On March 20th, WG President and CEO Dave Puglia issued a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom requesting a formal pause on new regulations impacting the state’s agriculture industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the letter, Puglia requests that Governor Newsom initiate a formal pause “for all open public comment periods concerning both active rulemakings and non-rulemaking (e.g., informal stakeholder) processes that affect agriculture.”
Puglia reasons that with California’s agriculture sector solely focused on providing food to the American people during the national crisis, the industry is unable to fully participate and provide meaningful input into the regulatory process.
The letter notes that state agencies like CARB and the regional water boards are “continuing to advance complex new regulatory processes unrelated to the national emergency,” concluding that this is “simply not the time to add to the intense burdens farmers are facing.”
WG is now engaged in discussions with key regulatory agencies on this matter. Additionally, many of our industry partners have helped create additional pressure on the Administration, and we joined them in issuing a follow-up letter today. Watch Spotlight for updates.
Click here to read the full letter.