Right-to-repair pact has worrisome tradeoff, says consumer group
Federal and state lawmakers “should move full steam ahead with their right-to-repair bills” this year, said consumer group PIRG, which took a skeptical view of a memorandum of understanding between Deere and Co. and the largest U.S. farm group. In the agreement, the American Farm Bureau Federation says it will urge state affiliates to stay on the sidelines of the right-to-repair debate.
Ethanol is more popular than crude oil
More than half of Americans have a favorable view of ethanol as a fuel source, compared to 45 percent for crude oil, according to a poll commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association. The trade group said the results “demonstrate that Americans strongly support expanded use of lower-cost, lower-carbon renewable fuels like ethanol.”
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Forest protectors: Parts of the Amazon rainforest managed by Indigenous groups sequestered large amounts of carbon, while areas managed by non-iIndigenous people emitted carbon, primarily from deforestation for soy and cattle. (World Resources Institute)
No good deed unpunished: A growing number of animal welfare laws may be contributing to current egg shortages and price increases, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. (Food Safety News)
Feds bust alleged tomato fraudster: The Department of Justice claims four California agricultural companies and their owner got $1.8 million in excess PPP loans after lying on their applications. (Department of Justice)
No reason to compromise: Mexico’s proposal to ban GMO corn imports is a classic trade barrier and the U.S. is willing to use the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement to keep the market open, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Reverse WOTUS rule: Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he would relentlessly seek to reverse the Biden administration’s “waters of the United States” rule. (Boozman)
Foxx chairs House Ed: Tenth-term Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, selected by Republican leaders to chair the House Education and Workforce Committee with oversight of child nutrition, said she was committed to safeguarding Americans’ rights “to work, build and educate their children as they see fit.” (Education and Workforce)
