EPA Ignored Science – November 13, 2018

As lame duck session opens, farm bill isn’t ready for a vote

A month ago, the lead negotiators on the farm bill linked arms in a show of unity and said they wanted to have the $87-billion-a-year legislation ready for a vote when Congress convened for its post-election session. The lame duck session opens Tuesday and one lobbyist says there is no chance of a vote this week.

Investigation shows EPA ignored decades of science on dicamba drift

EPA Ignored Science

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A new investigation from the Center for Investigative Journalism, finds that the EPA “ignored scientists’ warnings and extensive research that showed dicamba would evaporate into the air and ruin crops miles away, according to documents obtained through public records requests and lawsuits. Instead, the EPA’s approval was based on studies by the companies that manufacture dicamba, which independent scientists say were seriously flawed.

TODAY’S QUICK HITS

Senator is defiant about lynching remark (Jackson Free Press): Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, defended her impromptu remark about a fellow cattle rancher — “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row” — as an exaggerated expression of regard amid criticism of racial insensitivity in the state with the highest number of lynchings.

Chefs applaud Prop 12 passage (Eater Los Angeles): Three California chefs say passage of Proposition 12, requiring farmers to give sows, veal calves and egg-laying hens more space, is a step in the right direction that will mean higher-quality food.

Denham trails in Central Valley (San Francisco Chronicle): First-time candidate Josh Harder, a Democrat, leads four-term Rep. Jeff Denham, a Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee, in a U.S. House race in the Central Valley as vote-counting continued.

Food is political, says Ocasio-Cortez (Bon Appetit): The youngest woman ever elected to Congress, self-described Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, says “my campaign started in food,” the most tangible indicator of social inequality.

House Dems may slow NAFTA pace (New York Times): With Democrats taking control of the House in January, President Trump may face demands for greater protections for U.S. workers.

ON THE CALENDAR

Tuesday
– House and Senate convene for lame duck session. Must-do legislation includes funding for the federal government after Dec. 7.

– Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue hosts ceremonial tree replanting in honor of USDA Forest Service employee Tom Stefani who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2007, 2 p.m. ET, USDA administration building.

– USDA releases monthly Oil Crops Outlook, noon ET.

– USDA releases monthly Feed Outlook, Wheat Outlook and Rice Outlook, 3 p.m. ET.

– USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.

Wednesday
– Farm Foundation forum, “What the mid-term elections mean for food and agriculture,” with remarks by a panel of ag journalists, 9 a.m. ET, National Press Club.

– House may debate and vote on HR 6784, sponsored by Rep. Sean Duffy, a Wisconsin Republican, to remove the gray wolf from the U.S. listing of threatened or endangered species in the contiguous United States.

– Waterways Council holds annual meeting and 15th annual Waterways Symposium, through Friday, Chicago.

– Crop and livestock groups host 2018 Sustainable Agriculture Summit, through Thursday, Denver.

Thursday
– USDA releases monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, noon ET.

– USDA releases semi-annual Farm Labor report and monthly Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook, 3 p.m. ET.

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