EPA denies RFS waivers: Winning cheers from the ethanol industry, the EPA rejected 26 requests by small oil refineries for hardship exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard requirement to mix ethanol into gasoline or credits called known as RINs to make up for shortfalls. (Transport Topics)
White House farm session: Agricultural representatives at a White House listening session “expressed their support for bipartisan legislation to further promote competition in the food chain,” said an administration summary of the meeting. (White House)
Bill examines nutrition security: A Senate bill would require USDA to report on what foods are purchased by SNAP recipients, a murky area at present, and diet quality — information that would be useful to know but also could be used to ban soda or candy. (Food Fix)
Aspartame here to stay: “Big Food just can’t quit aspartame and analysts don’t expect it to,” despite the International Agency for Research on Cancer ruling that the artificial sweetener is “possibly carcinogenic” to humans. (New York Times)
Scrutinize adversaries’ land purchases: A bipartisan House bill would authorize a powerful federal committee to consider U.S. food security when reviewing proposals for foreign investment in the United States and give the committee jurisdiction over many land purchases by foreign adversary entities. (House Select Committee on the CCP)