Biofuel associations remain disappointed with the Air Resources Board’s amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. In February the Office of Administrative Law rejected the proposed amendments, requiring CARB to revise them and open another comment period.
Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor claimed the revisions fall short by failing to add any meaningful details to the sustainability provisions. Skor argued the update undermines the role of crop-based fuels in decarbonizing transportation and undercuts California’s push for renewable energy and affordable fueling options.
CARB maintained the sustainability requirements to prevent deforestation for ethanol production. But the Renewable Fuels Association has found the cropland needed to meet the demand has dropped 20% since 2011, requiring 700,000 fewer acres.
But: RFA cheered California’s efforts to expedite E15. Chief Economist Scott Richman said the ethanol blend would support the more stringent compliance curve in the LCFS update.
Asm. Dawn Addis of Morro Bay and Sen. Josh Becker of Menlo Park talked cap-and-trade at the California Climate Policy Summit in Sacramento on Tuesday.
DPR offers free well testing kits
The Department of Pesticide Regulation is offering free home testing kits for well users interested in checking for pesticides. Data from the water sampling will funnel into DPR’s groundwater quality database and inform regulation around groundwater protection.
Sampling kits will include equipment and instructions for collecting and returning samples. Volunteers will receive their results within two to five months.
DPR has the capacity to send materials to hundreds of volunteers.
Opinion: Rethinking Irrigation to Transform California’s Agricultural Heartland
In an opinion piece for Agri-Pulse, Kilimo CEO & Founder Jairo Trad argues that California must modernize its irrigation practices to address severe water scarcity.
Despite technological advances, 40% of farmland in the Central Valley still uses inefficient flood irrigation. Trad highlights that water stewardship is becoming a key sustainability strategy, and California is well-positioned to lead.
Read the full piece at Agri-Pulse.com.
Rollins: Consolidation coming in USDA downsizing
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is providing some clues as to what will be in the department’s sweeping reorganization plan. Rollins was in the Fargo, North Dakota, area Tuesday and talked to Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks about some aspects of the plan.
She suggested that Rural Development is one part of USDA that could lose some functions to other departments. She also suggested that federal firefighting operations could be consolidated.
The plan is due out next month, she said.
White House insists stage set for China deal, as Bessent projects optimism
Just a day after Beijing threatened new countermeasures, White House officials insist that de-escalation is coming, and a deal is on the horizon.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt relayed to reporters on Tuesday that “the president and the administration are setting the stage for a deal with China.” She said that the administration feels “everyone involved wants to see a trade deal happen, and the ball is moving in the right direction.”
Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent privately told business leaders he anticipates de-escalation soon. He reportedly said the current tariff rates on China are unsustainable but indicated that negotiations on a deal have not yet started.
American Soybean Association board member Justin Sherlock told Agri-Pulse that Bessent’s comments left him cautiously optimistic. He hopes it means the U.S. is talking with counterparts privately.
“I think we're making progress with a lot of the other nations. We would just ask the administration to … continue to engage with the Chinese,” Sherlock said.
Take note: Rollins told reporters in North Dakota Tuesday that the first deals with countries could be announced as soon as next week.
Immigration officers raid largest Vermont dairy farm
Officials from U.S. Border Patrol raided Pleasant Valley Farms Monday, the largest dairy farm in Vermont.
A person familiar with the situation told Agri-Pulse that a neighbor called the agency after seeing a worker who looked like an immigrant at the premises.
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The Vermont Daily Chronicle reported that officers arrested more than one worker at the 10,000-acre facility. The Trump administration has previously avoided arresting workers on farms in the state, preferring to detain immigrants in public areas, the Chronicle reports.
FDA plan to remove food dyes relies on industry cooperation
The Trump administration’s top health and food leaders are vowing to remove all petroleum-based dyes from the food system. But the approach outlined Tuesday includes little regulatory action and largely relies on industry groups voluntarily reformulating products.
A major food industry group acknowledges that state laws have created a challenging patchwork on food dyes, but there have been no formal commitments or details for removing these chemicals yet.
The FDA plans to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes from the food supply by the end of 2026. But the only regulatory action to remove dyes applies to Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, which the Center for Science in the Public Interest said are already “rarely used.”
Take note: During the announcement, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised concern about the amount of sugar in the food system. He said the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans HHS is developing alongside USDA will be very clear about how much sugar should be consumed.
Montana farmers look to join case challenging Canada tariffs
The Montana Farmers Union is backing members of the Blackfeet Nation in a case challenging the economic emergency declaration used to impose tariffs on Canada.
In court filings on Monday, multiple Montana farmers outlined how the tariffs are hurting agricultural communities. “MFU’s members do not have robust markets in the United States for the crops they grow, and those markets cannot be developed overnight,” the MFU motion reads. “These tariffs are already having devastating impacts on MFU’s members and have the potential of putting them out of business.”
The Blackfeet Nation is seeking an injunction from the district court to suspend the tariffs. The Trump administration is pushing to have the case moved to the Court of International Trade.
Climate-smart project will reapply for USDA funds
A representative for a sustainable aviation fuel project terminated as part of the overhaul of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart program says the effort will continue.
“Yes, we will reapply and yes, we can meet the target,” said Kevin Monk of Sustainable Oils Inc., a subsidiary of Global Clean Energy Holdings. The company was awarded $30 million to probe the benefits of using camelina as an ultra-low carbon renewable fuel feedstock, its website says.
The main change in the program is that projects must ensure 65% of federal funding goes to farmers. Monk said he believes the project was meeting the 65% target, but USDA did not consider some of the award was in the form of equipment such as a weather station, electronic data loggers for equipment, soil tests, field imagery, and access to crop growth models.
“Many farmers told us these items were of higher value to them then a direct payment,” Monk said.
To learn more about the status of the program, read our story today at Agri-Pulse.com.
Final word
“To all the young people: We need you, we believe in you and together we will build a sustainable, resilient future.” — First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who accompanied the governor and CDFA Secretary Karen Ross on an Earth Day tour of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems at California State University, Chico.
