NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL for NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL

Agriculture AGR

Co-signed a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture and National Economic Council chairman urging relief of unfair shipping charges imposed by the Federal Maritime Commission. Joined a letter to U.S. governors asking for their action to aid continued movement of food, agricultural inputs and related services. Continued efforts with USDA, the Administration and Congress to obtain relief and assistance, including full set of cotton industry recommendations that are needed to adequately respond to the losses facing the U.S. cotton industry as a result of COVID. Joined a letter with other national organizations to House and Senate leadership requesting that they authorize additional funding of the Paycheck Protection Program. Joined a letter with the Pesticide Policy Coalition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding Hours of Service regulations. Joined 37 other agriculture groups and businesses on a letter to congressional leaders requesting changes to the Paycheck Protection Program. Joined 151 agricultural and business associations on a letter to the chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee regarding the tax implications of the PPP. Joined the American Soybean Association on a letter to EPAs Administrator discussing the benefits to growers from the newer formulations of dicamba. Submitted five sets of comments to EPA regarding the pesticides Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam. Monitored USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announcement of the availability of the Final Rule for its biotechnology regulations 7 CFR part 340 -- The Sustainable, Ecological, Consistent, Uniform, Responsible, Efficient rule (SECURE). Joined numerous other agriculture, manufacturing and business organizations on a letter to House, Senate and Administration leadership requesting emergency legislative and administrative action to modify the Paycheck Protection Program. Submitted comments regarding the Commodity Futures Trading Commissions proposed rule on position limits for derivatives. Submitted comments to EPA on regulatory transparency. Reviewed and responded to the Administrations published EO 13924, Economic Recovery; Regulatory Relief Efforts To Support. Joined more than 200 organizations on a letter urging Congress to provide temporary and targeted liability protections for businesses struggling to reopen and operate safely during the COVID-19 crisis. Submitted comments with USDA regarding a request from the agency's Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) to satisfy a 2018 farm law requirement on collecting information from agricultural entities to support OPMP's understanding of agricultural practices pertaining to pest management. Joined numerous other organizations on a letter to House, Senate, and Administration leadership requesting emergency legislative and administrative action to: 1) repeal the Paycheck Protection Programs 75%-25% rule, 2) extend the eight-week period for purposes of calculating loan forgiveness, and 3) extend the June 30 safe harbor date for rehiring and restoration of pay. Sent a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler outlining the difficult position that cotton producers are in as a result of the court's decision to vacate the registration for Dicamba formulations. Joined numerous agricultural organizations on a letter to Members of the House to join Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) in sponsoring the FARM to TABLE Act. Sent a letter to USDA requesting that Extra Long Staple (ELS) or Pima cotton be added as an eligible commodity in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) as part of USDAs process to review and update the commodities eligible for CFAP. Joined numerous other business and manufacturing organizations on letters to House and Senate leadership and the sponsors of the Jumpstarting Our Businesses Success Credit (JOBS Credit) Act of 2020 (H.R. 6776) and requested that it be included in a future legislative package addressing COVID-19 and the economic harm caused by the pandemic. Joined other agricultural organizations on a letter to House Members supporting an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) to the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (H.R. 2). Joined agriculture and business organizations on a letter to Senate Finance Committee leadership regarding net operating losses (NOLs) as part of COVID relief efforts. Submitted comments to OMB on cotton classing and on AMSs cotton classification and market news service. Submitted comments to NASS on the continuation of the Cotton System Consumption and Stocks report (M313P). Submitted comments to OMB on the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and the Vegetable Chemical Use Survey. Submitted comments to NASS on the revision and extension of the Agricultural Prices Surveys. Submitted comments to OMB on the Cotton Ginning Survey. Submitted 24 responses to USDA-FAS regarding Maximum Residue Levels of pesticides for the EU (6), Japan (4), New Zealand (1), Australia/New Zealand (1), China (5), India (1), Taiwan (1), Thailand (1), Korea (3), and Saudi Arabia (1) Participated in a broad coalition of trade associations in developing and submitting comments to the EPA regarding its proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter. Joined with other textile organizations on a letter to the Department of Defense regarding procedures for procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Contacted: White House Office; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; State, Dept of (DOS); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Risk Management Agency; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); SENATE; Surface Transportation Board (STB); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Bills named: H.R. 2 (116th), H.R. 6776 (116th)