• AFBF Supports Renewable Fuel Provisions in Levin Bill Jul 28, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) has released a discussion draft of the Domestic Manufacturing and Jobs Act of 2010. The bill includes a number of renewable fuels provisions supported by Farm Bureau. The legislation would extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit for ethanol and small ethanol producers tax credit for [...]
• Bill Would Help Farmers, Communities in Bay Watershed Jul 28, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom The Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act (H.R. 5509) will help farmers while also benefiting communities in the bay’s watershed. The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging the House Agriculture Committee to approve the bill when it comes up for consideration today. “This bill is a commonsense approach to the work that is needed [...]
• Obama: ‘Our current energy policy is unsustainable’ Jul 27, 2010 — USA Today President Obama continued to stump for energy and climate change legislation today, despite the collapse of Senate talks on a comprehensive bill. And I intend to keep pushing for broader reform, including climate legislation, because if we've learned anything from the tragedy in the Gulf, it's that our current energy policy is unsustainable. That's what comprehensive energy and climate reform would do.
• Among House Democrats in Rust Belt, a sense of abandonment over energy bill Jul 26, 2010 — Washington Post Paul Kane and Shailagh MurrayWhen Democratic Rep. The GOP is using the climate change vote to accuse Skelton, now in his 34th year in Congress, of drifting from his moderate Midwestern roots."I vote for Ike Skelton. Everybody votes for Ike Skelton," said Kay Hoflander, chairman of the Lafayette County Republican Party.
• Wonkbook: EPA limits face veto; deficit tops $1.4 trillion; deportations surge Jul 25, 2010 — Washington Post Contrary to official projections, the budget gap will not begin to narrow much in 2011, because of an unexpectedly big drop in tax receipts. Back in 2003 he burnished his maverick image by co-sponsoring legislation that would have created a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions. President Obama has followed suit, and our national comprehension of climate change continues to stagnate.
• Advocates for Cuba trade Jul 23, 2010 — Houston Chronicle ...-- Waller County rancher Tom Paben has never sold beef to Cuba, largely because of a half-century-old trade and travel embargo. But Paben is optimistic he will, now that Congress is considering a bill that would allow U.S. tourists to travel to the island nation and would lift restrictions on how Cubans can pay for American agricultural goods. "If Cuba opened up to tourists, they would use higher cuts of chicken and beef," said Paben, a fifth-generation rancher and farmer. "Our...
• Democrats drop signature climate bill Jul 22, 2010 — The Boston Globe We know we don't have the votes,'' said Reid, of Nevada, blaming Republicans for stonewalling efforts to tackle the comprehensive bill. And in 1970 he began that effort to pass health care reform.
• Senators Call for Climate Bill That Makes ‘Polluters Pay’ Jul 22, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom Despite the call from the 12 senators, there is still doubt the Senate will consider climate and energy legislation before the Senate goes home in August. However, Reid still wants to bring a bill to the floor next week, and Democrats have scheduled a caucus on the matter for today.
• FBACT Newswatch: GIPSA, Climate Change, Veterinarians and Roundup Ready Alfalfa Jul 21, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom Subcommittee Chair Blasts Proposed GIPSA Rules Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), the chairman of the House Agriculture livestock subcommittee, blasted proposed rules by the Agriculture Department’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) designed to address competition in the livestock and poultry sectors. At a subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Scott told Edward Avalos, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory [...]
• Decision Time for Climate Provisions Jul 21, 2010 — CQ Politics It’s a make-or-break week for environmental advocates and senators struggling to keep climate change provisions in the mix during a pre-recess energy debate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is sticking with his plan to start debate on an energy bill July 26, a deadline that means he must quickly produce legislation.
• Estate tax to return in 2011, and it could hurt ordinary folks Jul 20, 2010 — USA Today In death, he beat the IRS.Steinbrenner's death on July 13 occurred six months after the federal estate tax expired. In addition, individuals can give away an annual amount without reducing their exemption for gift or estate taxes. But even if Congress agrees on an estate tax fix, it's unlikely lawmakers will be able to make it retroactive, Behrendt says.
• Lincoln, Kyl Introduce Estate Tax Reform Amendment Jul 16, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) introduced late Tuesday an amendment to permanently reform the federal estate tax. The proposal would require the Senate Finance Committee to amend H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending bill, to permanently set the estate tax rate at 35 percent, with a $5 million exemption amount phased in [...]
• 2010: The year of the independent? Jul 16, 2010 — Politico they are on the verge of upending the political order in their home states, and the election of just one of them could send tremors across the landscape.
• Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Launches Showcase on ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ Website Jul 15, 2010 — USDA Newsroom Online Resource will Expand National Dialogue About Economic Opportunity for Producers WASHINGTON, July 14, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today launched a new feature on the ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ website to highlight local and regional food systems and the multitude of connections being made between farmers and consumers. The new online resource [...]
• Energy bill to debut as shadow of itself Jul 13, 2010 — USA Today They voted to put a price on carbon pollution, dubbed a "national energy tax" by Sen. The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting more than 50 Democrats over the vote, such as Reps.
• Congress returns from recess to even more of the same Jul 11, 2010 — Washington Post An emergency war funding bill, loaded up with unrelated spending, faces a White House veto threat. Sensing opportunity in the public's outrage over the BP oil spill, Democrats are considering reviving the dormant climate-change debate. Senate Republicans have warned that they will filibuster the House version, which also includes funding for Pell grants and new energy projects, pushing the price tag to $80 billion.
• Climate debate unmoved by spill Jul 10, 2010 — Washington Post An oil spill and a burning river in 1969 led to new anti-pollution laws in the 1970s. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) recently proposed a plan to cut oil use by shifting to electric vehicles, building better mass-transit systems and switching to biofuels.
• Justice Department sues Arizona over immigration law Jul 6, 2010 — Washington Post But legal experts said such a step is exceedingly rare."It's quite extraordinary," said Richard D. Friedman, a law professor at the University of Michigan.
• Animal groups, Ohio farmers strike deal on cruelty Jul 6, 2010 — Business Week The deal calls for Strickland, the Humane Society, the Ohio Farm Bureau and their partners to join forces in favor of tougher laws governing farm animals, including provisions that ban certain crates and cages and the use of strangulation as a form of euthanasia.
• Obama: Fix ‘a broken immigration system’ Jun 30, 2010 — USA Today His administration is expected to file a lawsuit against Arizona, but the president did not discuss that plan. Obama also put the onus on Republicans to pass a comprehensive immigration law, saying Congress cannot pass it without GOP votes. "That is the political and mathematical reality," he said. Loretta Sanchez, D-Cal., said current immigration law splits up families.
• President Obama’s ‘Moment of Truth’ on Energy Bill Jun 29, 2010 — Politico If he’s going to have any success, many up-close observers said, the president needs to spell out what he wants in a legislative package — and if he doesn’t, he risks losing control of a debate that promises to quickly split along both partisan and regional lines.
• FDA seeks less use of antibiotics in animals to keep them effective for humans Jun 28, 2010 — Washington Post The drugs are often added to drinking water and feed. We don't believe people are going to act against their own economic interest because FDA asks them politely to do it."Rep.
• Bipartisan group of senators ends meeting without deal on climate bill Jun 28, 2010 — Washington Post John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) unveiled a bill along with Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) that includes the broader emissions cap along with subsidies for the nuclear industry and limits on the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate carbon. But many Republicans remained unconvinced.Alaska Sen.
• FBACT Newswatch: Farm Program, Poultry to Russia, Climate Change, Ehtanol and YouTube Jun 28, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom Peterson Warns of Reduced Farm Bill Payments House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) said the next farm bill may include reduced payments in order to cut the budget to reduce the deficit. “We’re not going to have any new money; we’ll probably have less money,” Peterson said at a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing on [...]
• Wonkbook: Jobs bill fails again; DISCLOSE Act passes House; Reid’s climate strategy Jun 24, 2010 — Washington Post Menendez, Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.)."Want Wonkbook delivered to your e-mail or mobile device every morning? But the way to confront those skeptics is to show that they're wrong-as many dedicated climate scientists have done, again and again. But lawmakers ignored the advice again and again.
• Obama to push climate change on back of BP spill Jun 23, 2010 — Financial Times Since he was a presidential candidate, Mr Obama has been promoting legislation that would put a cap on carbon emissions from polluters but allow them to buy permits to emit more.
• With the arrival of summer, congressional legislating gives way to campaigning Jun 21, 2010 — Washington Post Perry Bacon Jr.Democrats have a long list of national problems they say they want to solve. Almost two months ago, after Arizona passed a controversial immigration law, Sen. The immigration legislation would not cost much in terms of direct federal outlays of money, and no money is appropriated through the budget.
• Obama’s energy pipe dreams Jun 20, 2010 — Washington Post Obama held out a gleaming vision of an America that would convert to the "clean" energy of, presumably, wind, solar and biomass. The second is less appreciated: a more muddled energy debate.Obama has made vilification of oil and the oil industry a rhetorical mainstay. In 2008, fossil fuels met 87 percent of its energy needs, reports the International Energy Agency.
