Vester

The documents, that were not intended to be made public, tell a story of two agencies in disagreement over not only process, but the use of data, the definitions in the final rule, and the scientific and legal justifications for what EPA was doing. 

Some of the memos went so far as to seek removal of the Corp's logo from the final documents, as well as removing them as an "Author, co-author, or substantive contributor."   

Referring to specific points in the final rule, the memos stated that the "1,500 foot limitation is not supported by science or law" and the "4,000 foot bright line rule is not based on any principle of science, hydrology or law," rendering both therefore, "legally vulnerable." 

Perhaps more importantly, a Corps memo stated that the final rule was "Inconsistent with SWANCC and Rapanos," the two Supreme Court decisions on Clean Water Act regulations that the final WOTUS rule was supposed to clarify.

"These documents are pretty damaging to the Administration's notion that WOTUS is a good, common sense rule," said Ray Vester, an Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice's Regulatory Affairs and Food Safety Committee "We'll continue to address the rule's legitimacy, and these documents provide a convenient roadmap to do so."

Contact: Steve Hensley (703) 236-1445

Betsy Ward and Phil Karsting at USA Rice's 2015 Government Affairs Conference in February

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This afternoon, USA Rice met with Phil Karsting, the Administrator of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), as part of a small group of agricultural commodity organizations all uniquely involved in providing in-kind food aid contributions. The meeting was a follow up to a hearing held in June by the House Committee on Agriculture that reviewed U.S. international food aid programs where Karsting and a counterpart with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) served as witnesses and provided testimony (see "House Ag Committee Pushes Back on Administration Efforts to Gut Food Aid Programs," USA Rice Daily June 24, 2015)

The U.S. rice industry has been a long-time participant of the USAID's Food for Peace program that has accounted for up to five percent of domestic production in recent years. The Food for Peace program celebrated its 60^th anniversary last month, and USA Rice staff participated in a Capitol Hill event to mark the occasion. (see "U.S. Rice Recognized at Food for Peace Celebration," USA Rice Daily, July 22, 2015) 

"Today's group discussed how important U.S. commodities have been to the United States' food assistance portfolio in meeting the needs of the world's hungry," said Sarah Moran, director of international promotion for USA Rice who attended the meeting. "The agricultural community supports the flexibility currently found within the Farm Bill that includes both cash/vouchers and adequate amounts of in-kind commodities."

Administrator Karsting echoed his support of the in-kind commodity contributions and said "we need to continue using U.S. commodities where it makes sense." In reference to the flexibility aspect of cash vouchers he acknowledged that his agency and USAID "need a full range of tools in our tool box."

Contact: Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475

Around Washington

Falsehood Was Part of WOTUS Rulemaking AG Professional

A cache of internal memos that federal regulators intended to keep private reveals a culture of secrecy, falsehood and dysfunction that permeated the Waters of the U.S. rulemaking process.

Around the Country

Farmland Investments Take Root Wall Street Journal

Farmland is attracting growing interest from pension plans, hedge funds and even mom-and-pop investors as they seek to diversify assets and capitalize on an agriculture-industry slump that has pushed down land prices in some regions.

Around the World

An Unstoppable Problem is Making it Increasingly Difficult for the World to Produce Enough Food Business Insider

The possibility of increased food shortages looms in a nearer future than we'd care to believe.

Health and Nutrition

Golden Rice-a Star among GMO Foods-Has a Major Study Retracted Quartz

Golden Rice, often touted as a shining example of the benefits of genetic engineering, might not be as golden as originally thought.

Tariffs and Trade

TPP is Still Alive but Prognosis is Iffy at Best Forbes

Last week's failure to close the deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership set the clock ticking. Negotiators are running out of time to reach an agreement and get it ratified by the 12 governments involved.