National policy adviser Sam Clovis says the Trump campaign is “looking very hard at putting a farmer or rancher in charge of the EPA.” Given the impact that federal regulations can have on the sector, Clovis said on the AgriTalk radio program, “we think this would be an appropriate issue for us.”
Clovis also said Trump supports the federal mandate to use biofuels, although he thinks a review of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) is needed. And a Trump administration would work with agriculture to avoid labor shortages while it enforces a centerpiece of the campaign — allowing no one in the country without permission.
“We are looking very hard at putting a farmer or rancher in charge of the EPA,” Clovis responded when asked about EPA and its Waters of the United States rule defining the upstream reach of clean water laws. “We think a farmer or rancher should be in there. That’s the first thing we would do.”
Trump would begin with a moratorium on new federal regulations, require a government-wide review of regulations issued in the last five years and order a 20-percent reduction in rules. As far as WOTUS, “They won’t have an impact on our ag community once Mr. Trump is elected,” he said.
The Trump transition team has “a huge corral of people” for consideration as cabinet appointees, said Clovis. He did not name any of them.
“We support the RFS. We think also the RFS ought to be reviewed to make sure it is reasonable,” said Clovis, after noting that second-generation biofuels are not coming onto the market in the volumes expected when the 2007 energy law was written. “We want to make sure we have the proper mix with the amount of RFS and production required and the amount of blend required, because we think that is critical as we go forward to make sure we support renewable fuels in our efforts here to have energy independence.”
On immigration, “We are going to enforce the law,” said Clovis. “We realize this is going to take time. We need to formulate a plan. Part of that operation will be to sit down with farmers and ranchers to make sure we do not impose rules or jump the gun on issues that will adversely affect them … People will have to be legal to work in this country, but we will work with them to create a temporary worker program … We’re not going to do anything that will cripple any industry.”
Trump took a sharper tone in a speech in Phoenix nearly a month ago, saying if he becomes president, anyone in the United States illegally would be subject to deportation and the sole path to citizenship would be “to return home and apply for re-entry.” Half or more of farmworkers are believed to be undocumented.
To listen to the AgriTalk interview with Sam Clovis, click here.