2006 CCC Archive
The Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns (CCC) is a weekly report from Washington, D.C., giving an up-to-date summary of top policy initiatives concerning the cattle industry; direct from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
Air Regulations: At public hearings in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco March 8, NCBA provided comments on two rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dealing with air quality standards and coarse particulate matter.
Coarse particulate matter is fugitive dust such as the dust that is caused by tilling soil, cattle romping in feedlots, planting crops, harvesting crops, driving on dirt roads, spreading of nutrients on fields, outdoor storage of bulk materials, and feed mixing. NCBA, along with scientific experts, says there is no scientific evidence to support that coarse particulate matter causes adverse impacts on health.
“Under the EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), air quality standards must be about protecting public health,” says NCBA Director of Environmental Issues Tamara Thies. “These standards cannot be arbitrarily imposed without scientific backing. For more than 30 years the EPA has excluded fugitive dusts in making determinations of ambient compliance because there is not sufficient supporting evidence.”
EPA published the final proposed rules, “National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter” and “Revisions to Ambient Air Monitoring Regulations”, in the January 17th Federal Register. NCBA is preparing written comments for the April 17, 2006 deadline. More information is posted at http://hill.beef.org/coarseparticulatematter/.
Carbon Monoxide Packaging: As the House of Representatives considered the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 (H.R. 4167), cattlemen were successful this week in defeating a move that would have hindered the ability of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate food packaging.
At issue is the use of carbon monoxide in beef packaging, or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), a hot media topic in recent weeks. NCBA made sure Congress knew this was not a food safety issue, but rather an issue of Congress potentially overriding FDA’s and USDA’s authority over food safety regulation.
Cattlemen staunchly believe the regulation of food packaging processes is clearly the role of the FDA and USDA, not Congress! So NCBA’s lobbying team, affiliates and producer-members worked to defeat this amendment. On March 8, the House Committee on Rules finalized its rule for further consideration of the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005, and the Committee struck down the Stupak Amendment. NCBA congratulates all its affiliates and members who contributed to this effort!
Korean Free Trade Agreement: The U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition, a group of 97 trade and industry groups that includes NCBA, sent letters this week to members of Congress in support of a U.S.-Korean Free Trade agreement. In addition, a copy of this letter was published in the March 6 edition of CQ Weekly.
The letter reads, “Korea is the world’s tenth-largest economy, and the United States’ seventh-largest trading partner in terms of two-way trade and sixth largest market for U.S. agricultural goods…this will be the most commercially significant free trade agreement the United States has entered into in fifteen years. This provides a solid platform on which to negotiate an agreement that excludes no product, service, or sector, that could be expected to bring tangible economic benefits to both nations.” The letter is posted on NCBA’s website at: http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/KoreaFTABusLetterCongress.pdf.
GIPSA Hearing: The Senate Agriculture Committee hosted a hearing March 9 to review USDA’s Management of the Packers and Stockyards Act. The USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is responsible for administering the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, which was designed to ensure fair trade practices and competitive marketing conditions in livestock, meat and poultry markets. On January 18, 2006, the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released the results of an audit report on GIPSA’s management and oversight of the Act and concluded that significant improvements in management, planning and policy formulation were needed. NCBA agrees with the recommendations suggested by the OIG report and has been actively communicating cattlemen concerns to new GIPSA Administrator James Link.
Producers Asked to Share ESA Stories: NCBA is urging fellow cattle producers to provide feedback on their personal experiences in dealing with issues related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As the Senate prepares to introduce legislation calling for reform of the ESA, policymakers need to hear your personal stories and case studies demonstrating the challenges you face in dealing with ESA issues on your operation and as a private property owner. NCBA producer-members can participate in this effort two ways:
- Visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa/ to send a message directly to your Senators, urging them to support ESA reform efforts led by the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee.
- Visit http://hill.beef.org/ESA/ to share your personal story with NCBA about how work on your land and operation has been impacted by excessive ESA regulations.
Your first-hand stories will help the Senate understand why we need ESA reform legislation.
Death Tax Update: NCBA expects the Senate to reconsider legislation to permanently repeal the Death Tax this Spring. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has said he will push for a vote before Memorial Day. Now is the time for cattlemen to get back in touch with your Senators and remind them of the need to repeal this devastating tax. During Congressional recess March 20-24, your Senators will be at home in your state. This is the perfect time to contact them with your message about how the Death Tax hurts your family business.
Here are 3 ways you can help get full and permanent repeal of the Death Tax!
- Contact your Senators and tell them your stories! Nothing is more effective or memorable than hearing a cattlemen’s story about how this tax affected their family, their businesses and rural community! Call them in Washington via the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Are your Senators home on recess? Holding town hall meetings in your area? Attend, and tell them about this issue in person!
