May 2017 Monthly Briefing

Diverse Western Interests Find Common Ground

Coalition reaches agreement on conservation, ESA platform

A recent letter signed on to by several Western agricultural and conservation groups demonstrates that constructive interests can find common ground on volatile issues like species conservation and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The Western Agricultural and Conservation Coalition (WACC), a group of farming, ranching, water and conservation organizations that has been working for nearly a decade on matters of common interest critical to agriculture and the environment, recently transmitted to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee a letter outlining the platform agreed to on ESA and species conservation. The ongoing effort by the Western Governors Association (WGA) Species Conservation and ESA Initiative is a process that has had some influence on this effort, and is a process that the WACC has previously expressed formal support for. The WACC has yet to take a position on any recommendations that have come out of the WGA effort.

Click here to read the May 2017 special conference edition of the "Monthly Briefing" and learn more about these and other issues of interest to Western farmers and ranchers who rely upon irrigation:

• Alliance Outlines Regulatory Concerns in Letter to EPA

• White House Releases FY 18 Budget—What it means for Western Ag

• House Passes Pesticide Exemption Legislation

• Confirmation Hearing Held for Important Interior Dep't Nominee

• Alliance Supports Water Rights Protection Act

• Politics Delay Senate Consideration of Storage Permitting Bill

• Alliance Supports Water and Tax Reform Bill

• Pruitt Moves to Curtail EPA use of “Sue and Settle”; GOP Pushes Bills

• Trump Administration Moves Forward with WOTUS Re-write - Alliance Preparing Recommendations

Please do not hesitate to send an email at dankeppen@charter.net if you have difficulties downloading the "Monthly Briefing".