Page 40 - Free State Summer 2022
P. 40
AMERICANHORT A advocacy partners Ben Bolusky
(Florida Nursery, Growers and
Landscape Association), Bill Howell
News Improvement Institute), who joined
and Mike Willett (Northwest Nursery
the conversation along with the
AmericanHort advocacy team
from members Evan Lee, Sara Neagu-
Reed, and Craig Regelbrugge.
Craig Regelbrugge
the Hill Biden Administration Updates
Regulatory Agenda
The Biden Administration on June
21 unveiled its spring regulatory
agenda, the semiannual publication
of rulemaking the government plans
to undertake over the next year.
The spring 2022 agenda includes
2,673 “active” rules across 67 federal
entities, which agencies expect to
Horticulture Advocates Meet with industry. For these reasons, each year work on over the next 12 months.
USDA-APHIS AmericanHort coordinates industry
participation and takes the lead on Not all rules are created equal
USDA Animal & Plant Health – most, in fact, do not add new
Inspection Service (APHIS) developing our issues agenda for this economic costs, and some rules
administrator Kevin Shea, Plant important dialogue. may be “deregulatory” in nature. By
Protection and Quarantine deputy Topics we brought to the table for the same token, the agenda is not
administrator Dr. Mark Davidson, discussion this year included: necessarily a reliable or complete
and their management team • Offshore Greenhouse and list of rules in the pipeline – priorities
hosted their annual “nursery Pelargonium Certification Programs change, or timelines slip. However,
sector” meeting on June 28. APHIS it provides a useful snapshot,
has an outsize role in regulating • Challenges being encountered in especially for advocates, of what is
our industry’s international trade, the plant import permit process in the pipeline. Delving into the latest
and safeguarding America’s plant • National Clean Plant Network agenda, a few line-items call for
resources from the threat of invasive funding
pests. Delays in our supply chain
and invasive pest threats both cause • Facilitating tissue culture plant
plant quality and profit losses for our imports
• Emerging new pests, including
boxwood tree moth and cotton
seed bug.
Several specific commitments
were made for follow-up on
these issues. Special thanks to
AmericanHort leaders Janet Kister
(Sunlet Nursery) and Mike Klopmeyer
(Ball Horticultural Company), and
40 SUMMER 2022 • Free State News
