Biden chooses Power for USAID: President-elect Joe Biden selected Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama years, as his nominee for administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. (Biden Transition)
Less habitat for spotted owl: The Trump administration removed 3.4 million acres in western Oregon from protection as critical habitat for the northern spotted owl, a step one environmentalist said was “perhaps the nail in the coffin” for the dwindling owl species. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
USDA funds projects against feral pigs: Fourteen projects in eight states, from North Carolina to Hawaii, will share $11.65 million in an effort to trap and control feral swine. (Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Food boxes buoy food banks: U.S. food banks face a difficult 2021, but the revival of the USDA’s food box giveaway program has allayed fears of a sudden shortage of supplies, say leaders. (Food Bank News)
Industry expects more RFS waivers: With a week left in office, the Trump administration is likely to approve two-thirds of the pending requests from oil refineries for exemptions from the ethanol mandate for 2019 sales. (Reuters)