Articles Tagged with ''Endangered Species Act''

Twitter-transmitted pictures of spring 2019 in the Midwest have made my feed a stream of continuous heartbreak. Video after video of flooded fields and homes, stuck tractors, ruined crops, with pictures of tornado damage serving as the visual exclamation point to the slow-moving disaster that we’re living in the central part of the nation. We’ve have several hundred acres under water on our farm, our fields are dotted with wet spots and ruts, and we’re the fortunate ones, given what I see on my social media feed. It is a helpless feeling to watch as farmers and homeowners throughout the Midwest suffer from this disaster of historic proportions.

David Bernhardt, who has served in a variety of senior positions in the Interior Department, was confirmed as secretary by the Senate on Thursday,  a victory for cattle producers, energy companies and other interests who see him as an ally on public land management and endangered species regulation.

Farm bill negotiators are under the gun to finalize an agreement as lawmakers return to work this week for the first time since Democrats swept the House GOP out of power in the mid-term elections.

Progressive groups pushing for reforms to farm policy and opposed to nutrition assistance cuts and environmental provisions in the House-passed farm bill say Congress would be better passing no new legislation at all unless it’s similar to the bipartisan Senate version.

States need to play a larger role in protecting and recovering endangered species, the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee said at a hearing Wednesday that looked at federal, state and local efforts to collaborate on wildlife conservation.

The Senate is poised to send Circuit Court Judge Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, following Sen. Susan Collins' announcement Friday afternoon that she will vote to confirm Kavanaugh.