Farmer teds prices

ENERGY AND CLIMATE DEBATEThis past week was very busy for energy and environment issues both on and off Capitol Hill.  As we reported last week, Sen. Coons introduced the Master Limited Partnership Parity Act (S. 795) on Wednesday.   The following day, members of the Senate Finance Committee had their weekly, bipartisan meeting on tax reform; this past week’s meeting focused on energy policy.  While no details of the discussion have been released, the Committee put out an options paper outlining measures it could potentially consider.  The same day, several senators circulated a discussion draft of a bill on nuclear waste management.  Off the Hill, the IRS released, as anticipated, updated guidance on Thursday on the definition of under construction for the production and investment tax credits.  Additional information on all of these issues has been attached.In addition, Congress has moved forward on a few issues while stalling on others.  … [Read more...] about Energy and Environmental Law Update April 29, 2013

ENERGY AND CLIMATE DEBATEThe House and Senate have a full schedule between now and Memorial Day, with oversight of any Iran nuclear deal, a unified budget blueprint, the annual defense authorization, and spending bills dominating this week’s agenda. Committees in both chambers have several energy and environment hearings on the docket, including the Quadrennial Energy Review, energy and water appropriations, Environmental Protection Agency regulatory delay, energy efficiency, fracking, ozone standards, and battery storage.Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is leading the effort to address energy tax extenders by reinstating and extending a handful of expired clean energy tax credit, including potentially incorporating them into a broad energy bill she and Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are discussing and even trading papers about. Her staff is discussing how to build on what then-Senator Max Baucus proposed last Congress on an … [Read more...] about Energy & Environment Update April 27, 2015

Wednesday's Chinese tariff announcement brought strong responses from agricultural groups and elected representatives.American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall — “Farmers and ranchers are, by necessity, patient and optimistic. We know markets ebb and flow. But China’s threatened retaliation against last night’s U.S. tariff proposal is testing both the patience and optimism of families who are facing the worst agricultural economy in 16 years. This has to stop."Farmers and ranchers "cannot afford to lose any market, much less one as important as China’s. We urge the United States and China to return to negotiations and produce an agreement that serves the interests of the world’s two largest economies.” Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau -- “ Despite (our) warnings, this Administration moved forward. Over the course of the last three days those actions have led to China enacting retaliatory tariffs … [Read more...] about China tariffs prompt strong reaction from Midlanders: ‘This has to stop’

Nebraska farmers and ranchers offered an earful to a visiting Trump administration agriculture official Wednesday, the same day that China announced that it plans to impose tariffs on a host of items including soybeans, corn and beef.Ted McKinney, undersecretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, said he understands concerns about tariffs coming at a time when many farmers are struggling with low commodity prices. And he asked people for patience, saying U.S. Department of Agriculture officials are working to ensure that farmers will be protected in the escalating trade conflict with China.“I’m not talking about 20 years of patience, I’m just saying see how this goes and see what we can do,” he said. McKinney read a statement that President Donald Trump sent to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue the previous evening: “Sonny, you can assure your farmers out there that we’re not going to allow them to be the casualties if this … [Read more...] about USDA official, lawmakers hear from Nebraskans as U.S.-China trade moves escalate

Danielle Paquette, The Washington Post Published 1:11 pm, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Chinese tariffs could threaten business in thousands of U.S. counties that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, shrinking sales for soybean farmers and pork producers. But 15 of the 20 counties with the most jobs at risk supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to a new analysis from the Brookings Institution. Blue states such as Washington and California, cradles of aerospace and wine production, stand to lose access to one of the world's fastest-growing markets if the trade war between the United States and China escalates, said economist Mark Muro, who co-authored the report. The Asian giant could slap tariffs on 234 American products, including airplanes and plastics, in response to American levies on roughly 1,300 Chinese goods. Such actions could jeopardize up to 2.1 million jobs, Muro said. "High-tech and low-tech, industrial and agricultural, commodity and … [Read more...] about Planes, plastics and wine: Trump’s trade war could hit Democrats where it hurts