• As demand grows for locally raised meat, farmers turn to mobile slaughterhouses Jun 19, 2010 — Washington Post Today, four corporations slaughter 80 percent of the cattle in the United States. Consumers are increasingly demanding grass-fed beef, pork and lamb raised on local pastures by farmers who can vouch for the animals' diet and treatment. That's difficult for a small farmer raising animals in pastures, where weather and other variables can affect their growth and readiness for slaughter.
• Tax breaks have share of critics, but nothing changes in Washington Jun 19, 2010 — The Dallas Morning News But that won't work if we don't extend it this year." Many of the most expensive tax breaks are permanent. But the fact is a lot of them are on autopilot." Tax experts often cite tax breaks for health care and energy production as other examples of inefficient tax subsidies. The legislation that would extend some tax breaks also directs the Joint Committee on Taxation to analyze whether each tax break has fulfilled its purpose.
• Wonkbook: Dems divided on climate bill; jobs bill fails again; Pelosi pulls DISCLOSURE Act Jun 17, 2010 — Washington Post Thursday was not a great day for Democratic congressional leadership: A Senate Democratic caucus meeting ended without consensus on a climate bill; the GOP, helped by Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman, successfully filibustered the weakened jobs bill; and following criticism of the NRA's exemption from its requirements, Nancy Pelosi has pulled today's vote on the DISCLOSURE Act.
• Sen. Brown says he won’t back carbon fees Jun 16, 2010 — The Boston Globe Democrats feared that Brown would prevent them from summoning the 60 votes required to break GOP filibusters. In April, Brown delivered a crucial vote to advance a bill extending unemployment benefits. Brown was the deciding vote on the Senate's version of revising financial regulations.Brown has repeatedly has said he will not vote for an unemployment extension bill that adds to the deficit.
• Farm lobby must step aside, because the Chesapeake Bay can wait no longer Jun 16, 2010 — Washington Post Robert McCartneyHere are the interest groups that would benefit from legislation before Congress to really, finally clean up the Chesapeake Bay: Boaters. Elijah Cummings, are the leading sponsors of the similar bills. It says the legislation is technically unfeasible, would discourage development and raise farmers' costs.
• Agricultural census shows number of farms - especially small ones - rising Jun 16, 2010 — The Dallas Morning News It offers a glimpse into the state of American farming. Loganberries? Do you raise emus? Ostriches? Like the U.S. Census, agriculture census organizers make a big push to get the word out about the farm count.
• In address to nation, Obama urges action on clean energy bill Jun 15, 2010 — Washington Post He traveled by helicopter, ferry and motorcade along a seaside highway bordering white-sand beaches, booms floating offshore along much of the route. Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil.
• FBACT Newswatch: Murkowski Resolution, Clean Air Act and Crop Insurance Jun 14, 2010 — Farm Bureau Newsroom AFBF Disappointed in Failure of Murkowski Resolution American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman expressed disappointment with the Senate’s refusal Thursday to halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases by failing to approve S.J. Res. 26, known as the Murkowski resolution. “This was one of the most important votes in the Senate this [...]
• Wonkbook: Murkowski defeated; BP to White House; Deflation concerns Jun 10, 2010 — Washington Post Ezra Klein Senator Lisa Murkowski’s resolution seeking to strip the EPA of its power to regulate carbon failed 47-53 in the Senate, with six Democrats defecting to back the proposal. But though Murkowski might have lost the vote, it looks like she won the war: It’s hard to see a strong climate bill getting 60 votes [...]
• Lugar Introduces Climate Bill Without Cap-and-Trade Jun 10, 2010 — New York Times The latest proposal to deal with energy and climate change came on Wednesday from Senator Richard Lugar, a moderate Republican from Indiana. His plan seeks to cut energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions without creating a new market in carbon credits or taking a big bite out of the economy. The proposal, called the Lugar Practical [...]
• Farmers and Ranchers Fighting Back Jun 7, 2010 — AgInfo.net Farmer and Ranchers Fighting Back. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture. Farmers and ranchers throughout the country were horrified by an undercover video showing dairy cows being abused. Mace Thornton of the American Farm Bureau Federation says there’s just no excuse for that kind of behavior. Thornton: As the nation’s largest farm organization, we really [...]
• Obama Says He’ll Push for Clean Energy Bill Jun 7, 2010 — New York Times By HELENE COOPER PITTSBURGH — President Obama said Wednesday that it was time for the United States “to aggressively accelerate” its transition from oil to alternative sources of energy and vowed to push for quick action on climate change legislation despite almost unanimous opposition from Republicans and continued skepticism from some Democrats. Seeking to harness the deepening [...]

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