Funds for farmers to keep farming—but with less water—are headed west.
Downpourload: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an effort to save up to 50K acre-feet of H2O across 250K acres of traditionally irrigated farmland. Think drought-impacted places like Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
The funds will help improve irrigation systems and allow farmers to swap to less water-intensive crops or try new management practices and technologies to reduce water use.
As part of the $400M effort, 18 irrigation districts will receive up to $15M each. Up to $40M will be offered for conservation on tribal lands, in partnership with Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Soundbite: “We want to scale up the tools available to keep farmers farming, while also voluntarily conserving water and expanding markets for water-saving commodities.” — Vilsack
Western water security: This new funding builds on other water conservation efforts in the west. In May 2024, the Bureau of Reclamation noted that Colorado River System’s reservoirs were no longer under immediate threat of dropping to elevations that would risk power production and water deliveries.
And Lake Mead levels are at the highest they’ve been since 2021 due to investments in conversation and hydrology. The Biden-Harris Administration is now focused on long-term sustainability and water conservation in the west.
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
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