Obama presses for action on immigration bill [Wall Street Journal]
President
Barack Obama renewed his push Thursday for a broad immigration overhaul,
pressuring the House to pass legislation this year….House Republicans responded
Thursday by reiterating their intent to consider immigration in smaller chunks,
rather than try to pass a sweeping bill, as the Senate did in late June….House
committees have approved five immigration bills so far, with lawmakers still
working to draft others. But House leaders have yet to say when they would
bring any to the floor and it isn't yet clear if Republicans will offer any
bills likely to garner Democratic support on the thorniest pieces of an
overhaul. And with legislative time scarce, it would require heavy lifting to reconcile
any bills the House passes this year with a sweeping bill that passed the
Senate in June. After that, any compromise measure might be even harder to push
through the House.
*Link may
require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.
FDA
proposes rules to make animal food safer [Associated Press]
Amid
incidents of pets dying from dog treats, the Food and Drug Administration is
proposing long-awaited rules to make pet food and animal feed safer. The rules
stem from a sweeping food safety law passed by Congress almost three years ago.
Like rules proposed earlier this year for human food, they would focus on
preventing contamination before it begins.…The proposed rules would require
those who sell pet food and animal feed in the United States — including
importers — to follow certain sanitation practices and have detailed food
safety plans. All of the manufacturers would have to put individual procedures
in place to prevent their food from becoming contaminated….The agency will take
comments for four months before issuing a final rule and will hold a series of
public meetings to explain the proposal.
Agriculture
water quality tackled at CSU Monterey Bay forum [Monterey County Herald]
Two
months after the state water board approved rules for agricultural water
quality, a panel of experts discussed a slew of ways the Salinas Valley could
address the issue at a public forum at CSU Monterey Bay on Thursday. Officials
from Ventura County and the Central Valley outlined their methods for dealing
with ag water quality regulations, including a cooperative approach with
regional water board officials, use of best management practices and a
farmers-only coalition….The goal, Din said, was to step away from the debate
between farmers and environmentalists — who locked horns in a contentious
battle over the ag water rules that left no one satisfied — and focus more on a
positive, science-based approach to finding solutions that would result in
improving water quality.
Yuba
County opposes federal flood insurance reform [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
Yuba
County has joined Sutter County and Yuba City in opposing federal flood
insurance reform that opponents say will dramatically increase rates for
farmers. A letter signed by Andy Vasquez, Board of Supervisors chairman, asks
for a full review of the Biggert-Waters Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to
"seek solutions that do not undermine the security of our residents."
It says the act will "effectively discourage our residents and property
owners from obtaining important flood insurance protection ..."
Chinook
salmon thrive in flooded-field experiment [San Francisco Chronicle]
Researchers
who fattened young chinook salmon in flooded fields after the rice harvest last
winter reported Thursday that the fish grew fast and to record sizes, offering
a promising new way to improve survival of the long-threatened salmon.…Now
researchers report that an experiment begun in April shows how those juvenile
fish can grow faster and fatter in rice fields that are regularly flooded along
the river than they do in the open water of the river….Next year, he said,
another experiment will cover more than 2,500 acres of flooded rice fields
after the crop has been harvested.
*Link may
require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.
National
Park Service wants to honor labor leader Cesar Chavez [Fresno Bee]
The
life and times of United Farm Workers’ co-founder Cesar Chavez should be
honored with a new multi-state national historical park that stretches from
Arizona to California’s San Joaquin Valley, the National Park Service
recommended Thursday. After studying some 100 potential sites important in the
U.S. farm labor movement, officials pinpointed four in California and one in
Arizona. The proposed national historical park would include the existing Cesar
E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, Calif., which was previously established
by President Barack Obama….But unlike the Chavez national monument established
last year through the president’s own executive power, creation of a national
historical park requires congressional action….The House is now controlled by
Republicans, who have sometimes cautioned against expanding the national park
system in order to retain focus on the needs of existing parks….Western
farmers’ traditional antipathy toward the United Farm Workers could also
possibly complicate the proposed park’s legislative prospects.
Ag
Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm
Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may
not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site
registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this
message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more
information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment