Bill Huffman
Director - Government Relations

The Friday Report

July 2, 2009

Congress is on its July 4th Holiday and return Monday, July 6th. 

Minnesota Senate Controversy Finally Settled

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled this week that former comedian Al Franken should be seated as U.S. Senator following a bruising legal battle over the election in that state last November. Franken, a Democrat, ultimately defeated former Republican Senator Norm Coleman by just 312 votes. After the ruling, Coleman conceded the election.  Franken is expected to be seated sometime within the next ten days.

With this decision, the Democrats now control 58 seats in the Senate and with the two independent Senators Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman, who caucus with the Democrats, that will give them 60 seats, the necessary number to end filibusters should that be necessary. Two Democrats have been absent from the Senate for a considerable period of time because of health reasons.  Senator Edward Kennedy is battling brain cancer and Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia has been hospitalized for nearly 6-weeks and just this week was allowed to go home for recuperation from his illnesses.

It is interesting that the national media has been focused on the magic “60” number for control of the U.S. Senate.  While that is the magic number, don’t count on the Democrats having a veto proof Senate, especially with the liberal agenda being advocated by the Obama Administration and the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives.  There are several rather conservative Democrats in the U.S. Senate and they don’t always vote the party line.

Health care reform, climate change, other environmental matters and new laws to regulate the banking and investment businesses are just a few of the controversial issues facing the Senate this year.  You can just bet that it will take masterful political leadership and compromise to get to that magic “60” votes on many, if not all, of these issues.

Federal EPA to Study Effects of Pesticides on Endangered Species in California

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it plans to study the impacts of 74 pesticides on eleven protected species found in the San Francisco/Bay Delta, and possibly restrict uses of those chemicals to settle an Endangered Species Act lawsuit filed in 2007 by the Center for Biological Diversity.

EPA said the study is part of a “proposed stipulated injunction” that the agency has negotiated with the complainant.

In a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register, EPA said the chemicals Atrazine, acrolein, carbaryl, carbofuran, diazinon, disulfoton, endsosultan, metam sodium, methyl bromide, naled, potassium nitrate, sodium, methyl bromide, trifulralin and zinc phosphide are among the pesticides EPA is proposing to evaluate over a five-year period.

EPA must also impose interim use restrictions for these chemicals in the area surrounding the species during the consultation period.

This proposed settlement sets a very dangerous precedence for those in irrigated agriculture possibly severely limiting the use of these chemicals from use. It also has the potential to reach into the Sacramento Valley affecting the rice industry and other important crops.

California Rice Acreage

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) this week released its mid-year report on planted acreage in California. NASS is estimating rice acreage at 562,000 acres, about 8 percent above a year ago. By class, NASS forecasts medium grain acreage at 515,000 acres, long grain at 7,000 acres and short grain (all types) at 40,000 acres.

Nationally, NASS reports that total U.S. rice acreage is forecast at 3.0 million acres, one percent above last year.  Total U.S. medium grain acreage is forecast at 727,000 acres.

Most California experts concur that the forecast medium grain acreage for California is close to what the actual planted acreage is for the 2009 crop.

FRC Office to Close for the July 4th Holiday

The FRC office will close at 2:00 p.m. today and will be closed on Friday, July 3rd for the 4th of July holiday, which falls on Saturday.

We wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday!