THIS WEEK IN
Federal Policy News
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PFAS Action Alert – EPA to Designate PFAS as Hazardous; Write USEPA Today |
The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rule to designate perfluorooctnoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the two most common per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), as hazardous materials under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). CERCLA is the federal law that provides a federal “Superfund” to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites as well as accidents, spills and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment.
Through CERCLA, EPA has the power to seek out those parties responsible for any release and ensure their cooperation in the cleanup. CERCLA imposes liability on parties responsible for, in whole or in part, the presence of hazardous substances at a site. USEPA’s proposed rule would require anyone who releases certain levels of PFOA and PFOS into soil or water to report it to federal or tribal authorities. The goal of this rule is to force responsible parties to take remedial actions and pay for the cleanup of a contaminated site. While EPA has stated that the intent of this rule is to hold the producers and users of these chemicals accountable, there is no language in this rulemaking that protects innocent landowners who passively receive these chemicals.
Tell USEPA and to provide an avenue for farmers and ranchers to be protected from harmful actions, exempted from liability, and to receive financial relief if PFAS is found on a farm or ranch. The comment period closes on November 7, 2022.
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American Farm Bureau Fall 2022
Drought Survey Now Open
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With multiple states continuing to experience severe drought conditions, American Farm Bureau Federation is once again updating their Assessing Western Drought Survey. The survey is open to all members; both those who took previous versions of the survey as well as those who did not. The data collected from this survey will be aggregated and summarized by American Farm Bureau Federation staff economists and be utilized to inform short-term disaster relief needs as well as long-term policy proposals aimed at assisting agriculture with drought preparedness, resilience, and response. Please consider responding today here.
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Grants Issued to Expand Poultry and Meat Processing |
The USDA announced that they would be awarding grants to 21 recipients in their first round of funding via the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. The initial round of grants would provide up to $73 million in funds to help expand processing capacity around the country. The administration has highlighted the need to provide more competition into this segment of the industry after years of consolidation. However, it also noted that avian flu has heavily impacted existing capacity in many corners of the country. In order to dissuade some of the larger processors from buying out grant recipients, there will be a formal review process for any partial or full sales initiated in the following ten years. |
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Farmers Can Now Make 2023 Crop Year Elections, Enroll in ARC and PLC Programs |
Agricultural producers can now change election and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2023 crop year, two safety net programs offered by USDA. Producers have until March 15, 2023, to enroll. In addition, the USDA Farm Service Agency has started issuing payments totaling more than $255 million to producers with 2021 crops that have triggered payments through ARC or PLC.
Under the 2018 Farm Bill, farmers and landowners can choose between three alternative; ARC-CO (payment based on county revenue), ARC-IC (payment based on individual farm revenue), and PLC (payment based on market year average). Covered commodities include wheat, oats, barley, corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe and sesame seed, seed cotton, dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, large chickpeas, and peanuts. For more information on the AR/PLC Program click here.
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Dairy Margin Coverage Enrollment Now Open |
Beginning towards the end of October, USDA opened up enrollment for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program. Enrollment will remain open through December 9th. DMC has proven to be a crucial safety-net program to help provide funds to dairy producers that are hurt by fluctuations in average feed prices. As of now, the program has issued over $45 million to more than 17,000 dairy operations around the country. Nearly the same amount has also been provided through what is known as Supplemental DMC, a new add-on that was introduced last year. USDA also offers other risk management tools for dairy producers in the form of the Dairy Revenue Protection Program (DRP) and the Livestock Gross Margin (LBM) plan. For more information on enrollments or these other programs, click here.
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Farmer and Rancher Grant Workshop
Scheduled for Dec. 1
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The USDA Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement (OPPE) and the Fresno State University Jordan College of Agriculture and Division of Research and Graduate Studies will host a two-hour virtual workshop on December 1 targeted towards farmers and ranchers, including veteran and beginning farmers/ranchers, focused on grant writing. Information covered will include, but not be limited to, registering on the grants.gov website, the proposal development process, submission requirements, workplans, partnership and grant writing tips.
Workshop Information:
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2022
Time: 10:00am PDT to Noon
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Matthew Viohl
Federal Policy, Associate Director
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Erin Hutson
Federal Policy, Consultant
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