Newsletter for January 14, 2022 |
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This Issue:
- Reminder Of Upcoming Interim Committee Meetings
- Please Weigh In On EPA Plans For Water Regulations
- Sustainable Transportation Funding Study Advisory Working Group Meets
- 2021 Nevada Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report - More Is Required To Meet Government’s Goals
- AFBF Annual Meeting Concludes In Atlanta With Policy Direction Given
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Reminder Of Upcoming Interim Committee Meetings |
Last week we had our first look at interim committee meeting schedules for January. During the 2021 Nevada Legislative Session a major change for the interim legislative process was passed into law and instead of a few regular legislative committees and a few assigned specific study projects, the new version will be a full slate of combined Assembly/Senate standing committees.
Several interim committees kicked off their meetings leading up to the 2023 Nevada Legislative Session this current week. The meeting schedule presented here are what we understand will be coming up in the near future.
January 21, 2022 – 9:30 a.m. – Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Assemblyman Howard Watts is the Chair for this committee. In reviewing the proposed agenda for the January 21st meeting, we see that there will also be a subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, a Public Lands Subcommittee will be formed and operating throughout 2022.
The summary statement on the Legislature’s website for the Public Lands Subcommittee shares, “Assembly Bill 443 (2021) replaced the Legislative Committee on Public Lands with the Subcommittee on Public Lands of the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources. The Subcommittee retained its duties as set forth in Nevada Revised Statutes 218E,500 through 218E.525. The Subcommittee holds meetings throughout Nevada during the interim period between sessions of the Legislature. Its purpose is to provide a forum for discussion of policies and issues related to land owned or controlled by the federal government (public lands), which in Nevada accounts for over 85 percent of the state. The Subcommittee monitors and makes recommendations for action and legislation on a wide range of public land issues, such as: conservation, environmental quality, federal land management policies, grazing, military bases, mining, recreation, water, wilderness, wildfires, and wildlife.”
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Please Weigh In On EPA Plans For Water Regulations |
Last week we share the launch of the Action Request campaign to weigh in on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plans to rewrite regulations on the Waters of the United States. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall highlighted this important project in his speech to Farm Bureau members who gathered in Atlanta, GA for the opening session of the 2022 AFBF Annual Meeting, Monday, January 10th.
The subject of proposed rule changes by EPA’s and the Army Corp of Engineers was also covered in a couple of information presentations by AFBF lobbyists working the issue. They drew attention to the changes proposed by the new rule:
- Greatly expands the scope of federal jurisdiction
- Rebalances the 101(A) and the 101 (B) objectives under the Clean Water Act
- Brings back the troubling “significant nexus” test
- Attacks and discredits virtually every aspect of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule
- Does not appear to recognize the costs and burdens of having a broader scope of federal jurisdiction
- Agencies involved in this have taken the position – “Primary estimate is that the proposed rule would have zero impact”
This summary of talking points from AFBF gives a good insight on the December 7th published rule proposal in the Federal Register Notice.
The political plan by the Biden Administration of throwing out the regulatory structure that the Trump Administration had started (the Navigable Waters Protection Rule) is underway with the EPA and Army Corp of Engineers going through the steps of coming up with their desired definition for what they think the federal government should be controlling.
It will be essential that Farm Bureau members literally flood the public comment system with input on what should be foundational concepts in whatever the federal government is going to try to do this time around. AFBF’s website offers a great tool to use in submitting comments for input on the rewrite of WOTUS. Please click on the “rewrite of WOTUS” link and be part of the effort to share your input!
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Sustainable Transportation Funding Study Advisory Working Group Meets |
The working group, which has been formed to prepare a report for possible legislative actions on a funding mix to address the possible $550 million unfunded need for Nevada roads/transit and transportation, held their fifth meeting on January 11th and for the first time got into the nuts and bolts of possible funding mechanisms. There were 24 items included on the initial list of possible funding options (which could be combined with any number of combinations). In spite of an intended plan to narrow the list down to a more prioritized group, only a couple of ideas were taken off the 24-list.
This matrix lays out the 25 possible identified options for increasing funding as well as the criteria used for evaluating the options for their respective merits/disadvantages. The matrix provided might be a challenge to read, because of the small print, but the linked document does provide for an ability to enlarge the document for improved readability.
Various fuel tax increases, ranging from a flat tax increase on gas or diesel to a variety of indexed add-ons to the flat tax increase, are being floated. There are also several concepts for increased license fees or vehicle-based connections for generating more funds. Simple distance-based taxes are on the table as are surcharges assessed for anything/everything delivered using roadways.
Electric vehicle tax proposals ranging from special taxes for registration to taxes on the electricity that electric vehicles consume are included as possible options. So as well are taxes for electric vehicle batteries.
Carbon taxes, taxes charged to employers for the use their employees make of roads to get to work and taxes that are connected to homes or land use are in the mix too.
The next two meetings for the working group will be the first two sessions where the entire group of 29 will be in a single location – March 8th in Las Vegas and April 12 in Carson City. Nevada Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Doug Busselman is one of the 29-member working group.
We hope that interested Farm Bureau members will consider the various options that are being contemplated for increasing funding and share their input and thoughts on what might be better ideas or definite concepts which should be avoided. Drop an email to doug@nvfb.org.
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2021 Nevada Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report –
More Is Required To Meet Government’s Goals
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The January 10th news release announcing the 2021 release of the Nevada Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report shared the message that Nevada is not on track to meet the Greenhouse Gas Emissions that Governor Sisolak and the Nevada Legislature have established as being Nevada’s share for reduction. These targets call for reductions:
- 28 percent reductions (from 2005 levels) by the year 2025
- 45 percent reductions (from 2005 levels) by the year 2030
- Zero or near zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by the year 2050
With the current policies and activities that Nevada government is pursuing, the levels that are documented in the Nevada 2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Projections Report our state is going to miss the desired marks by 6 percent for 2025 and 21 percent for 2030. (Whatever the percentages of reduction that the state is behind to be at zero or near zero for 2050 didn’t seem to be indicated...)
If there was something chilling in the report geared to deal with global warming, the statement in the Conclusion section of the Introduction to the report stated… “Heading into the 2023 Legislative Session, policymakers will need to make important policy and budget decisions necessary for Nevada to meet the SB 254 GHG reduction goals in 2025 and 2030, and beyond.”
Depending on the outcome to the 2022 election, those going to Carson City for the 2023 Legislative Session could be going with some serious intentions for what they believe should be done to bring about the results that they have decided Nevada citizens will need to be doing. Those intentions might be something candidates ought to be asked about before completing election ballots.
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AFBF Annual Meeting Concludes In Atlanta With Policy Direction Given |
Farm Bureau members who participate in the organization’s annual policy development process, starting at their county Farm Bureaus meetings, are responsible for setting the direction that their organization takes on identified issues. Voting delegates of the American Farm Bureau Federation, meeting in Atlanta, GA this week, finalized this year’s annual process by deliberating, debating and deciding Farm Bureau’s 2022 national policy.
President Bevan Lister and Vice President Darrell Pursel represented Nevada Farm Bureau as voting delegates in the AFBF annual meeting.
When the electronic publishing is completed and made available, the AFBF Policy Book will be posted to the Nevada Farm Bureau website for your review and reference. The 2022 Nevada Farm Bureau policy is already available at the website.
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