Representative Bill Thomas (R-CA) and Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), leaders of the conference committee on the fast track bill (also known as the trade promotion authority bill), have been burning the midnight oil lately putting finishing touches on their revised fast track bill. Since finishing at 3:30 am this morning, Thomas, President Bush, and lobbyists for multi-national corporations have been rounding up votes, despite the fact that at the time this Rural Updates! report was filed, the deal was not available in writing to House members. 

Provisions in this new conference report gut the Dayton-Craig provision, which required future trade deals to respect U.S. trade laws, such as those allowing the government and agricultural sectors to act against foreign government or multi-national dumping. The reworked fast track bill also opens the door for corporate abuse via the NAFTA Chapter 11/investor suit provision by eliminating Senate provisions stating that no foreign corporation shall have greater rights than U.S. citizens in trade deals. Under the Thomas/Baucus version foreign corporations enjoy greater procedural rights under trade deals than U.S. citizens. In addition, the revised fast track bill will weaken the ability of the U.S. to appeal a bad decision by an international trade panel.

Federal officials are soon expected to announce a rule for unprecedented air pollution regulation of large California farms. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to enforce regulations because state law has exempted farmers from air permit programs since the mid-1970s. "As soon as California removes the agricultural exemption from state law, the EPA will return the permitting authority to the state," said Jack Broadbent, air division director for EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. In related news the National Academy of Sciences has released on July 23rd a report that states catagorically that "ignoring air pollution generated by industrial farms and simply focusing regulatory efforts on controlling land application of manure will lead to poorer air quality, impair water quality and threaten public health."

While the federal government has rabidly opposed any discussion of legislation requiring labeling for bio-engineered foods - the citizens of Oregon seem very interested in such legislation. According to Crop Choice on-line, "a measure requiring the labeling of food and food additives containing genetically modified ingredients will appear on the November ballot in Oregon. Katelyn Lord, a key person in the effort, told the Associated Press: "Science gave us asbestos as a wonderful insulating material, but then we found out it gives you lung cancer. I don't know why we as consumers have to be involved in an experiment." Meanwhile, the agriculture and food industry has hired a Portland consulting firm in the first step of what is expected to be an all out effort to defeat the measure.

The Economic Research Service under the US Department of Agriculture has released a new report entitled "Community Food Security Assessment Tookit." According to the ERS this extensive publication "provides a toolkit of standardized measurement tools for assessing various aspects of community food security. " The well organized publication provides a general guide to community assessment and focused materials for examining six basic assessment components related to community food security. These include guides for profiling general community characteristics and community food resources as well as materials for assessing household food security, food resource accessibility, food availability and affordability, and community food production resources. Data collection tools include secondary data sources, focus group guides, and a food store survey instrument. The toolkit was developed through a collaborative process that was initiated at the community Food Security Assessment Conference sponsored by ERS in June 1999. It is designed for use by community- based nonprofit organizations and business groups, local government officials, private citizens, and community planners. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/efan02013/

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