Around Washington
The mixed court rulings on the Obama administration's new Clean Water Act rule should motivate more Democrats to support repealing the measure or at least stalling its implementation, says Senator John Hoeven (R-ND).
The authors asked rural activists what they hoped for as components of the presidential candidates' rural platforms should substantive rural platforms ever emerge.
Around the Country
DU received a $4-million award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Gulf Coast Conservation Grants Program to support wetland restoration on private lands in southern Louisiana.
Tariffs and Trade
At a Wednesday hearing of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, there wasn't much disagreement that there is potential in the Cuban market, but some lawmakers expressed skepticism about benefits beyond a boost in exports.
In an update on the negotiations, USTR said progress was made toward eliminating tariffs, which in some TPP countries exceed 70 percent for some agricultural exports, while at the same time addressing U.S. import sensitivities. No mention was made of U.S. efforts to persuade Canada to open its dairy markets to more competition, or to get Japan to ease import levies on its "sacred" agricultural products including, rice, wheat, beef and pork.
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