Join us.

We’re working to create a just society and preserve a healthy environment for future generations. Donate today to help.

Donate

Blog

Showing 14 results

Laurie Ristino

General Counsel & Program Director

Laurie Ristino | July 23, 2018

2018 Farm Bill Has Huge Environmental Implications

Scott Pruitt's narcissistic reign as EPA Administrator consumed advocates' collective energies, and rightfully so. It was a drama that recently ended – not via Trump tweet, but by old-fashioned resignation. Alas, this victory's potential downside is that the new guy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, may be more effective at dismantling environmental protections than Pruitt was because Wheeler actually understands how bureaucracy works. Then, of course, came the orchestrated events surrounding Justice Kennedy's retirement and President Trump's pick to fill the vacancy, thrusting Brett Kavanaugh to center stage. Environmental protection (among other issues) seems imperiled as the Court is poised to take a hard "right" turn if Kavanaugh is confirmed.

Laurie Ristino | April 25, 2018

Recipe: Turning the House’s Lemon of a Farm Bill into Lemonade

Last week, the House Agriculture Committee passed a pock-marked, micro-legislated Farm Bill along strict party lines. It’s a shameful goody bag of legislative delights for a few that comes at the expense of the majority of the American people.  Some lowlights: The bill holds our hungriest Americans hostage by conditioning SNAP benefits (food stamps) on […]

Laurie Ristino | March 13, 2018

Kneecapping CERCLA Won’t Get Rid of Air Pollution from Ag

Who doesn’t want to breathe clean air? Unfortunately, a “bipartisan” bill now working its way through the Senate would undermine our ability to address a growing source of air pollution – livestock operations. The so-called Fair Agriculture Reporting Method Act (S. 2421), or the “FARM Act,” would amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability […]

Laurie Ristino | February 8, 2018

Is the Farm ‘Safety Net’ Safe?

This blog post is part of a series on the 2018 Farm Bill. Since the 1930s, Congress has tried to formulate an effective farm “safety net,” oscillating among different schemes in order to protect farmers from the severe economic impacts of the Depression and the Dust Bowl. What started as a New Deal emergency intervention has become […]

Laurie Ristino | January 17, 2018

Farm Bill 2018: Down Payment on an Effective Conservation Title

This blog post is the first in a forthcoming series on the 2018 Farm Bill. As Congress begins the complex task of crafting the next Farm Bill, much is at stake – from conservation to “food stamps” to rural economies. This blog post is the first in a series addressing important policy considerations with an […]