USDA names key NRCS staff
USDA announced Wednesday the appointment of Meryl Harrell as deputy undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment and the appointment of Terry Cosby as chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Read More...Biden’s Climate Corps could help preserve soil and water, say advocates
(Subscription) Some conservation and environmentalists say the new Civilian Climate Corps should create private landowner partnerships with the Agriculture Department to protect soil, both to reduce greenhouse emissions and protect…
Read More...EPA relaunches website tracking climate change indicators
The EPA last week announced the relaunch of its website tracking climate change indicators in the U.S. for the first time since the beginning of the Trump administration. The assessment, delayed under…
Read More...Agency plans ‘regional roundtables’ for WOTUS review
President Biden’s pick for EPA’s water office said today that the agency is planning “robust stakeholder engagement” and “regional roundtables” this summer to discuss its review of which waterways and…
Read More...Panel to probe farm conservation’s role in climate change
(Subscription) A House Agriculture subcommittee this week will explore the impact of farmland conservation programs on climate change, potentially giving clues on how the next farm bill will address the…
Read More...Bill lifts cover crop penalties for grazing, animal feed
The Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill introduced to the U.S. senate, would permanently lift crop insurance penalties for farmers who plant cover crops that can be…
Read More...Ag, conservation alliance issues recommendations for USDA carbon bank
A broad coalition of farm and conservation groups says a USDA-run carbon bank should be used to test ways to establish carbon accounting guidelines, expand the use of climate-friendly farming…
Read More...Ag groups encouraged by agriculture’s role in 30×30 plan
The Biden administration outlined ideas in achieving the nationwide conservation goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. As the report was identified as “big on ideas,…
Read More...EPA administrator won’t return to Obama-era WOTUS rule
In a hearing in the House of Representatives, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said he doesn’t intend to go back to the Obama-era waters of the U.S. – WOTUS…
Read More...GOP pans 30×30 report, saying its still too light on details
Despite clear efforts to reassure property owners, farmers, ranchers, foresters and fishers that the 30×30 initiative they announced in January would not be a pretext for federal overreach, Republican lawmakers…
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