Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
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Our website shares articles on agricultural law. Penn State Law research and outreach activities with a specific focus on those issues of importance in Pennsylvania. Through its programs, the Center serves a wide variety of stakeholders including agricultural producers, landowners, and more.
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1d ago
National Energy Policy: USDA Funds Clean Energy Projects for PA Farmers and Rural BusinessesOn March 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will be investing $5.69 million in 31 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across 12 Pennsylvania counties. This investment is part of the March announcement of $120 million in Inflation Reduction Funds being allocated across 44 states through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The USDA stated that selected REAP projects help farmers and rural business owners “lower energy costs, generate new income and create ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1d ago
Ag-Gag Statutes: Kentucky Legislature Passes ‘Agricultural Key Infrastructure Asset Trespass Law,’ Overrides Governor VetoOn April 12, 2024, the Kentucky legislature overrode the governor’s veto to pass into law Senate Bill 16, titled “An Act Relating to Agricultural Key Infrastructure Assets” (with votes totaling 32-6 in the House and 71-26 in the Senate). The law adds three types of facilities to the definition of “key infrastructure assets”—(1) “a commercial food manufacturing or processing facility,” (2) “an animal feeding operation,” and (3) “a concentrated animal feeding operation”—and e ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1w ago
Conservation Programs: Fish and Wildlife Service Publishes Three Endangered Species Act Final Rules On April 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published in the Federal Register three final rules revising regulations for “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.” The first rule, “Listing Endangered and Threatened Species and Designating Critical Habitat” (89 FR 24300), amends the “procedures and criteria used for listing, reclassifying, and delisting species” and specifies that endangered and threatened species determinations shall be mad ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1w ago
Federal Lands: Interior Department Finalizes BLM Rule to Reduce Natural Gas Waste from Oil & Gas Production on Federal and Tribal Lands On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, the Department of the Interior published a final rule to the Federal Register that was originally proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on November 30, 2022. The objective of the new rule is “to reduce the waste of natural gas from venting, flaring, and leaks during oil and gas production activities on Federal and Indian leases.” Additionally, the rule will provide royalty payments to public and Indian mineral owners ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
2w ago
Air Quality: SEC Publishes ‘Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors’ Final Rule On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published in the Federal Register a final rule (89 FR 21668) that will require U.S.-listed public companies “to provide certain climate-related information in their registration statements and annual reports.” Also announced by SEC, the rule will require companies to provide “information about a registrant’s climate-related risks that have materially impacted, or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on, its business strategy, results ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
2w ago
Wildlife Habitat: Bureau of Land Management Proposes Changes to Sage-Grouse Conservation and Management On March 14, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced it was proposing to “strengthen greater sage-grouse conservation and management on public lands,” which spans across eleven western states, including California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. BLM subsequently published a Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for Greater Sage-Grouse Rangewide ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
3w ago
Food Labeling: USDA Publishes Final ‘Product of USA’ Rule for Meat, Poultry, and Eggs On March 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule (89 FR 19470) amending 9 C.F.R. §§ 317, 381, and 412 to “generically approve” the “voluntary ‘Product of USA’ or ‘Made in the USA’ label claim[s] . . . [for] use[] on meat, poultry and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States” (emphasis added). Also announced by USDA, the rule additionall ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1M ago
GHG Emissions: SEC Adopts New Climate Risk and Emissions Disclosure Rule On March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a new rule which will require publicly traded companies to disclose to potential investors their climate risks and levels of greenhouse gas emissions. These companies must report all climate risks that have had or will have a material impact on their business in some way, including financial condition, operations, and outlook. Companies will also be required to identify any mitigation or adaptation activities they have adopted to counteract the climate ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1M ago
Just Published—Brook Duer, EPA Made 2023 Commitment to CAFO Permitting Reform but No Action Evident to Date, Southern Ag Today (March 15, 2024)
Agribusiness: Federal District Court Finds Corporate Transparency Act Unconstitutional, United States Appeals to Eleventh CircuitOn March 1, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama issued an opinion finding the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) unconstitutional and an order enjoining the federal government from enforcing the CTA against the National Small Business Association and its members. National Small Business United v ..read more
Penn State Center For Agricultural And Shale Law
1M ago
Pipelines: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Publishes Updated Safety Standards for Intrastate HVL Transport On February 22, 2024, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) published a Final Form Rulemaking Order (FFRO) to establish state specific safety standards for the intrastate transport of highly volatile liquids (HVLs) by public utilities. The FFRO amends the standards currently outlined in 52 Pa. Code §§ 59.1—59.111. Among the updated safety standards are revamped processes for reporting accidents and notification the PUC and community members of construction. The FFR ..read more