Hunter Carpenter from the Agricultural Retailers Association to break down the critical policy shifts currently moving through Washington, D.C.
Farm Bill With Hiccups In The House
The Farm Bill has passed the House, but retailers should be aware that several high-priority items were stripped during the amendment process. While the bill includes positives like the TSP Access Act and a plant biostimulant definition, it currently lacks language regarding:
- Uniform labeling for pesticides.
- NPDES pesticide general permit reforms.
- Reaffirmation of EPA and state agency authority over product registration.
The ARA is looking to the Senate to potentially reintroduce these reforms this summer.
“We keep hearing we’ll see Chairman Bozeman’s language sometime pretty soon. We’re hopeful that if they can get moving this summer, do a markup, and then hold a vote sometime possibly this summer. We’re hopeful that we can get something done before the midterm elections,” Carpenter says.
Year-Round E15 Momentum
The House has passed legislation to enable the year-round sale of E15, an effort ARA has supported.
“We think expanding year-round E15 will expand consumer fuel choice, it strengthens domestic energy production, and it also preserves critical fuel infrastructure investments that have already been made by retailers,” he says.
However as Carpenter shares, the path forward in the Senate is less certain, requiring 60 votes. It may be attached to the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill or a separate energy package.
Monitoring Rail Mergers
The ARA is closely watching the potential merger involving Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. The association is leaning toward outright opposition to the merger to ensure maximum competition in the rail marketplace, which is critical for keeping freight and shipping rates low for retailers.
Hear more details about the latest in ag policy and regulations in The Scoop podcast:
