Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

06.09.23

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and 27 colleagues urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the public comment period for the EPA’s latest set of proposed power plant regulations which will force the closure of coal- and gas-fired power plants. 

The senators expressed concerns over the limited opportunities the EPA has provided for public input, especially given the sweeping nature and wide-ranging impact of the proposals. 

“Through the currently announced rulemaking process, the EPA has provided minimal opportunity for public input,” wrote the senators. “The Agency’s decision to limit severely opportunities for public input in comparison to past rulemakings is especially troubling because the Clean Power Plan 2.0 is a much broader effort with more expansive effects.”

“The American people and the communities we represent must have adequate time to review, reflect, and comment on the proposal and its far-reaching impacts,” continued the senators. 

Cassidy and Capito were join in signing the letter by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), JD Vance (R-OH), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).  

Read the full letter here or  below:

Dear Administrator Regan:

We write to express serious concerns with the limited opportunities for public engagement in the rulemaking process for the Clean Power Plan 2.0 announced by EPA in the Federal Register last month. In the proposal, the EPA announces new legal interpretations and presents sweeping claims about the future availability of technologies and infrastructure used to power our electric grid. As drafted, the proposal runs afoul of the statutory limits on the EPA’s authority under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act clearly articulated by the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA. And even if EPA did have authority to impose the generation-shifting that the EPA proposes, which it does not, the record that the Agency relies on to attempt to justify its “best system of emission reduction” determinations is speculative and unsubstantiated.  

Despite the breadth of the proposal and the novel legal and factual bases presented therein, the EPA has provided scant opportunity for public input. At a minimum, the EPA must extend the comment period by 60 days and create a more inclusive schedule of in-person public hearings in areas of the country that would be mostly directed impacted in order to comment fully on the proposal. 

Through the currently announced rulemaking process, the EPA has provided minimal opportunity for public input. In the most recent proposal, only one virtual public hearing was announced along with 60 days of public comment. The EPA’s engagement on the Clean Power Plan 2.0 contrasts starkly with past rulemakings of the power sector under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act.  For example, there have always been multiple public hearings associated with power sector regulations, and comment periods have been as long as 165 days for the proposed Section 111(d) rule in 2014 and 192 days on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan in 2018.  For the Affordable Clean Energy rule and associated repeal of the Clean Power Plan, EPA held a public hearing in Chicago, Illinois and in Charleston, West Virginia, respectively, along with public listening sessions in Kansas City, Missouri; Gillette, Wyoming; and San Francisco, California. Hearings should be similarly held in areas affected most significantly by this proposal. 

The Agency’s decision to limit severely opportunities for public input in comparison to past rulemakings is especially troubling because the Clean Power Plan 2.0 is a much broader effort with more expansive effects. It is actually five sets of regulations in one. In the Agency’s summary of the proposal, the EPA stated there are five distinct proposals included in this behemoth Federal Register notice: a repeal of the Affordable Clean Energy rule; two new proposed regulations under Clean Air Act Section 111(b) to cover new and modified power plants; and two distinct proposed regulations under Section 111(d) to cover existing power plants. Moreover, the direct costs and impacts far exceed those presented by the Agency. The EPA has attempted to attribute nearly all of the economic and transformative energy impacts of the proposal to the partisan, disastrous Inflation Act alone. The American people and the communities we represent must have adequate time to review, reflect, and comment on the proposal and its far-reaching impacts.   

Please respond to this request no later than June 30, 2023.

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Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

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Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

Bipartisan Bill Would Bolster Research and Development on Emerging Technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Drone and Cyber Capabilities

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Denver — Yesterday, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet urged U.S. Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken to direct resources to address application processing delays and the backlog of passport applications at the Colorado Passport Agency. 

“Over the past several months, my office in Colorado has received an uptick in outreach from constituents who experience difficulty obtaining passports,” wrote Bennet in the letter. “Since February, my office has corresponded and assisted with passports for over 1,500 constituents and their family members. In many instances, they have waited for hours on the phone before being able to speak to a liaison, or they have spent hours corresponding with multiple passport offices to receive information on a single case.”

In his letter, Bennet urges Blinken to take immediate action to meet the increased demand for passports, including by hiring additional personnel in Colorado. Though Bennet and his office are in regular communication with the Colorado Passport Agency, the volume of applications and demand for passports make clear the need for increased staffing to clear the backlog and deliver passports on time.

Coloradans in need of assistance navigating the passport renewal and application process or regarding upcoming travel are encouraged to contact Senator Bennet’s Denver office by phone at 303-455-7600 or through email at casework@bennet.senate.gov. 

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Blinken:

I write regarding the significant and increasing passport application process delays that Coloradans face and urge you to allocate additional resources to address the ongoing backlog.

Over the past several months, my office in Colorado has received an uptick in outreach from constituents who experience difficulty obtaining passports. Since February, my office has corresponded and assisted with passports for over 1,500 constituents and their family members. In many instances, they have waited for hours on the phone before being able to speak to a liaison, or they have spent hours corresponding with multiple passport offices to receive information on a single case. 

The passport agency in Aurora, Colorado has been working industriously to process applications and clear through this backlog. However, due to the sheer volume of requests for passport assistance that my office has received, I request additional staffing capacity to resolve the issue. 

To that end, I urge you to quickly avail the Department of State of all its current authorities and budget to hire additional personnel for the Colorado Passport Agency. Thank you for your attention to this important issue; I look forward to working with you to resolve it.

