Biden administration will replace Trump clean water rule
Shortly after telling senators that he wanted a “long-term, durable solution,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said on Wednesday that the Biden administration would write a new definition of the upstream reach of clean water laws. The process would include repeal of the 2020 Trump-era rule that replaced 2015 Obama water regulations the farm sector decried as federal overreach.
Trump-era plan to reduce SNAP eligibility is withdrawn
The Biden administration withdrew a Trump-era proposal on Wednesday to tighten eligibility rules for food stamps and reduce SNAP enrollment by 3.1 million people. It was the second major Trump SNAP regulation to be foundered under the new administration.
Bills would disclose race, gender of farm subsidy recipients
The USDA would be obliged to disclose the race and gender of farm subsidy recipients as well as how much money they received under companion bills filed by two Black members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees on Wednesday.
Today’s Quick Hits
Farmworker action demand: More than 300 groups signed a letter calling for Senate passage of a bill that provides “stability for our existing workers and key reforms to the H-2A program.” A House-passed bill would recognize undocumented workers and modernize the guestworker program. (Agriculture Workforce Coalition)
Tyson misses the goal: Tyson Foods, the biggest U.S. meatpacker, set a goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but acknowledged it had fallen far short in its efforts to persuade farmers to improve environmental practices on 2 million acres. (Reuters)
USDA Pride flag: For the first time, the USDA is flying the Pride flag, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on social media, adding, “We see you, we support you, and we are inspired by your courage to accept nothing less than full equality.” (Vilsack)
Keystone pipeline plugged: In the face of Biden administration opposition, TC Energy, based in Calgary, pulled the plug on its partially built Keystone XL pipeline, which would have carried crude oil from the tar sands of western Canada to Nebraska. (Associated Press)
JBS expands capacity: Meatpacker JBS USA is spending $130 million to increase capacity by 300,000 head a year at beef slaughter plants in Grand Island and Omaha, Nebraska. (JBS)
