USA Rice Daily
Up-to-the-Minute News on Issues and Activities
Thursday, September 10, 2015
USA Rice-DU Stewardship Partnership Texas Reservoir Project Clears First Hurdle           
 
Working on a solution to Texas water woes

ARLINGTON, VA -- The newest project sought by the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited (DU) Rice Stewardship Partnership has cleared a major hurdle with the announcement by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that the groups' pre-proposal has been chosen to advance to the next round of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
 
USA Rice and DU have partnered with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) on the proposed $10 million project, the new Prairie Conservation Reservoir in Eagle Lake, Texas, to benefit rice growers, migratory waterfowl, and waterbirds.  The project complements an existing LCRA construction project - the Lane City Reservoir, the region's first significant new water reservoir in decades.
 
The USA Rice-DU project was selected from amongst 265 pre-proposals to advance to the full proposal stage.  Submitted pre-proposals were seeking some $1.8 billion in funding and were offering $1.27 billion in contributions.  The total funding available for this round of the RCPP projects is just $235 million, so the competition will be intense.  
 
Contact:  Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475
USA Rice Briefs House Agriculture Committee Staff           
Trade briefing on Capitol Hill 
WASHINGTON, DC -- USA Rice COO Bob Cummings joined representatives from the dairy and sugar industries on Tuesday for a briefing on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) at the House Agriculture committee.  The briefing, for the agriculture staff of individual Committee Members, was in preparation for a meeting between the Committee and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman the following day which was held in executive session. 
 
"By all reports, the TPP negotiations are coming to a close, and Tuesday's session was a good opportunity to share with staff our concerns about important improvements that are still needed in the rice market access deal reportedly negotiated between the U.S. and Japan" said Cummings. 
 
Expectations among many were high that the negotiations would close at the Ministerial meeting held in Hawaii in late July, but trade ministers were unable to resolve differences on three key issues:  the rules of origin for automobiles and parts manufactured in the 12 TPP countries, dairy market access, and the length of time certain medicines would receive patent protection within TPP countries.  Press reports indicate that negotiations to resolve these issues are currently taking place.
 
Contact:  Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for September 10

Month
Price
Net Change
September 2015$12.435
+ $0.220
November 2015
$12.670
+ $0.205
January 2016
$12.950
+ $0.200
March 2016$13.150
+ $0.180
May 2016$13.270
+ $0.115
July 2016$13.415
+ $0.110
September 2016
$12.585
+ $0.075
In the News 
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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