Senate Republican and Democratic leaders have announced committee assignments for the 114th Congress.

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House Ag Committee Chairman Restructures Subcommittees

On December 12, 2014, in Congressional News, by Harrison Kircher

Incoming House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) announced this week that he has restructured the committee.

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New House Freshmen Have Ties to the Chicken Industry

On November 21, 2014, in Elections, by Harrison Kircher

The 114th Congress could have as many as 63 freshmen House members.  Of those 63 members, a dozen of them or one fifth of the freshmen class have strong connections to the chicken industry.

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said this week at the start of the National Clean Energy Summit that he is confident that the final 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard will be better for biofuels than what EPA had initially proposed last year.

According to Politico – when talking to reporters, Vilsack referred to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s remarks earlier this week indicating that the required blending volumes will rise, adding “Americans are indeed using more fuel than six, eight, nine, 12 months ago, and that’s obviously going to translate to additional opportunities in the RFS.”

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EPA Sends its Final 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard to OMB for Review

On August 22, 2014, in RFS, by Harrison Kircher

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has  sent the final Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for interagency review, an EPA spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters.

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On Tuesday, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)  held a Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) to discuss the safety issues of processed poultry and pet treats from China.  Senator Brown serves as CECC chairman and Rep. Smith as co-chair.   “Americans want to know where their foods come from and want to make sure that everything is being done to keep it safe,” Senator Brown said in his opening statement.

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The Obama administration’s pick for top agricultural trade negotiator, Darci Vetter said this week she would seek full tariff elimination for all goods in the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. “Our goal at the moment is to go line-by-line with those countries and those products to achieve the best and fullest market access,” Vetter said in testimony at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.

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