The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will unveil a proposal to speed state-level permitting decisions for energy infrastructure projects soon, the agency’s chief told Reuters, blasting states that have blocked coal terminals and gas pipelines on environmental grounds. [node:read-more:link]

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Thursday signed into law a 100% renewable energy mandate that the hurricane-battered island must meet by 2050. The Public Energy Policy Law of Puerto Rico, passed last month by territory legislators, directs the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to source 40% of its power from renewables by 2025 and cease burning coal in 2028 on its way to 100% renewables. The signing comes days after a Department of Energy official recommended the installation of a large gas generator in San Juan, but admitted it "may be at odds" with the 100% goal. [node:read-more:link]

Washington's House of Representatives on Thursday approved a 100% clean energy bill, following Senate approval on March 1, making it the fourth state in the country to commit to such a goal. Senate Bill 5116 passed the House 56-42, and will require the state to power 100% of its electricity from carbon-free resources by 2045. The legislation phases out coal entirely by 2025 and requires all electricity sales to be carbon-neutral by 2030.The bill was amended in the House so will still ​need to be reconciled in the Senate. Then, the bill will move on to Gov. [node:read-more:link]

Indiana lawmakers on Thursday defeated a controversial power plant moratorium aimed at preserving in-state coal generators, but the language could resurface later in the legislative session. State lawmakers voted 53-38 to remove Amendment 7 from Senate Bill 472. The amendment would have halted utility purchases or construction of generation assets 250 MW or larger until 2021. Debate over the generation moratorium corresponded with a lobbying campaign by out-of-state coal interests that supply fuel to Indiana generators. [node:read-more:link]

The survival of thousands of smaller dairy farmers rides on the success of the latest program designed to save them as dairy farmers right now continue going out of business at a rapid clip.Struggling dairy farmers and their bankers are being told to just hold on until this summer when USDA will finally be ready to sign up dairy producers for the Dairy Margin Coverage program.“This program isn’t perfect, but it’s the best thing that we’ve had in dairy in a long time,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn. [node:read-more:link]

Approximately 2.4 billion people live in water-scarce regions. Driven by population growth, rising consumption, urbanization, and energy needs, demand for water continues to increase. According to a new report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a combination of careful management strategies, technological innovations, investments, and policies are imperative to address the challenges of water scarcity.  [node:read-more:link]

New permitting requirements for Oregon’s confined animal feeding operations have failed to gain enough support on a key legislative committee to move forward this year. [node:read-more:link]

The total number of farms in 2017 is 2.04 million that’s down from 2.12 million farms in 2012. There continues to be more large and small operations, with fewer middle-sized farms. Farms with 2,000 acres or more grew from 82,207 in 2012 to 85,127 in 2017. Additionally, farms with one to nine acres increased. In 2012, there were 223,634 farms in that category, and as of 2017 there are 273,325. Just 105,453 farms produced 75% of all sales in 2017, down from 119,908 in 2012. [node:read-more:link]

Just over a year ago, on March 1, 2018, President Trump announced that he was using existing authorities to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.  This was the first in a series of actions taken by the Administration on trade that included a significant conflict with China. [node:read-more:link]

Some dairy farmers are eyeing federal supply management as a way to stabilize the industry amid four years of low prices, but not everyone sees limiting production as a savior. We’ve got part two of our dairy policy deep dive. [node:read-more:link]