TSCRA government affairs staff attended ranch gatherings in Buffalo and Beaumont this week to update attendees on the latest federal and state issues. TSCRA’s pursuit of eminent domain reform continues to be the top priority for the 2019 Texas Legislative Session.
Also, on the eminent domain front, TSCRA hosted a public meeting on Monday in Turnersville for landowners impacted by a new pipeline planned by Magellan Midstream. The line is expected to stretch more than 130 miles from Robertson to Erath counties and will move refined petroleum products from Gulf Coast refineries to markets other parts of the state. For more landowner resources on eminent domain, visit www.TexansforPropertyRights.com.
TSCRA also submitted comments to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) on a rule they proposed that would add TDA and an additional layer of bureaucratic oversight to the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program. There is still time to submit your own comments, so please weigh in against this additional regulation if you have not already. More details, including suggested comments, are at tscra.org/your-comments-needed-by-Friday!
In Washington, it is being reported that negotiators from the House and Senate have come to a tentative agreement on the 2018 Farm Bill. The legislation must still be reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office, who will issue a budgetary analysis, but the news revives some hope that a bill can be passed before the end of the year.
Friday, leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada signed the NAFTA 2.0 trade agreement, known officially as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The signing is an important step, but the agreement still needs the approval of Congress.