EPA exempts milk from spill regulation; grant for WSU to study co-existence of switch grass and hybrid popular

EPA exempts milk from spill regulation; grant for WSU to study co-existence of switch grass and hybrid popular

Washington Ag Today April 13, 2011 The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it is exempting milk and milk product containers from the Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure rule. In a recent appearance before Congress EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson explained why the agency had to create an exemption.

Jackson: “This exemption needed to be finalized because the law passed by Congress was written broadly enough to cover milk containers. It was our work with the dairy industry that prompted EPA to develop an exemption and make sure the standards of the law are met in a common sense way.”

According to the EPA this permanent exemption will save the milk and dairy industries more than 140-million dollars a year.

Washington State University is one of the recipients of research grants announced yesterday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products. WSU will receive just over 953-thousand dollars to investigate the ability for switch grass and hybrid popular to co-exist and remain highly productive to achieve high bioenergy from each crop and each acre of production.

Tonight at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline to make a comment on the USDA’s proposal to eliminate potatoes from the School Breakfast program and restrict them in the School Lunch program. You can make a comment by going to

www.20potatoesaday.com

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.

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