Sincerely,

Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,599,645 in federal funding through the Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence program to address teacher shortages by supporting Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) RTR teacher residency program. The funding will be used to recruit and support more teacher candidates from diverse backgrounds and provide them with the skills they need to teach in high-need schools. It will provide training and development through the Virginia Adult Literacy Resource Center (VALRC) and Multilingual Ambassador Program (MAP) to prepare teachers to support bilingual and multilingual students and provide a pathway for bilingual and multilingual adults to become teachers. The program will also offer professional development and an alumni network to retain a diverse teaching workforce. The RTR program partners with Richmond, Petersburg, Chesterfield County, and Henrico County public schools.

“As Virginia and our nation face educator shortages, it’s critical that we’re recruiting more Americans to fill these roles and providing them with the skills they need to help our students succeed,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding will help address teacher shortages and increase diversity in the teacher workforce to better meet students’ needs, especially in such a diverse community like Central Virginia.” 

The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence (Hawkins) program, which supports the establishment of centers of excellence at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) with a state-accredited teacher preparation program to help increase the number of well-prepared teachers, including teachers of color. VCU was designated an AANAPISI in 2022. The majority of students in our nation’s public schools are students of color, but the teaching workforce is only comprised of 20 percent teachers of color. 

Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to address the teacher shortage and expand diversity in the field. Kaine has introduced the PREP Act, which would address teacher and principal shortages, particularly in rural communities, and increase teacher diversity. Kaine also introduced the DIVERSIFY Act, which would strengthen the Teacher Education Assistance for College and High Education (TEACH) grant program, helping attract more teachers to the field and expand teacher diversity. Kaine has also introduced legislation to address educator shortages and increase children’s access to a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce by strengthening the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, alongside U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), introduced the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (FEED) Act of 2023. This bipartisan legislation would establish a new pathway at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve novel feed additives that increase livestock efficiency and production while reducing enteric methane emissions. 

“While producers in Europe and South America are using innovative feed additives to stay competitive, bureaucratic red tape has left America’s cattlemen and dairy farmers without any options. We need to create a level playing field for Colorado’s livestock industry by giving them every available tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sustainability of their farms and ranches, while ensuring health and safety,” said Bennet. 

“The agricultural industry sets the gold standard when it comes to livestock production,” Marshall said. “My producers at home continue to want to make more with less and leave the world safer, cleaner, and healthier than they found it. Since the feed industry doesn’t have a pathway to bring certain feed products to market, innovation that could be happening here is instead happening with our competitors abroad. I thank Senators Baldwin, Moran, and Bennet for working with me to develop a bipartisan solution that will bring new products to America’s ranchers.” 

“It’s critical that our farmers across the nation have the tools they are looking for to cut emissions, achieve their climate goals, and keep our nation fed,” said Baldwin. “We know that there are innovative feed products that can help farmers reduce their environmental impact, but onerous bureaucratic processes are getting in the way of these products making it to our agriculture community in a timely way. Our bipartisan legislation will help our farmers access the innovative products they need to reach their climate goals, compete on the world stage with producers who already have these food additive tools, and support our rural economies.”

“This legislation will help bolster the animal feed industry and make certain producers in Kansas and across the country have access to feed additives that will support animal nutrition,” said Moran. “By expanding research and reducing bureaucratic hurdles at the FDA, more of these products will be available to farmers, encouraging a stronger food supply chain.”

American farmers and ranchers rely on feed additives to improve the quality and efficiency of meat and dairy. But while global competitors have worked to update their policies to bring new safe and effective additives to market, outdated and one-size-fits-all processes at the FDA hinder their advancement and use by American producers. Last year, the agency held a virtual listening session on how to modernize its policies to make way for innovative feed additives. 

Building on this effort, the Innovative FEED Act would modernize the approval process by establishing a new pathway for manufacturers to receive approval for feed additives that improve efficiency in meat and dairy production while also reducing byproducts. The legislation also establishes strict guardrails to ensure only qualifying products are eligible for this pathway while also ensuring products are safe to use. 

Statements of Support

“The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) commends Senators Marshall, Baldwin, Moran, and Bennet for introducing the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (FEED) Act, which will modernize the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to enable innovative products to reach the market and advance improvements in food safety. We strongly endorse this bill that would promote the availability of animal food products with novel benefits, such as improving the environment and reducing human foodborne illness,” said David Fairfield, Senior Vice President, NGFA.

“Our industry is bringing forward innovative animal food solutions to benefit animal health, human food safety and the environment, and now, thanks to the leadership of several Senate leaders, we have the legislative solution needed to provide a modernized regulatory pathway to meet marketplace demands. We fully support the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act, and hope Congress will quickly approve this bill, giving our farmers and ranchers the tools they need and putting our international counterparts on notice that we are fully equipped to compete in the future,” said American Feed Industry Association President and CEO, Constance Cullman.

“We commend Senators Roger Marshall, Tammy Baldwin, Jerry Moran, and Michael Bennet for their bipartisan Innovative FEED Act of 2023 to modernize the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory framework for approving animal feed ingredients. U.S. dairy farmers benefit from access to safe and effective feed additives as they continue to innovate on multiple fronts, including bolstering their ongoing voluntary, producer-led sustainability efforts. The bipartisan initiative led by Senators Marshall, Baldwin, Moran, and Bennet will help them do just that, and we look forward to working with them to enact their bill into law,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation.

“On behalf of America’s farmer co-ops and their member-owners, I would like to thank Senators Marshall, Baldwin, Bennet, and Moran for their leadership in introducing the Innovative FEED Act today. This bill will modernize the animal feed regulatory structure to help bring innovative new feed additives to market that can reduce methane emissions from livestock and help address the pressing issue of climate change. This will help get new products into the hands of producers and bring certainty to companies looking to invest in this sector,” said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.  

The text of the bill is available HERE.

Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto