January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 1 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC) Conference Call to Approve Advice Letter on Draft EPA Biofuel Strategy

Meeting Minutes

January 14, 2009 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST

ROLL CALL

Members

Jim Andrew

Marion Bowlan Garth Boyd

Mike Brubaker

Chris Chinn Gary Cooper

Tom Franklin

Earl Garber Ralph Grossi

Karri Hammerstrom Non-Members (EPA) Christopher Ashcraft

Robin Dunkins Mark Joyce

Alicia Kaiser Sally Shaver Members of the Public

Noel Gurwick

Tom Hance Pat Hipple (USDA) Janet Kopenhaver

Paul Martin

Jess McCluer

Aaron Lovell

Anna Pavlova

David Perin Kathleen Logan Smith

Michele Laur

Tom McDonald Jim Moseley

Dave Nelson Dawn Riley Cliff Snyder

Jeff Vonk Jay Vroom

4:00 Jim Moseley welcomed th e Committee to conference call: Today we will review and approve the advice le tter on the Biofuel Strategy to the EPA. Jim

Andrew led this effort as the chair of th e Climate Change and Renewable Energy Workgroup, and I want to thank him, the workgroup, and the EP A staff for all of their hard work in drafting

this advice letter.

Jim Moseley conducted the above roll call and stat ed that we reached a quorum of the FRRCC Members. (We had a majority of the members n eeded to conduct the call). He then handed the

call-line over to Alicia Kaiser.

4:05 Alicia Kaiser provided the gr ound rules for the conference call: Alicia Kaiser covered the ground rules. Everyone received the agenda, an d Alicia went over the agenda.January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 2 4:10 Jim Andrew conducted an overview of the FRRCC Draft Recommendations on EPA’s Draft Biofuels Strategy: Jim Andrew described the letter’s origin, and discussed how the Climate Change & Renewable Energy Workgroup was charged by EPA to provide advice on the Agency’s draft Biofuel Strategy. The workgroup decided to do this in the form of an a dvice letter. The best way they saw to do this was to have the entire workgroup r ead over the entire Stra tegy and to render their comments back to the Workgroup. Otto Doering co llected all of these comments, which make up the appendix of the letter. This allowed for every one to give their comments with none being left out. The letter process was made as transparen t as possible, and everyone on the Workgroup was given the opportunity to submit input. The main b ody of the letter was an ov erview of all of the comments and of the EPA’s Biofuel Strategy. The entire Workgroup reached consensus on the advice letter and felt that it was ready for the entire Committee to review and approve.

Jim Andrew: Prior to our conference call today, I received a new comment from Karri

Hammerstrom and Dave Nelson.

Karri Hammerstrom: In further review of the letter and in an email discussion with Committee Member Dave Nelson, I would like to offer the following suggested edit s in regards to the paragraph in the le tter that starts, " The feedstock production disc ussion must consider the indirect economic impacts of food and feed costs, food and resource security, greenhouse gases, water quality and availability. This discussion s hould also cover the diffe ring direct and indirect impacts of a broad array of feedstocks ."

As we have learned in the California Low Car bon Fuel Standard (LCFS) process, quantifying indirect effects of any sort is nebulous at be st. And you have to know HOW to measure "indirect effect X" accurately and precisely before you can properly make judgments about the impacts of

the effect.

I would recommend that the first sentence be amended with the following addition:

" The feedstock production discussion must consider supporting the development and refinement of analytical tools to assess and quantify the indirect economic impacts of food and feed costs, food and resource security, greenhouse gases, wate r quality and availabili ty. This discussion should also cover the differi ng direct and indirect impacts of a broad array of feedstocks ."

With this amendment, I believe it allows for a mo re logical progression of analysis, rather than recommending that indirect effects be considered before it's determined how and what impacts are to be considered, thus putting the cart before the horse.

Jim Andrew: Asked if the Committee agreed with this amendment, and all present did agree.

Tom McDonald : Felt that any acronyms in the letter shoul d be spelled out the first time they are

used to avoid confusion. Jim Andrew. The Committee agreed and will make the change.

4:25 Public comments on FRRCC Draft R ecommendations on EPA’s Draft Biofuel Strategy

Paul Martin had some concern that the paragra ph Jim read above did not cover anything dealing

with air emissions.January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 3 No other members of the public had any comments

4:40 Discussion and Approval of FRRCC Draft Recommendation s on EPA’s Draft Biofuel Strategy provided by Jim Andrew

Jim Andrew asked if any of the Committee members felt that the above public comment should

be taken into account in the advice letter.

Ralph Grossi felt that it should be added in the paragr aph that was changed. He suggested that air and water quality be inserted there.

