Each week, we will update readers with tidbits of news from North Idaho’s representatives in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Jim Risch

Dairy farmers got a boost of support from Sen. Jim Risch on Thursday, as he co-authored a letter to newly-minted Food and Drug Administration commissioner Stephen Hahn about labeling practices he and other senators contend confuses consumers and robs cattle of their hard-earned milk.

“Dairy farmers across our nation work hard to ensure their products are healthy, nutrient-dense, and in compliance with FDA regulations regarding the use of dairy terms,” Risch co-wrote with Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin. “However, there are many non-dairy imitation products in the marketplace using dairy terms. This represents a clear violation of existing FDA rules.”

The letter comes as falling demand for cow milk has turned consumers to plant-based alternatives to milks and cheeses, such as nut, oat and soy. This trend has drawn the ire of farmers and spurred the 2019 Dairy Pride Act, which would require a change in labeling to delineate between actual milk and milk alternatives. The ag bill states farmers are losing part of their marketshare to manufacturers who claim to present the qualities of milk but — according to Risch — are hijacking milk’s good name.

“When non-dairy alternatives use dairy terms to describe their imitation products,” Risch said, “the imitators are often assumed to have the same health benefits and nutrient levels as real dairy products. This is both unfair to our hardworking dairy farmers and problematic for consumers, making it harder for Americans to make educated decisions regarding what they feed themselves and their families.”

Sen. Mike Crapo

The Idaho senator applauded the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday as the agency steered the Navigable Waters Protection Rule into effect. The rule provides clarity to the federal-state partnership to sharpen the definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. The rule specifically outlines the jurisdiction of federal, state and local authorities, particularly in states that have established sister agencies like Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality.

“Today’s announcement by the EPA will rebalance the relationship between the federal government and state and local on-the-ground experts for effective and environmentally-sound water quality management policies,” Crapo said Thursday. “President Trump’s Administration has taken decisive action on limiting federal overreach, and has brought regulatory certainty to Idaho farmers, ranchers and businesses who have been impacted by the old WOTUS definition.”

The rule still allows EPA certain jurisdiction and requires certain compliance with EPA standards, but it delegates state and local jurisdictions over their smaller bodies of water.