Ag Council Members Among the Food Production Investment Program Grant Awardees
Ag Council advocated for the creation of the matching grant program and this is the inaugural round of awards
The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently announced over $26 million in matching grants to successful applicants of the Food Production Investment Program (FPIP), which is a competitive state grant program funding emerging energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) at food production facilities.
Ag Council congratulates our members who are among those receiving a “Notice of Proposed Award” from CEC in the inaugural round of FPIP grant funding announced on November 9. Ag Council’s members notified of proposed CEC matching grants are: Land O’Lakes, Pacific Coast Producers and Sun-Maid Growers.
Ag Council and others in agriculture created FPIP during cap and trade negotiations in 2017 as a needed grant to help food production facilities take GHG reductions to the next level and improve air quality to benefit priority populations in California.
Funding under the program must be matched by awardees. In addition, funds are contingent upon verification of the commercial status of technologies and upon formal approval by the Energy Commission at a forthcoming meeting.
About $30 million remains available under FPIP in the coming months, and we encourage members to consider applying in the next round. Once CEC begins accepting applications for the next round of grants, which is anticipated soon, it will post the grant solicitation HERE.
Please contact Ag Council if you have any questions about FPIP.
Click HERE to read more about the successful grant projects announced this month.
Dept. of Pesticide Regulation Releases Interim Recommendations to further Restrict Chlorpyrifos Use
On November 15, the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced interim use restrictions on chlorpyrifos to “provide increased protections from potential exposure” while DPR and multiple state agencies continue regulatory work to formally list chlorpyrifos as a toxic air contaminant and finalize permanent restrictions on chlorpyrifos use.
Extensive scientific data does not support this action on chlorpyrifos, including over 4,000 studies rigorously examining the pesticide for its impact on health, safety and the environment. Nearly 80 countries authorize the use of chlorpyrifos, and farmers continue to rely upon it as a crucial crop protection tool.
Ag Council does not agree with the interim recommendations given that the breadth of scientific data does not support this decision. However, county ag commissioners will be implementing the restrictions beginning January 1, 2019, and they must be followed.
In a statement released by DPR, Director Brian Leahy said, “DPR has been working with growers for years to find alternatives to this pesticide while also taking action to curtail its use through the regulatory process. These interim measures represent a significant step in our ongoing effort to protect human health and the environment.”
DPR’s statement explains the interim measures, such as:
- Banning all aerial applications of chlorpyrifos.
- Discontinuing chlorpyrifos use on most crops and restricting it to “critical uses” on crops where few–if any—alternative pesticides exist, as determined by the University of California Cooperative Extension.
- Requiring a quarter-mile buffer zone during allowed applications and for 24 hours afterward.
- Mandating a 150-foot setback from houses, businesses, schools and other sensitive sites at all times, regardless of whether the site is occupied at the time of application.
As background, DPR designated chlorpyrifos as a restricted use material in 2015, thereby limiting the individuals who can apply the pesticide to trained licensed professionals permitted through a county ag commissioner. In 2017, California listed chlorpyrifos under Prop 65 as a chemical known to cause reproductive harm.
To read the detailed interim recommended permit conditions for chlorpyrifos on DPR’s website, click HERE.