More than a quarter-million retailers accept SNAP, but one bill could change that.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to give participants increased access to healthy foods. However, the changes aren’t friendly to retailers.
The proposal would require retailers to stock seven varieties of qualifying food in four staple food groups—fruits and vegetables; breads and cereals; meats, poultry and fish; and dairy—and include fresh options for at least three of those categories. Retailers now must stock three varieties of each group.
In all, under the new rules, stores would have to stock at least 168 qualified food items.
How much is clean air worth to you?
Utah Senate Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund is offering a huge incentive for oil refineries to upgrade to cleaner Tier 3 fuels, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Okerlund is the sponsor of Senate Bill 102, which would give tax credits of 50% of the upgrade costs for refineries that make the conversion before 2020. The credit decreases if conversions are made after 2020.
“In a lot of cases, these are huge investments to the tune of $100 million or more,” he said.
And Lee Peacock, president of the Utah Petroleum Association, told the newspaper he hopes the incentive will attract capital dollars to Utah, a state where “oil and gas drilling has almost come to a complete halt.”
Democrats look to hold automakers responsible after VW emissions scandal.
Legislation fi led by four Democrats would allow the Department of Transportation to penalize auto companies that violate emission requirements in the Clean Air Act, political website The Hill reports.
The measure, known as the Compensating Losses to the Environment from Automobiles with Noxious Undisclosed Pollution (CLEANUP) Act, would block companies that cheat on auto-emission standards from receiving the fuel-efficiency credits that are being offered by the federal government as part of a mandate that cars achieve 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
“It’s a simple principle: Polluters should pay for and should never be allowed to profit from the pollution they produce,” Sen. Ed Markey (Massachusetts) said in a release. Markey filed the bill alongside Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Reps. Bobby Rush (Illinois) and Frank Pallone Jr. (New Jersey).
Indicators
- Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., has proposed the Gas Pump Access Act, which would require all self-service stations to place their phone number on each gas pump to allow disabled drivers to call for assistance. The bill is based on a 2014 Florida law, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 1 —Number of congressmen to go viral for vaping during a Capitol Hill hearing. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., puffed in protest of a proposal to ban electronic cigarettes on planes. The ban was ultimately approved.
- 600 —Amount of bills on energy efficiency legislatures considered in 2015, with 38 states and Washington, D.C., enacting more than 90 bills, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.