January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities 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 the Committee to conference call:

Today we will review and approve the advice letter on the Biofuel Strategy to the EPA. Jim 

Andrew led this effort as the chair of the Climate Change and Renewable Energy Workgroup, 

and I want to thank him, the workgroup, and the EPA staff for all of their hard work in drafting 

this advice letter. 

Jim Moseley conducted the above roll call and stated that we reached a quorum of the FRRCC 

Members. (We had a majority of the members needed to conduct the call). He then handed the 

call-line over to Alicia Kaiser. 

4:05 Alicia Kaiser provided the ground rules for the conference call:

Alicia Kaiser covered the ground rules. Everyone received the agenda, and Alicia went over the 

agenda. 
January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities 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 advice letter. The best way they 

saw to do this was to have the entire workgroup read over the entire Strategy and to render their 

comments back to the Workgroup. Otto Doering collected all of these comments, which make up 

the appendix of the letter. This allowed for everyone to give their comments with none being left 

out. The letter process was made as transparent as possible, and everyone on the Workgroup was 

given the opportunity to submit input. The main body of the letter was an overview 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 edits in regards to the 

paragraph in the letter that starts, "The feedstock production discussion must consider the 

indirect economic impacts of food and feed costs, food and resource security, greenhouse gases, 

water quality and availability. This discussion should also cover the differing direct and indirect 

impacts of a broad array of feedstocks."

As we have learned in the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) process, quantifying 

indirect effects of any sort is nebulous at best. 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, water quality and availability. This discussion 

should also cover the differing direct and indirect impacts of a broad array of feedstocks." 

With this amendment, I believe it allows for a more 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 should 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 Recommendations on EPA’s Draft Biofuel 

Strategy

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

with air emissions. 
January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 3

No other members of the public had any comments 

4:40 Discussion and Approval of FRRCC Draft Recommendations 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 paragraph 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 not see anything in the strategy or advice letter 

mentioning air quality in the 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 was 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 agreed to incorporate it into the advice letter. 

The paragraph with the new changes incorporated 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 food and feed costs, food 

and resource security, greenhouse gases, air quality, and water quality and availability. This 

discussion should also cover the differing direct 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 fertility implications where residue is 

harvested for cellulosic biofuel production.” 

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

Jay Vroom said the last bullet in the 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 last 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 over 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 determining indirect land use issues.” and not 
January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee Meeting Summary 4

“ongoing”. Everyone in the Committee agreed and approved 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 outstanding 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 amended advice letter was approved. 

 

4:56 Adjourn. 
January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities 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 America 
January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities 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 Smith 
January 14, 2009 Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities 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 the 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.