- Write your Senators a letter! It’s as easy as going to www.beefusa.org/capwiz Here you can directly email your Senators. Or, print out your letter and send it to them! Detailed information and analysis on the issue is available as well.
- Submit your story to NCBA and take our Death Tax Survey! We use these stories as examples of what the Death Tax has done, and why it must go away permanently! Go to http://hill.beef.org/tax or contact Jenni Beck in NCBA’s Washington office at jbeck@beef.org or 202-347-0228.
Malaysia Resumes Trade/FTA Talks Begin: The Bush administration announced March 8 that the United States and Malaysia will begin negotiations on a free trade agreement. USDA announced March 7 that Malaysia will resume imports of U.S. boneless beef and beef products from animals under 30 months of age.
According to the State Department, Malaysia in 2004 was the 10th-largest U.S. trading partner and the 16th-largest market for U.S. exports. In 2004, bilateral trade between the United States and Malaysia totaled $39.1 billion. Total U.S. exports to the country were $10.9 billion; imports from Malaysia totaled $28.2 billion. Malaysia represents approximately a $2 million market for beef. Reports say the U.S. agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors all could see a leap in exports to Malaysia.
2006 ESAP Nominations Due March 16: NCBA will be accepting applications for the 16th annual Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) until March 16. Sponsored by NCBA, Dow AgroSciences and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), ESAP annually recognizes seven regional winners who exhibit outstanding commitment to protecting the environment and improving fish and wildlife habitats, while operating profitable cattle operations. Nominations are accepted for seven regional awards, and these seven winners compete for the national ESAP award. The most recent national winner, Lightsey Cattle Company of Lake Wales, Fla., was announced at last month’s Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Denver. The ESAP nomination application is now available for download online at http://hill.beef.org/esap, or you may request a copy of the application from NCBA by calling Stacey Katseanes at 202-347-0228.
Cattlemen Prepare for Spring Conference: NCBA is busy with plans and preparations for our Spring Conference, March 27-31. Each year, hundreds of cattle producers from across the country visit our nation’s capital for this major cattle industry conference on policy issues. Attendees will hear directly from top policymakers, meet face-to-face with key Congressional offices, government agency influencers and have the opportunity to articulate policy priorities for today’s cattle industry.
Confirmed speakers include:
- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns
- U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman
- USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins
- Kathleen Clarke, Director of Bureau of Land Management
- Dale Bosworth, Chief, U.S. Forest Service
- David Anderson, Program Associate Director, Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- Bill Clay, Deputy Administrator, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Service
- Erica Tergeson and Doug Crandall, House Resources Committee staff
For you Cherry Blossom fans, the National Park Service predicts the blossoms will peak the week of March 27 - April 1 around the Tidal Basin. On our conference program, we’ve left Friday free for touring and blossom watching! Registration forms are due March 14! More information is posted at: http://beefusa.org/convspringlegislativeconference.aspx.
USDA Staff News: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced March 9 the appointments of A. Ellen Terpstra as deputy under secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services and Michael W. Yost as administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service. Both appointments are effective immediately. Of Terpstra, Johanns said “I know America's farmers and ranchers will benefit from her expertise as we continue our efforts to level the global playing field for U.S. agricultural exports." Terpstra served as the administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) since March 2002. Yost served as the Farm Service Agency's associate administrator for programs since January 2004.
Ag Week is March 19-25: Celebrated each year on or around the first day of spring, National Ag Day and Ag Week 2006 is this month! This year’s events kick-off on March 16, when associations, corporations, universities and government agencies will gather in our nation’s capital for a variety of events including Capitol Hill rally, Ag Day luncheon featuring key note speaker Senate Ag Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), and Capitol Hill’s Taste of American Agriculture reception hosted by House Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).
Sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America, National Ag Day and Ag Week events promote and celebrate the abundance of American agriculture, and the role agriculture plays as the backbone of the nation’s economy. NCBA is proud to be an Ag Day Champion sponsor! Visit http://www.agday.org for event info!
BSE Surveillance: USDA’s Enhanced BSE Surveillance Program continues having already tested over half million high-risk animals for BSE since June 1, 2004. As of today, the program has tested 644,603 targeted animals at highest risk for BSE and has found only one confirmed case, evidence that our safeguards are working and the prevalence of this disease in the U.S. is extremely low. Testing 268,500 animals can detect BSE at a rate of 1 in 10 million adult cattle at a 99 percent confidence level.
Media Contact:
Tanya Augustson or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228; taugustson@beef.org or kbatra@beef.org