A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Join us this Wednesday at 12 noon (ET) for the next Agricultural & Food Law Consortium webinar:  Water Wars in the United States Supreme Court: Why Should Agriculture Care? Details available here.

LEGISLATIVE:

H.R. 5596: To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program of awarding grants to owners or operators of water systems to increase resiliency or adaptability of the systems. Text is now available.

H.R. 648: To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to amend the Definite Plan Report for the Seedskadee Project to enable the use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir. Text for status Reported by Senate Committee (Apr 25, 2018) is now available.

H.R. 1135: To reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation program. Text for status Reported by Senate Committee (Apr 25, 2018) is now available.

H.R. 2888: Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Establishment Act. Text for status Reported by Senate Committee (Apr 25, 2018) is now available.

S. 1335: Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Establishment Act. Text for status Reported by Senate Committee (Apr 25, 2018) is now available.

S. 1446: A bill to reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation program. Text for status Reported by Senate Committee (Apr 25, 2018) is now available.

H.R. 3144: To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time. Text for status Passed the House (Apr 25, 2018) is now available.

S. 2787: A bill to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to clarify and expand food donation under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. Referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

S. 2762: A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to support opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers. Referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

S. 2776: A bill to modernize the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. Referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

S. 2760: A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to exclude energy efficiency projects, pollution control projects, and reliability projects from the definition of a modification. Referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

S. 2788: A bill to repeal the Act entitled “An Act to confer jurisdiction on the State of North Dakota over offenses committed by or against Indians on the Devils Lake Indian Reservation”. Referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

S. 2761: A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to clarify when a physical change in, or change in the method of operation of, a stationary source constitutes a modification. Referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

S. 2771: A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants. Referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

S. 2772: A bill to amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify provisions relating to the household water well system grant program. Referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

S. 2778: A bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to include a prohibition on the listing of a living nonnative species as a threatened species or an endangered species. Referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

S. 2790: A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a community wood energy and wood innovation program. Referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

H.R. 5636: To designate additions to the Flatside Wilderness on the Ouachita National Forest. Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

H.R. 5629: To amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act and Food Security Act of 1985 to enact reforms to farm subsidies and crop insurance called for in President Trump’s budget for fiscal year 2019. Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture which will consider it before sending it to the House floor for consideration.

H.R. 5627: To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to improve the environmental quality incentives program. Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

H.R. 5638: To improve the management of driftnet fishing. Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

H.R. 3144: To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time. Text for status Referred to Senate Committee (Apr 26, 2018) is now available.

H.R. 3997: Free Veterans from Fees Act. Text for status Reported by House Committee (Apr 27, 2018) is now available.

H.R. 5655: To establish the Camp Nelson Heritage National Monument in the State of Kentucky as a unit of the National Park System. Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

H.Res. 855: Recognizing the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Washington, as the National Nordic Museum. Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

H.R. 5667: To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to reauthorize the Acer Access and Development Program. Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

H.R. 4: FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Passed in the House on April 27, 2018 and goes to the Senate next for consideration.

REGULATORY: Includes AMS, EPA, FWS, ITA, and NOAA rules and notices. 

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE: Rule amends the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances section of USDA’s organic regulations to implement recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture by the National Organic Standards Board. Details here.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: Rule proposes a regulation intended to strengthen the transparency of EPA regulatory science. Info here.

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERIVCE:

Rule FWS determines its 2017 final rule to designate the population of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) as a distinct population segment and remove that population from the Endangered Species Act’s List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife does not require modification. Info here.

Notice of availability of a joint final environmental impact statement and final environmental impact report (final EIS/EIR) under the National Environmental Policy Act. Details here.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION:

Notice ITA is initiating a new shipper review (NSR) of the antidumping duty order on freshwater crawfish tail meat from the People’s Republic of China (China) with respect to Nanjing Yinxiangchen International Trade Co., Ltd. Info here.

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC AMDINISTRATION:

Rule NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Greenland turbot in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. Details here.

Notice NMFS has received a request from Chevron for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to incidental to pile driving and removal associated with the Long Wharf Maintenance and Efficiency Project (WMEP) in San Francisco Bay, California. Info here.

Notice NMFS has received a request from the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture (CTJV) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project (PTST) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Details here.