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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The latest definition of “waters of the U.S.” may be better in some respects for farmers than a Obama administration’s 2015 rule, but the new regulations give the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers discretion that will create uncertainty for landowners.
The Biden administration's new “waters of the U.S.” rule came under immediate criticism from farm groups and their GOP allies in Congress, who said it could expand federal jurisdiction over agricultural lands.
A new rule defining “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act maintains longstanding exemptions for farming activities but also trims back an exclusion for prior converted cropland that had been in the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
The Supreme Court had tough questions for both lawyers in a widely watched case that, as Justice Brett Kavanaugh put it, “is going to be important for wetlands around the country.”
The Supreme Court kicks off its October term this morning with a wetlands case that many observers think the court will use to trim the federal government’s authority over wetlands.
The House will debate a package of six spending bills that include funding for departments and agencies critical to agriculture, and Republicans are pushing for votes on amendments aimed at highlighting key parts of President Joe Biden’s regulatory agenda.
The House is set today to clear the Senate-passed Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which empowers the Federal Maritime Commission to take steps to clear port bottlenecks and reduce shipping rates.
The House Agriculture Committee resumes its focus on the next farm bill this week, with hearings that will cover commodity programs, crop insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report, due out this afternoon, will tell traders and policymakers whether farmers are starting to catch up on planting during a year when U.S. crops will be especially important to global food supplies.
