Budget fight complicates drafting of farm bill
Lawmakers have spent a year in listening sessions and congressional hearings for the 2023 farm bill but are still weeks away from drafting the legislation, said leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees. They are waiting for new budget estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, expected in mid-May, and for a decision on raising the federal debt limit.
House GOP grants reprieve to biofuel credits in debt bill
In the hours ahead of a roll call on their debt limit bill, House Republican leaders relented on a proposal to eliminate tax credits for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and second-generation biofuels. They proceeded with a repeal of the $1.25-a-gallon credit for sustainable aviation fuel that was created last summer as part of the climate, health, and tax bill.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Right to repair: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, over the objections of equipment manufacturers, signed legislation making the state the first in the nation with a right-to-repair law for agriculture. (Associated Press)
Bills update food labels: Companion House and Senate bills would modernize food labeling laws to require front-of-package nutrition labels so consumers can easily identify foods that are high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats. (Center for Science in the Public Interest)
More wheat in Canada: Responding to high prices and strong demand, farmers will sow 27 million acres of wheat in Canada this year, the largest plantings in more than two decades and 6 percent more than last year. (Statistics Canada)
Return of a lake: Tulare Lake, drained decades ago to create farmland in California’s Central Valley, has filled with runoff from a wet winter, and it could take two years for the water to drain away. (CNBC)
Tourism boosts mountain communities: The world’s 10 most mountainous countries, which see only 8 percent of international tourists, could benefit economically while preserving natural resources and culture if tourism is managed sustainably. (FAO and World Tourism Organization)
