President Donald Trump has appointed Josh F.W. Cook as administrator of EPA Region 9, overseeing California and the Pacific Southwest.
Cook served 10 years as chief of staff for GOP Sen. Brian Dahle of Bieber, who termed out of office last year. Dahle proudly described himself as the only full-time farmer in the Legislature and often criticized California’s climate policies as costly and lacking accountability.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said Cook’s “talent working with state and local partners will be paramount to power the great American comeback across our regions.” Cook gained accolades from the Republicans Joe Lombardo, who is governor of Nevada, and GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California, who has worked with Cook for three decades.
Cook plans to steer the office toward “reducing energy costs, creating wealth and cementing America’s position as a leader in agriculture, energy, manufacturing, AI technology and transportation.”
Why it matters: Cook could flip the EPA’s positions on two issues critical to California ag.
The Biden administration EPA has been the only state or federal agency to oppose a set of voluntary agreements over Delta water flows. It urged the state water board to instead take a top-down regulatory approach with unimpaired flows. Former EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman toned down the rhetoric, however, after Trump’s reelection win.
Biden’s EPA also took steps to prevent energy producers from tapping into dairy digester biomethane to generate hydrogen fuel. The agency sided with environmentalists in favoring electrolytic hydrogen produced from renewable energy like solar and wind power.
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Farm groups appeal for 199A permanency
A broad coalition of farm groups is urging Congress to make permanent the 20% pass-through business income deduction created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The Section 199A deduction is one of several TCJA provisions that’s set to expire at the end of this year.
“Section 199A has been essential in keeping co-ops and their farmer members competitive with corporations that benefited from the permanently reduced corporate tax rate in the 2017 Act,” the farm groups say in a letter to congressional leaders.
The deduction has been “instrumental in helping producers navigate unprecedented challenges, including a pandemic, global instability, prolonged periods of low commodity prices, and the highest inflation in a generation,” the letter says.
Trump revises April 2 tariff plans
President Donald Trump is threatening China, India and other countries that buy Venezuelan oil and gas with new 25% tariffs that would start April 2. His comments come amid reporting that the administration is considering narrowing the focus of reciprocal tariffs, also slated to kick in that day.
Why it matters: China and the European Union have already adopted, or announced, retaliatory tariffs against U.S. ag exports over duties imposed by the Trump administration. Further tariff hikes are sure to provoke additional countermeasures.
But, but, but: It may not come to that. Even China, Venezuela’s top buyer, only needed the country for a fraction of its total oil imports. So, countries may pivot to alternate suppliers.
Take note: Other parts of the April 2 actions could be narrower than anticipated. Bloomberg reported over the weekend that sector-specific tariffs may not materialize then. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also suggested last week that initial reciprocal tariffs could focus on 15 countries with persistent trade deficits with the U.S.
“I may give a lot of countries breaks,” Trump said when asked about the tariffs on Monday.
Lawmakers float cold storage development to spur U.S. exports
Bipartisan legislation is being introduced in the House and Senate to allow USDA to help develop cold storage and other infrastructure in new and developing markets.
Iowa Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra is introducing the House bill today with Reps. Jim Costa, D-Calif., Tracey Mann, R-Kan., and Salud Carbajal, D-Calif. Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., are introducing the Senate version.
Feenstra argues that U.S. exporters of meat and other perishable products face trade barriers stemming from a lack of refrigeration infrastructure. The bill has the backing of the Global Cold Chain Alliance, a trade group representing temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics service.
Corporate sponsors sought for White House Easter Egg Roll
The White House is seeking corporate sponsorships to pay for the annual Easter Egg Roll, a first for the 147-year tradition.
A Washington event management firm, Harbinger, outlined the sponsorship opportunities in a booklet. Platinum sponsorships go for $200,000, Gold sponsorships are priced at $125,000 and Silver are $75,000. Branding, brunch tickets and “exclusive access opportunities onsite” are among the benefits, as well as ticket packages.
Harbinger did not respond to a request for comment on whether it had received any sponsorship offers.
By the numbers: $36.1 trillion
That’s the debt ceiling, which was reinstated in January. The Bipartisan Policy Center predicts the U.S. is likely to default between mid-July and early October if Congress doesn’t act. It’s the first public prediction for the X-date since the Treasury Department began deploying extraordinary measures to free up room under the ceiling.
Don’t miss: Our Agri-Pulse Open Mic interview with BPC budget guru Bill Hoagland.
House Dems to highlight SNAP cuts at separate hearing
House and Senate Republicans are still struggling to reach agreement on their tax and spending plans. In the meantime, House Democrats will hold an informal hearing today to highlight possible GOP cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The House-passed budget resolution would require $230 billion in SNAP cuts over 10 years.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and House Ag Committee ranking member Angie Craig of Minnesota will all participate in the event.
Take note: House GOP leaders issued a joint statement Monday calling on Senate Republicans to take up the House-passed budget resolution. The Senate-passed resolution would require only minimal spending cuts and leaves tax issues to later.
Final word
“We do not get to recoup from these kinds of errors.” — Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta.
The environmental group expressed deep disappointment after hackers shut down Monday’s state water board hearing on the Delta tunnel project. It had rallied members to condemn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal during the virtual meeting.
