NATIONAL PORK PRODUCERS COUNCIL for NATIONAL PORK PRODUCERS COUNCIL

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

General education on the importance of immigrant labor for the agriculture industry workforce.

Contacted: SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)

Transportation TRA

Increases to Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations & maintenance (O&M) account in the FY 2018 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Electronic Logging Device and Hours of Service fix for the livestock industry. The inclusion of a limited pilot project to advance safety and infrastructure protection in the FY 2018 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill to create a voluntary program under which 10 states could opt-in to allowing 91,000 lb, 6-axle, bridge formula compliant trucks on Federal Interstate Highways within their borders, and collect additional safety data regarding the gross vehicle weight and axle configurations of commercial trucks involved in serious accidents.

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); SENATE; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)

Environment/Superfund ENV

H.R. 848, the Farm Regulatory Certainty Act, to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to incentivize efficient nutrient management practices and to clarify the citizen suit provisions of such Act. H.R. 2853, the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act of 2017, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified biogas property and qualified manure resource recovery property eligible for the energy credit and to permit new clean renewable energy bonds to finance qualified biogas property. S. 988, the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act of 2017, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified biogas property and qualified manure resource recovery property eligible for the energy credit and to permit new clean renewable energy bonds to finance qualified biogas property. General discussions regarding the finalization of the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study. Reporting of air emissions from livestock farms under environmental statutes. Discussions on the Environmental Justice petition regarding the pork industry in the state of North Carolina. EPAs Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States final rule defining the scope of Waters of the United States as defined in and protected under the Clean Water Act; RIN 2040-AF30; June 29, 2015; 80 FR 37053.

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); SENATE; U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Commerce, Dept of (DOC)

Bills named: S. 988 (115th), H.R. 848 (115th), H.R. 2853 (115th)

Trade (domestic/foreign) TRD

The importance of maintaining current market access to Mexico and Canada in any renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Lifting market access restrictions to Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Encouraging the negotiation of a bilateral trade agreement with Japan.

Contacted: Intl Trade Administration (ITA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

Agriculture AGR

The establishment of a vaccine bank for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) through the 2018 Farm Bill. General education on the importance of immigrant labor for the agriculture industry workforce. The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) regulation regarding restrictions on poultry, beef and pork marketing arrangements. Proposed rule Unfair Practices and Undue Preferences in Violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act, RIN 0580-AB27; 20 December 2016; 81 FR 92703. Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to promote economic growth and spur innovation in rural areas pursuant to Executive Order 13790 Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America (April 25, 2017)

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); SENATE; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

General education on the importance of tax reform efforts for agriculture and the pork industry. H.R. 2853, the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act of 2017, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified biogas property and qualified manure resource recovery property eligible for the energy credit and to permit new clean renewable energy bonds to finance qualified biogas property. S. 988, the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act of 2017, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make qualified biogas property and qualified manure resource recovery property eligible for the energy credit and to permit new clean renewable energy bonds to finance qualified biogas property.

Contacted: U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)

Bills named: H.R. 2853 (115th), S. 988 (115th)

Trucking/Shipping TRU

Electronic Logging Device and Hours of Service fix for the livestock industry. The inclusion of a limited pilot project to advance safety and infrastructure protection in the FY 2018 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill to create a voluntary program under which 10 states could opt-in to allowing 91,000 lb, 6-axle, bridge formula compliant trucks on Federal Interstate Highways within their borders, and collect additional safety data regarding the gross vehicle weight and axle configurations of commercial trucks involved in serious accidents.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); SENATE; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

The inclusion of a limited pilot project to advance safety and infrastructure protection in the FY 2018 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill to create a voluntary program under which 10 states could opt-in to allowing 91,000 lb, 6-axle, bridge formula compliant trucks on Federal Interstate Highways within their borders, and collect additional safety data regarding the gross vehicle weight and axle configurations of commercial trucks involved in serious accidents. Increases to Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, Inland Waterways Trust Fund, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations & maintenance (O&M) account in the FY 2018 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

Contacted: SENATE; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Commerce, Dept of (DOC); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)

Energy/Nuclear ENG

H.R. 848, the Farm Regulatory Certainty Act, to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to incentivize efficient nutrient management practices and to clarify the citizen suit provisions of such Act.

Contacted: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Intl Trade Administration (ITA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); SENATE; Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Bills named: H.R. 848 (115th)

Immigration IMM

General education on the importance of immigrant labor for the agriculture industry workforce.

Contacted: Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); SENATE; Intl Trade Administration (ITA); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

Animals ANI

Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR), in regards to the swine reporting program, as reauthorized by H.R. 2051, the Agriculture Reauthorizations Act of 2015. General Education on the state of the Foot and Mouth (FMD) Vaccine Bank. Food Safety Inspection Service potential Modernization of Pork Slaughter rule that would increase efficiency and effectiveness of the federal inspection process and allow for the rapid adoption of new food safety technologies in pork slaughter. Draft guidance for industry #187 entitled Regulation of Intentionally Altered Genomic DNA in Animals regarding the regulation of gene-edited livestock. FDA-2008-D-0394; 19 January 2017; 82 FR 6561.

Contacted: U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); Intl Trade Administration (ITA)

Bills named: H.R. 2051 (115th)

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

EPAs Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States final rule defining the scope of Waters of the United States as defined in and protected under the Clean Water Act; RIN 2040-AF30; June 29, 2015; 80 FR 37053.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; SENATE; Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Commerce, Dept of (DOC); U.S. Trade Representative (USTR); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Agriculture, Dept of (USDA); Intl Trade Administration (ITA)