel production.
Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., John Boozman, R-Ark., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., are starting the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus
Take note: Reps. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., previously created a similar caucus in the House.
House lawmakers introduce year-round E15 bill
Thirty-three House members have introduced a bill to allow year-round sales of E15.
Take note: The EPA currently must grant temporary emergency fuel supply waivers for E15 — a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline — to be sold at pumps during the summer, due to a higher risk of volatility in hot weather. E10, which contains 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline, was afforded specific volatility regulations when the Clean Air Act was written in 1978, allowing it to be sold year-round.
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Year-round E15 sales will be permanently allowed in eight states by next April following petitions from Midwestern governors’ seeking exemption from the summertime ban.
Port operators urge NLRB to intervene in contract dispute
The United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port operators, is trying to get the International Longshoremen’s Association back to the bargaining table. An ongoing contract disagreement could result in a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports as soon as Tuesday.
USMX says it filed the unfair labor practice charge to push NLRB to require ILA to resume bargaining.
The ILA calls the charge “a publicity stunt” and says USMX members were “unprepared” for contract talks when both sides met more than two years ago.
Ag groups seek resumption of talks: Agricultural groups and retailers on Friday urged President Joe Biden to force both parties to return to the negotiating table, warning that a strike’s impact on the supply chain “will quickly reverberate throughout the agricultural economy, shutting down operations and potentially lowering farm gate prices.” Approximately 40% of U.S. containerized agricultural exports move through East and Gulf Coast ports, they said in a letter.
CVM reorganizes animal drug office
FDA will separate the Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation into two offices within the Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The reorganization that will take effect Oct. 20 creates a separate Office of Generic Animal Drugs and the Office of New Animal Product Evaluation. The move will allow ONAPE to build capacity to review new and innovative technologies, which CVM views as the future of animal agriculture.
Setting up an independent office for generic drugs will bring a more concentrated focus and maximize effectiveness in a program with “unprecedented growth,” CVM says in an update.
Final word. “Repeated mention was made of the difficulty that the illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine has caused in terms of disruption of the supply chain, and the impact that it's had on consumers and producers across the globe.” – Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, summarizing the recent meeting of G7 ag ministers in Italy.
