The Crush - December 2021 - 5

STATE & FEDERAL NEWS
Legislators Host
Ag Tech Hearing
at the Capitol
The Assembly Select Committee on Technology
and the Future of California's Agricultural
Workforce on Dec. 1 held a hearing titled
Agriculture Technology Workforce - An
Overview. The hearing addressed various
aspects of technology in agriculture including:
* The need for more technology in the
industry.
* Development of that technology.
* The benefits of technology for growers, ag
workers and the environment.
Participating in the hearing were CAWG,
University of California Agriculture and
Natural Resources, Center for Innovation and
Technology at Western Growers Association,
Hartnell College, Terranova Ranch Inc.,
Monarch Tractor and Pacific Coast Producers.
During the hearing, several potential policy
changes were discussed specifically relative
to increasing the availability and use of
technology including mechanization and
autonomous equipment. The California
Legislature reconvenes in January to take up
new legislation.
Watch hearing (CAWG's testimony begins at 1:21:30)
EPA, Army Take
Action on the
Definition of
WOTUS
The U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of the
Army on Nov. 18 announced the signing
of a proposed rule to return to the pre-2015
definition of " waters of the United States "
(WOTUS), which had been in place for
decades, updated to reflect consideration of
Supreme Court decisions. The proposed rule
would maintain the longstanding exclusions of
the pre-2015 regulations, plus exemptions and
exclusions in the Clean Water Act.
In developing the proposed rule, the two
agencies considered stakeholder feedback
from meetings and webinars. The agencies
will continue to consult with these groups
for implementation of WOTUS and future
regulatory actions.
American Farm Bureau Federation President
Zippy Duvall commented on the EPA's
proposed rule to replace the Navigable Waters
Protection Rule: " AFBF is disappointed
EPA is returning to an overly complicated
interim water rule. Overreaching regulations
create major permit backlogs for the federal
government and result in long delays for
farmers and ranchers who are working to keep
America fed. We are particularly concerned
EPA is bringing back the significant nexus test.
This case-by-case test threatens to unfairly
regulate large areas of private land miles from
the nearest navigable water.
" It's troubling that EPA is putting a framework
in place before completing the promised
stakeholder engagement. Administrator Regan
pledged to listen to the needs of farmers and
ranchers and committed to a rule that is not
overly burdensome. We urge him to stay true
to his word. "
House Approves
CR, Avoids Gov
Shutdown
By Cornerstone Government Affairs
The House of Representatives on Dec. 2
approved a continuing resolution (CR) less
than 24 hours before the government faced
a potential shutdown. The Senate later in
the evening also passed the measure. The
negotiated CR extends previously agreed
upon spending levels that will run until Feb.
18, 2022. With passage of the CR through
both chambers of Congress, Democrats now
argue that it's time for Republicans to come to
the negotiating table to finalize government
spending for fiscal year 2022. With the CR
crisis averted, Democrats now face navigating
passage of the Build Back Better agenda, in
addition to lifting the debt ceiling, which
Treasury Secretary Yellen warns must be
addressed before Dec. 15.
CAWG.ORG 5

https://www.assembly.ca.gov/technology-and-the-future-of-Californias-agricultural-workforce https://www.assembly.ca.gov/technology-and-the-future-of-Californias-agricultural-workforce https://www.assembly.ca.gov/technology-and-the-future-of-Californias-agricultural-workforce https://www.assembly.ca.gov/sites/assembly.ca.gov/files/12.01.21_hearing_background.pdf https://www.assembly.ca.gov/sites/assembly.ca.gov/files/12.01.21_hearing_background.pdf https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/assembly-select-committee-technology-future-california-s-agriculture-workforce-20211201/video https://www.epa.gov/wotus/revising-definition-waters-united-states https://www.epa.gov/wotus/revising-definition-waters-united-states https://www.cawg.org/

The Crush - December 2021

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