U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan spoke to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) hybrid annual meeting this morning and pledged to work with them on rewriting the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Normal farming, silviculture and ranching activities, as defined by the Clean Water Act, will not require a permit,” said Regan. “We are pledging …
EPA Chief Shares Climate Agenda
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan told the Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit he is looking forward to working with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Biden Administration climate agenda. “I’m enthusiastic about the future of our partnership, identifying areas where we can be helpful as well as how we can work on advancing climate smart agriculture practices together,” …
Senators Question EPA Nominee on RFS and WOTUS
The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the Renewable Fuel Standard were two topics Environmental Protection Agency nominee Michael Regan addressed during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) called WOTUS the “one that everyone ought to be concerned about because that’s the number one issue.” Regan, who …
Mixed Bag of Last Minute EPA Proposals for Biofuels
With just days before a new administration takes office, the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday issued a mixed bag of last minute proposals for biofuels producers. First, in Friday’s Federal Register, EPA proposed to extend compliance deadlines for 2019 and 2020 renewable volume obligations, stating that the agency would “take no position on the availability of SREs for the 2019 …
EPA Announces Sustainable Pest Control Initiative
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler was in Mississippi on Monday where he announced a $2 million dollar initiative that encourages smart and sustainable pest control in agriculture. The initiative, which is an extension of EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP), expects to award grantees up to $200,000 to implement sustainable pest management practices that align with the …
EPA Pesticide Program Update for Cotton
The 2021 virtual Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference Tuesday included an update from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs on crop protection products important to cotton growers. Michael Goodis, Acting Deputy Director, provided information on a number of pesticides, including dicamba. In this excerpt from his presentation, Goodis explains the process that went into determining the final registration …
EPA Finalizes Pesticide AEZ Rules
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler visited another farm this week to make an agricultural announcement. At Overman Farms in Goldsboro, N.C., Wheeler announced finalized improvements to requirements for the pesticide application exclusion zone (AEZ), the area surrounding pesticide application equipment during outdoor production pesticide applications. EPA’s targeted changes improve the enforceability and workability of the AEZ requirements, decrease regulatory burdens for …
EPA Announces Dicamba Registration Decision
With a background of cotton ready for harvest, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced Tuesday the approval of new five-year registrations for two dicamba products and extending the registration of an additional dicamba product for use by cotton and soybean growers. All three registrations include new control measures to ensure these products can be used effectively while protecting …
EPA Administrator Wheeler Visits Ohio Farm
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler kicked off a swing through northeast Ohio Tuesday which included attending an Ohio Farm Bureau event on a dairy farm in Stark County where he highlighted EPA’s commitment to working with Ohio’s farmers on a number of environmental issues. During the event, Administrator Wheeler delivered remarks to a group of farmers highlighting President …
EPA Announces Interim Approval of Atrazine
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler joined farmers and ranchers at an outdoor round table in Missouri where he announced the interim decisions for the triazine herbicides atrazine, propazine and simazine. “The benefits of atrazine in agriculture are high,” said Wheeler. “If we were to lose that, it would cost the corn growers between 475 and 775 million dollars …