Jim Andrew asked if the Committee would like the first sentence in the second page to have the air and water quality language be added.

Cliff Snyder accepted the comment as well, but felt that it did not need to be noted since it is not specifically mentioned in the appendix. He did no t see anything in the strategy or advice letter mentioning air quality in th e original biofuel strategy.

Sally Shaver pointed out that the fifth bullet down in the appendix made a reference to air quality. Jim Andrew said this wa s true. Cliff Snyder agreed.

Jim Andrew asked if this new line was agreeable to the whole committee. Everyone in the Committee agreed with the public comment and agr eed to incorporate it into the advice letter.

The paragraph with the new changes incorpor ated from the public comment now read: “ The feedstock production discussion must consider supporting the development and refinement of analytical tools to assess and quantify the indirect economic impacts of fo od and feed costs, food and resource security, greenhouse gases, air qua lity, and water quality and availability. This discussion should also cover the differing dire ct and indirect impacts of a broad array of feedstocks. The strategy document and tables should also address the environmental issues surrounding crop residues, soil quality, soil carbon, and fe rtility implications where residue is harvested for cellulosic biofuel production.”

Jay Vroom pointed out that there was a typo on the appendix 5 th bullet down.

Jay Vroom said the last bullet in th e appendix on land use and in the main body dealing with land use is for state regulation and that there is no EPA authority to deal with this in the US. He

wanted to insert some words that the EPA does not have the authority to regulate this, but that they take it into account.

Jim Andrew responded to Jay Vroom’s comment on the la st bullet of the appendix and said he did not want to change it since it came from the members. Jay Vroom agreed and just wanted to make sure that the EPA did not have authority ov er this. He agreed to leave the language as it

was.

Jay Vroom said that on the second page of the letter at the bottom of the page it should read:

“The best science available must be employed in determini ng indirect land use issues.” and notJanuary 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 4 “ongoing” . Everyone in the Committee agreed and appr oved the change. Jim Andrew reread the

new sentence as amended.

Jim Andrew asked if there were any other Committee comments and there were none.

Jim Moseley now asked the Committee to approve the advice letter to the EPA: Jim Moseley felt that Jim Andrew did an outstan ding job, and wanted to know if the members of the Committee would agree with the finalizing of the advice letter.

Jim Moseley asked if any member of the Committee did not approve of the advice letter as

amended on the teleconference.

No members objected and the am ended advice letter was approved.

4:56 Adjourn.January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 5 Meeting Participants

Committee Chair :

James R. Moseley

Owner Jim Moseley Farms, Inc.

Members :

James O. Andrew

Owner Andrew Farms, Inc.

Marion Long Bowlan

Farmer Long-Bowlan Farms

Garth W. Boyd, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President

Camco Global

Senator Mike W. Brubaker

Senator Pennsylvania State Senate

Christine Chinn Manager Chinn Hog Farm

Gary A. Cooper

Owner Cooper Farms

Thomas M. Franklin

Senior Vice President Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Earl J. Garber

President

Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts

Ralph Grossi

President

American Farmland Trust

Karri M. Hammerstrom

Co-Owner

Hammertime Ranch Michele Laur National Atmospheric Resource Specialist

Natural Resource Conservation Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

Tom McDonald

Vice President for Environmental Affairs Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding

Dave Nelson

Chairman of the Board

Global Ethanol

Dawn R. Riley

Owner Dawn Riley Consulting

Cliff S. Snyder, Ph.D. Nitrogen Program Director

International Plant Nutrition Institute

Jeffrey R. Vonk Secretary South Dakota Department of Game, Fish,

and Parks

Jay Vroom

President CropLife AmericaJanuary 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 6 Designated Federal Officer :

Alicia Kaiser Special Assistant for Agricultural Policy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Christopher Ashcraft Junior Designated Federal Officer FRRCC U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA Participants :

Robin Dunkins U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mark Joyce U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Sally Shaver U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Members of the Public :

Noel Gurwick

Tom Hance Pat Hipple (USDA) Janet Kopenhaver

Paul Martin

Jess McCluer

Aaron Lovell

Anna Pavlova

David Perin Kathleen Logan SmithJanuary 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Commun ities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 7 These minutes are an accurate depiction of the matters discussed during this meeting.

James R. Moseley February 17, 2009

_________________________________________

James R. Moseley

Chair Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee

The Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee is a federal advisory committee chartered by Congress, operating under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C., App.2). The Committee provides advice to the Administrator of th e U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a broad range of environmental issues. The findings and recommendations of the Committee do not represent the views of the Agency, and this document does not represent information approved or disseminated by

EPA.