In a press conference defending the need for the rules, Gov. Gavin Newsom described the vote as “doubling down on stupid.” Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph called it “unconstitutional, illegal and foolish” and an assault on states’ rights. Along that line of argument, State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire separately charged that “federalism is dying under Trump.”
The California GOP took the moment to scorn the gas car ban. Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher celebrated the vote as an intervention that California needed and argued “freedom to choose what you drive shouldn’t depend” on the governor’s ambitions.
State Senate Republicans called it an unrealistic expectation that the state could build enough chargers by the 2035 timeline for the phaseout and doubled down on the affordability concerns.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Terrain report recommends caution for new digester projects
A Terrain report looking at wavering carbon credit values and incentive programs over the last few years suggests dairy producers will need to carefully plan before constructing a new digester.In the context of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, analyst Ben Laine said that current challenges from the Office of Administrative Law are leaving credit values in the balance. Producers and developers could instead look to credit generation incentives like longer-term fixed price negotiations.
But Laine said fewer tax incentive options is inherently creating more caution around new digester projects, which would likely be beneficial in the long run.
The report also suggests a simultaneous “stacking” of federal Renewable Identification Number credits and California’s LCFS credits will be beneficial for producers looking to quickly offset project costs and diversify the risk associated with participating in a single program.
Gallo Winery uses Landsat to meet 50% water reduction target
A research group at E. & J. Gallo Winery in Modesto is using remote sensing through Landsat to streamline irrigation and better understand their water use.The Grape Remote sensing Atmospheric Profile & Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX) project allows USDA researchers to use Gallo’s ground data to test irrigation schedules and other water management strategies informed by Landsat and other imagery tools.
Gallo VP of Winegrowing Research Nick Dokoozlian said the winery – the largest in the world – is now halfway toward its 50% water reduction target, attributing this largely to the work conducted with Landsat. The decades-old national satellite program tracks land use changes to generate data for a wide range of uses.
The U.S. Geological Survey is now using GRAPEX as the basis for a larger evapotranspiration initiative called OpenET. The joint USGS, USDA and NASA program is available for growers and water managers in western states and will eventually expand across the entire U.S.
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House GOP wins passage of budget bill
House Republicans took a major step toward enacting President Donald Trump's policy agenda and boosting spending for commodity programs and crop insurance by winning passage Thursday morning of the GOP's sweeping budget reconciliation bill.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House on a party-line vote, 215-214, includes funding for key parts of the farm bill paid for by a $295 billion reduction in projected spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The bill also extends and expands key tax benefits widely used by farmers and small businesses.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
MAHA report roils Washington
With criticisms of pesticides, seed oils and ultraprocessed foods, the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s first report is shaking up the traditional Washington alignments.And at a White House event touting the report and sitting in between the government’s top agriculture and health officials, President Donald Trump made it clear he’s all in on the MAHA movement.
The nearly 70-page report covered a lot of ground and received a lot of pushback from farm groups. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know:
- Pesticides: The report cites studies that link popular farming products like glyphosate and atrazine to adverse health outcomes. However, it notes more independent studies are necessary. The report and cabinet officials have tried to soften the blow by emphasizing the commission’s work will not hurt agriculture. But farm groups aren’t buying it.
- Ultraprocessed foods: A large portion of the report focuses on the prevalence of ultraprocessed foods in children’s diets, and the potential health impacts. It specifically targets seed oils, added sugars and fats. It also urges whole food diets and takes aim at food dyes, which the administration has already issued a plan to phase out.
- USDA programs: The report also criticizes the food system at large, including lobbying by food groups, farm consolidation and even the distribution of crop insurance, which has traditionally focused on row crops, not specialty crops.
Judge is likely to continue her pause on RIFs at USDA, other agencies
A federal judge is likely to issue an injunction indefinitely halting reorganization efforts at about 20 major federal agencies, including USDA, according to published reports.“Agencies may not conduct reductions in force in blatant disregard of congressional mandates, whether the president orders them to or not,” U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, in San Francisco, said at the start of a hearing Thursday, according to an account in USA Today.
Illston issued a temporary restraining order May 9 that expires today. The hearing was on a request by the plaintiffs, including federal employee unions, for a preliminary injunction to stop the government from proceeding with reductions in force.
“I believe injunctive relief, preliminary at this stage, remains necessary to preserve the status quo and protect the power of the legislative branch,” Illston said, according to Government Executive.
Keep in mind: The Trump administration has argued that the president has the constitutional authority to proceed with the reorganization efforts. It also has asked the Supreme Court for emergency relief from Illston’s TRO.
USDA axes aid for food-insecure children
The Agriculture Department is scrapping a slate of programs that provide food aid for foreign schoolchildren from U.S. food products.Catholic Relief Services, which administers some of USDA’s McGovern-Dole Food for Education program, said 11 of the 13 projects it maintains have been terminated. Reuters reported Thursday that the department had axed 17 projects in total.
CRS estimates 780,000 children will lose access to school meals through its nixed projects alone. CRS President and CEO Sean Callahan called the move a “life-altering blow” for children “who rely on these meals to stay healthy, stay in school and stay hopeful about their future.”
McGovern-Dole received $248 million in funding in the 2024 fiscal year, and USDA recently opened applications for the FY2025 program. The White House has proposed eliminating the program’s funding in its FY2026 budget.
But the American Soybean Association’s Virginia Houston said she remains hopeful for the project’s future, in part, because of its broad support on Capitol Hill. “There are members who still care a lot about these programs,” she said.
Students seek to stop USDA from collecting SNAP data
Students and hunger groups are asking a federal judge to bar USDA from ordering contractors to hand over SNAP participants' personal data without complying with federal privacy laws.In a lawsuit brought by the National Student Legal Defense Network, the plaintiffs allege USDA acted unlawfully in seeking social security numbers, addresses and personal information of SNAP recipients. USDA sent requests to state administrators and contractors to pull into a comprehensive federal database.
The plaintiffs, along with the Jewish hunger organization MAZON and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, claim the agency’s data-consolidation efforts are arbitrary and capricious and violate the Privacy Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Take note: In a May 6 letter to state Food and Nutrition Service directors, FNS Senior Policy Advisor for Integrity Gina Brand said the data would be used to “ensure program integrity, including by verifying the eligibility of benefit recipients."
