It has been another busy week as lawmakers and government agencies scramble to wrap up 2018.

In Washington, the biggest news of the week for agriculture came Thursday when President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill. As reported last week, the bill includes several provisions that were priorities for cattle producers. USDA will now begin the process of implementing those provisions.

TSCRA, this week, submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The act is better known for its application to Superfund toxic waste sites, but court rulings earlier this year could have required it to apply to cattle operations. TSCRA comments emphasized the need to remove burdensome regulations concerning the amount of methane gas released from cattle. You can read the full comments here.

Comments were also submitted to USDA on regulatory oversight of lab-grown meat. In the comments, TSCRA strongly advocates that USDA have primary jurisdiction over lab-grown meat to ensure It is safe, accurately labeled and consistent with current meat food product regulation. You can read the full comments here.

On Monday, TSCRA government affairs staff testified at a Texas Department of Agriculture hearing. The agency previously proposed a very broad rule that would allow them to regulate the spray boxes used to combat Cattle Fever Ticks. TSCRA strongly opposed the rule as duplicative and unnecessary.

TSCRA government affairs staff also attended a meeting of a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) water rights advisory workgroup and hosted members of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to discuss ways to improve water resources by combating brush.