The Environmental Protection Agency has sent its Waters of the United States final rule to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review. This is the final step before the release of the final rule. The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs received the proposed rule April 6. OIRA's regulatory review is supposed to take 90 days, although controversial rules can be tied up far longer. EPA officials have long said that they are aiming to finalize the rule this spring.

 

Farm Bureau has shared its concerns with OMB and continues to support legislation that would block or reform the rule.

On April 6, Illinois elections officials set the primary for July 7 and the general election for September 10.

 

This a change from earlier dates announced by Governor Rauner. Illinois' law did not comply with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act enacted to allow military personnel serving overseas enough time to mail in ballots.

Lifetime TV welcomes CommonGround Iowa volunteer Julie Kenney to its morning program The Balancing Act. The show will air next Friday to further an ongoing conversation between the American moms on and off of the farm. Kenney will answer questions and address concerns about food safety and the benefits of GMOs while clearing up myths surrounding organically grown foods and conventionally grown foods.

 

This is the first of a two-segment mini-series in which The Balancing Act features conversations with volunteers from CommonGround, an effort designed to get women talking about farming and food. It builds upon a previous four-part series that ran in the winter of 2014. CommonGround provides a way for moms looking for answers about food to connect with moms who grow and raise it and get real, credible information.

 

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