45Z GUIDANCE RELEASED: The Treasury Department is laying the groundwork for industry to claim the new clean fuel tax credit created under Democrats’ climate law — but key decisions will be left to the incoming Trump administration, which is expected to try to reverse many of President Joe Biden's green energy policies, our Kelsey Tamborrino writes. Treasury issued a notice of intent to propose regulations on Friday for the clean fuel production tax credit, known as 45Z, and a notice detailing the appropriate methodologies for determining the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of fuels. What’s next: The documents should provide industry with some interim certainty this year, but leaves final details on how the tax credit will be implemented to the incoming administration. The long-awaited guidance is a top priority for the biofuels industry and producers of crops used in sustainable aviation fuel. But ag industry representatives said they were let down that Treasury didn’t give more clarity for producers. Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, said it “falls short of expectations and remains incomplete.” “The guidance is a potential step in the right direction, but much work remains to be done before clean fuel producers, farmers, and consumers can fully benefit from the 45Z program,” Cooper said in a statement. LINE SPEEDS: USDA released two studies on the impact of increased line speeds on poultry and hog plant workers' safety. The studies confirmed workers' higher-than-average risks of musculoskeletal injuries. The studies found that faster line speeds did not necessarily increase workers' risk of injury, but indicated that poultry workers than handled more carcasses were at increased risk of injury. Forty percent of poultry and 42 percent of swine workers reported moderate to severe work-related pain in the last 12 months. Meatpacking workers already have higher than average rates of workplace injury, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Repetitive motions can cause painful carpal tunnel syndrome and workers are at high risk of cuts and scrapes as well. Workers are also exposed to toxic chemicals and work in cold environments to preserve the carcasses. “We call upon OSHA and the USDA in the incoming administration to make worker safety a priority, and mitigate risk at poultry plants to address the dangerous conditions outlined in the reports,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents poultry processing workers. “We need to mandate job modifications that reduce ergonomic stressors and additional staffing to decrease repetitive motion and work speed; increase workers’ access to early and adequate medical treatment; and create better tool-sharpening programs to reduce the impact of cutting jobs.” Background: The first Trump administration increased processing line speeds and several plants were granted waivers to continue operating at increased speeds during the Biden administration. Reactions: The meat industry welcomed the studies, immediately urging to make increased line speed pilots permanent. “Pork producers appreciate USDA’s thoughtful and thorough approach to maintaining increased packing capacity, giving us more opportunities to safely and more efficiently deliver our products to consumers,” said National Pork Producers Council President and Minnesota pork producer Lori Stevermer. “As expected, after more than three years of operating at increased line speeds, FSIS has confirmed that increased line speeds are not a leading factor in worker safety.” Congressional Republicans likewise praised the results. “The Biden-Harris administration needlessly created years of uncertainty throughout the duration of these studies, which deviated far beyond the original mission and attempted to villainize the pork and poultry industry, despite no findings of higher line speeds being a leading factor of increased risk to workers,” Boozman and Thompson wrote in a joint statement. “These studies confirm what we have known all along – U.S. meat and poultry companies have the highest worker safety standards in the world." FIRST IN MA: The National WIC Association, which represents state agencies that administer the nation’s top federal nutrition program for low-income moms and babies, urged the incoming administration to continue to fully fund WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. In a letter to Trump transition co-chairs Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick first shared with POLITICO, National WIC Association President Georgia Machell urged the administration to make permanent waivers that allowed WIC participants to register online and to buy food online, too. Machell also urges the administration to support the program’s newly-updated food packages.
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