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Top Headlines
OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS IN FINAL WEEK:
State lawmakers entered the final week of the 2016 Oklahoma Legislature on Monday with a catalog of unfinished business. That includes measures to allow Oklahomans to openly carry guns without a license or background checks, a ballot measure to expand beer and wine sales, a proposal to raise teacher salaries, a $125 million bond issue to help repair Oklahoma’s nearly 100-year-old Capitol, and a possible attempt to override Gov. Mary Fallin’s veto of a bill that would essentially ban abortion in the state. [Journal Record]
ROTH: POLLINATORS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY:
Bees are critical to our food supply and our economy. According to the president’s Pollinator Health Task Force, honeybee pollination alone adds $15 billion to the value of U.S. crops each year. Bees pollinate a wide variety of crops, from corn to soybeans to apples to almonds. [Journal Record]
NEW DOCK EXPANDS PORT OF CATOOSA’S POTENTIAL:
The Tulsa Port of Catoosa, one of the region’s most valuable assets, continues to grow. Recently, a new dock was added, which ought to further enhance the port’s economic development. The new $11.7 million dock project contains 235,000 square feet of loading space, 6,000 feet of rail lines and a crane that can move more than 223 tons of cargo. [Tulsa World]
WH THREATENS TO VETO HOUSE ENERGY AND WATER SPENDING BILL:
The White House is threatening to veto an energy and water spending bill as it makes its way to the House floor ahead of the Memorial Day recess. The White House Office of Management and Budget said Monday there are several “highly problematic ideological provisions” in the $37.4 billion spending bill, as well as drastic cuts to clean energy spending that the administration opposes. [Washington Examiner]
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE APPROVES FY2017 AGRICULTURE BILL:
The Senate Committee on Appropriations recently approved a $147.7 billion appropriations bill to support federal agriculture and nutrition programs in FY2017. The FY2017 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill was favorably reported out of committee and is now available for consideration before the full Senate. [High Plains Journal]
FARM DRAINAGE: POINT OR NONPOINT SOURCE OF CONTENTION:
Iowa has the attention of the nation’s agricultural sector because of a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by the water supply entity for the city of Des Moines — Des Moines Water Works — challenging drainage from field tile lines as discharges under the federal Clean Water Act that require a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. [National Hog Farmer]
A NEW NON-GMO LABEL JOINS THE FRAY:
A Greener World—the folks behind the Animal Welfare Approved program, which certifies farms that adhere to strict codes for farm animal welfare, outdoor access, and sustainability—launched a new non-GMO certification program earlier this month called Certified Non-GE. [Modern Farmer]
GMOS: A SWEET DEBATE:
U.S. sugarbeet industry leaders question USDA’s decision last week to increase sugar cane imports due to “uncertainty” surrounding GMO labeling issues. Industry representatives note the imports were needed more to deal with growing complications with sugar imports from Mexico. [DTN]
