FSIS Offers Video Resources for Small and Very Small Plants
FSIS offers various streaming video and audio resources for owners and operators of small and very small plants on its Web site. Videos related to food defense include:
- USDA Emergency Support Function — Learn about FSIS’ role in a national emergency response to a natural disaster and non-routine food-related incidents and how the agency assists the meat, poultry and egg products industries.
- Reducing the Insider Threat — Learn why the insider threat is a real risk to your product and facility, potential indicators to be aware of and where to report suspicious activity.
- Developing Food Defense Plans — Learn the importance of developing a food defense plan, a three-step process to create a plan and the essential components of a plan.
- Food Defense: What Does it Mean to You? — Learn why food defense is important to your company and in protecting public health; and how a food defense plan can help you minimize the risk of intentional contamination.
- Who is OFDER? — Learn about the Office of Food Defense and Emergency Response, which serves as the agency’s central office for managing and coordinating homeland security, food defense and emergency response activities for meat, poultry and processed egg products to further protect public health.
More information is available at www.fsis.usda.gov.
Despite Request by Texas, EPA Keeps Biofuels Levels in Place
Following extensive analysis, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced its decision to deny a request submitted by the State of Texas to reduce the nationwide Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). As a result, the required total volume of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, mandated by law to be blended into the fuel supply will remain at 9 billion gallons in 2008 and 11.1 billion gallons in 2009.
Current law authorized EPA to waive the national RFS if the agency determines that the mandated biofuel volumes would cause “severe harm” to the economy or the environment. The agency recognizes that high commodity prices are having economic impacts, but EPA’s extensive analysis of Texas’ request found no compelling evidence that the RFS mandate is causing severe economic harm. EPA conducted detailed analysis, consulted closely with the Departments of Energy and Agriculture, and carefully considered more than 15,000 public comments in response to the Texas request.
This is the first RFS-related waiver request. In a Federal Register notice, EPA is publishing a detailed rationale that will also serve as a framework for any future waiver considerations. More information is online at www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/.