The CASL Ledger – August 14, 2020

Presentations / Programs
On Thursday, Brook Duer participated as a panelist in a webinar hosted by Penn State Extension titled, Prices and Economics of Solar Leasing in PA. The webinar discussed varying prices and terms offered for leasing ground for large scale solar development, discussed prices offered for options and lease agreements, and examined the feasibility of future development.

Media Citations
Brook Duer was cited in an article published by Farm and Dairy on July 20 entitled, Extension: Pa. Farmers Should Be Cautious About Solar Energy Leases. This article discusses the presentation that Brook provided during a webinar on July 8.

Professional Meetings
This week, Jackie Schweichler attended a meeting with the Northeast Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program. FRSAN connects farmers with stress assistance programs like the Pennsylvania Agricultural Mediation Program.

On Friday, Ross Pifer and Brook Duer participated in a meeting with the Regional Directors from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to discuss ways in which the Center can work with the Department in the future.

This week, Ross Pifer and Brook Duer participated in two meetings relating the preparation of resources and the planning of future programs related to solar development. The first was with Penn State Extension personnel, and the second was with staff from Penn State Extension and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

This week, Brook Duer and Jackie Schweichler met with Jesse Darlington, Show Manager for Ag Progress Days, to discuss the Center’s participation in the online Ag Progress Days event that is being held this year.

Agricultural Law Weekly Review
The Agricultural Law Weekly Review provides updates on the most recent legal developments in agriculture and can be found every week on the Penn State Agricultural Law Blog. The latest installment of the Agricultural Law Weekly Review was written by Center staff attorney Brook Duer and research assistant Audry Thompson. Developments covered this week include:

• PA Milk Marketing Board Executes Dean Foods Bond Claims,
• USDA Publishes 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Final Report for Public Comment,
• MI Governor’s Executive Order Creates First Mandatory COVID-19 Meatpacking Workplace Safety Rules in the Nation,
• Only Eight States Have Mandatory Ag Worker Protection Guidelines,
• PA Governor Announces $59 Million in Beginning Farmer Tax Credits,
• APHIS Releases Draft Environmental Assessment and Preliminary Plant Pest Risk Assessment for Petition to Deregulate GE Corn,
• USDA OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative Standardizes Rural Development Loan Program Applications,
• U.S-Japan Organic Equivalence Arrangement Adds Livestock, and
• APHIS Seeking Public Comment on a Request to Produce FMD Vaccine on U.S. Mainland.

The Weekly Review also includes links to articles that have been written by other experts in the agricultural law field from across the nation.

Shale Law Weekly Review
The Shale Law Weekly Review provides comprehensive updates on the most recent legal developments in shale and can be found every week on the Penn State Shale Law Blog. This latest installment of the Shale Law Weekly Review was written by research assistant Sara Jenkins and Center staff attorney Jackie Schweichler. Legislative actions and updates were included by research assistant Kaela Gray. This week’s shale law developments include:

• Court of Appeals Grants Administrative Stay Temporarily Halting Shutdown of Dakota Access Pipeline,
• U.S. Council on Environmental Quality Issues Final Rule Amending NEPA Requirements,
• New Mexico Receives Federal Grant for Underground Oil Storage Tank Program,
• FERC Approves Delfin LNG Project Extension in Louisiana, and
• Colorado County Extends Moratorium on New Oil and Gas Development Applications.

The Weekly Review also includes links to articles that have been written by other experts in the shale law field from across the nation.

HotLinks
Our daily HotLinks cover the newest developments in agricultural and shale law as they occur. Find these updates and other helpful links by following us on Twitter! (@AgShaleLaw) This week, the following HotLinks received the most Twitter impressions from our stakeholders:

• “State Investigating New Sinkholes Along Mariner East Pipeline”
• “Farm State Lawmakers: Ethanol a Priority in Senate COVID Relief Package”
• “From NEPA to North Dakota, 4 Pipeline Fights to Watch”
• “Farm, Anti-hunger Groups Try To Squeeze Into $1-trillion Pandemic Bill”
• “Trump Proposes Speedier Environmental Reviews for Highways, Pipelines, Drilling and Mining”

More updates can be found on our Twitter page!

YouTube
Our YouTube channel has been updated with the latest recording of our COVID-19 Ag Legal Update webinar series: Focus on Labor Laws & Compliance. If you want to see more of our videos check out our YouTube channel where we share recordings from recent webinars.

Shale Law Weekly Podcast
At the beginning of each week, the Center posts a new Shale Law Weekly Podcast episode, which can be found online at shalelawpodcast.libsyn.com, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This week, the Shale Law Podcast is hosted by Penn State Law research assistant Sara Jenkins. In this episode she discusses recent shale law developments from the preceding week.

Agricultural Law Weekly Podcast
The Center also publishes frequent episodes in the Agricultural Law Podcast. The Ag Law Weekly Podcast can be found online at aglawpodcast.libsyn.com, or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This week’s episode features Penn State Law research assistant, Audry Thompson, and staff attorney Brook Duer. In this episode, they summarize recent agricultural legal developments from the preceding week.

Stakeholder Inquiries
On a regular basis, CASL staff receive a variety of inquiries from our stakeholders. Please contact us if you have any questions about agricultural or shale law topics.

Coming Events
Next week, on Thursday July 30, Brook Duer will be participating as facilitator and moderator for the fourth in a series of Penn State Extension web-based grower forums , this one titled “Protecting Essential Agricultural Business Operations and Employee Health during COVID-19,” featuring a presentation, discussion and question and answer session with Secretary Redding and Assistant Food Safety Bureau Director Sheri Morris.

Center staff are looking forward to attending the Solar Initiatives in the Mid-Atlantic Region — Trends Impacting Pennsylvania webinar hosted by Penn State Extension via Zoom on Wednesday, July 29. As part of the Webinar, Center Staff Attorney Brook Duer will participate as a panelist.