Remarks for the Commodity Classic Event, As Prepared for Delivery
Michael Regan
Houston, TX
Good morning, everyone. It’s a pleasure to join you all today.
It’s an honor to share the stage with my great friend and colleague, Secretary Vilsack.
EPA and USDA have worked closely to understand the unique needs of our nation’s agricultural and rural communities, and I’m proud of our partnership and continued work to align our tools and resources to support these communities.
Our nation’s agricultural and rural communities are deeply important to me—and to President Biden.
As some of you may know, I was raised in rural eastern North Carolina. My grandparents were farmers, and my father was an agricultural extension agent.
Thanks in part to my upbringing, I understand the sacrifices our producers make to ensure folks across this country have food on the table.
When I joined EPA nearly three years ago, I committed to working closely with farmers and ranchers to identify practical, science-based policies that protect the environment while ensuring a vibrant and productive agricultural system.
And I’ve made good on that commitment.
During my tenure, I’ve visited farms in Kansas and Wisconsin and an ethanol facility in Iowa. I’ve held joint events with Secretary Vilsack in Alabama and North Carolina, and I’ve hosted agricultural leaders in my office in Washington, DC.
That commitment has also extended to the policy space.
Last summer, the agency finalized the largest renewable volume obligations in the history of the RFS, which means greater opportunities for farmers to deliver low-carbon biofuels into the future.
Additionally, we’ve taken steps to strengthen the legal defensibility of our pesticide program by working closely with the ag community to solve longstanding challenges under the Endangered Species Act.
And today, I’m thrilled to announce an important step that will help to solidify EPA’s relationship with the agriculture sector into the future.
For the first time ever, EPA is establishing an Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to expand engagement opportunities and ensure your voices are heard and understood.
And I’m excited that this office will be led by Rod Snyder—who has served as my Senior Advisor for Agriculture since 2021.
Farmers are vital partners in helping to ensure clean air and water, and you all play an essential role in creating smart and sustainable climate solutions while delivering an abundant food supply.
With the establishment of this new office, we are ensuring agricultural and rural stakeholders will continue to have a seat at EPA’s table for many years to come.
We know that America’s producers find themselves on the frontlines of climate change.
Severe storms, widespread flooding, changes in insect and pest pressures, prolonged droughts, and more frequent wildfires are creating unprecedented risks and challenges for our food system.
And these extreme weather events threaten to erode agricultural productivity during a time when the global population is surging, and we have more mouths to feed.
Recognizing these tremendous challenges, I rechartered EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee in 2022 and asked the Committee to evaluate how EPA’s tools and programs can best advance our nation’s agriculture’s climate mitigation and adaptation goals.
By identifying voluntary, incentive-based opportunities, public-private partnerships, and market-based approaches, EPA can support farmers and ranchers in their efforts to reduce emissions, sequester carbon, and accelerate a more resilient food and agriculture system.
And the best news is that we can, and should, be optimistic about our future.
Now more than ever, both the public and private sectors understand that agriculture has a unique and critical role to play in contributing nature-based solutions to address climate change.
And we have more resources than ever before.
In 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, the most significant piece of climate legislation in our nation’s history.
Historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act will help reduce emissions and encourage the development and deployment of new low-carbon technologies.
The Inflation Reduction Act provided EPA with tens of billions of dollars to implement multiple new programs to help address climate-related challenges.
For example, EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants will provide $5 billion to state and local governments to develop and implement greenhouse gas reduction plans.
Among other strategies, we have encouraged states to consider how these funds can help accelerate incentive-based projects for agriculture and working lands. This is just one more indication of how our agency is viewing the ag sector as a key partner in achieving our climate goals.
Of course, another issue of significant interest to the agriculture sector is biofuels.
Getting the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) program back on track and back into growth mode has been a key priority for me since arriving at EPA.
Not only did the most recent RFS rule include the largest volumes in history, but it was also unprecedented because it included volumes for a 3-year period – 2023, 2024, and 2025.
This was based on input from stakeholders who have told us that longer term targets are needed to provide market certainty to the agriculture, biofuels, transportation, and energy sectors as they plan for the future.
The RFS program continues to play a major role in diversifying our nation’s energy supply, improving energy independence and security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting rural economies.
According to our analysis, we estimate that the program increases revenues for farmers by approximately $18.6 billion per year.
I should also note that EPA is fully committed to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, and the goal of producing 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030.
The SAF tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act will help to accelerate progress toward this goal while creating new market opportunities for our nation’s farmers. That’s a win-win for the climate and for rural America.
Folks, it’s truly an exciting time for the agriculture sector, and for our country, and I’m committed to working alongside every person in this room to meet this defining moment.
During my visits to family farms over the past three years, I’ve observed numerous ways that farmers are using innovation to improve productivity and profitability while also reducing environmental impacts.
I’ve seen precision irrigation equipment, an aerial drone sprayer, GPS technology, a cover crop interseeder, a water reuse pond, and solar panels on barns.
I’ve spoken to producers who are deeply proud of their commitment to stewardship and innovation in their own operations.
The truth is that these advancements are increasingly important as the agriculture sector works toward feeding 10 billion people on the planet by mid-century with the same amount of land and water we have today.
EPA’s mission is to protect public health and the environment, and I believe our mission goes hand-in-hand with supporting America’s agricultural and rural communities.
Clean water, clean air, and healthy soils are fundamental to the success of U.S. agriculture, and we are certainly stronger when we work together toward these goals.
Thanks again for the opportunity to be here today.
I look forward to answering questions and joining in a conversation with Secretary Vilsack over the next few minutes.