Washington, D.C.-The Agricultural Retailers Association and a coalition of national, regional, and state agribusiness and commodity organizations sent a letter on Nov. 8 to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) urging the removal of antidumping duty orders on solid urea fertilizer from Russia and Ukraine. The ITC is currently reviewing its 2005 sunset review decision to continue antidumping duty orders on urea imports from the two subject counties. “Since the ITC’s 3 to 3 split vote in November 2005 there have been significant changes in both the domestic and international fertilizer marketplace that warrant the elimination of these outdated trade restrictions,” the letter states. ARA and the coalition organizations refer to recent USDA estimates that nitrogen use will be 6-8 percent higher than previous years at a time when farmers have paid record prices for fertilizer products for the past three years. The ITC’s review of the decision comes at the behest of a U.S. Court of International Trade judge, who in August remanded the case back to the ITC (GM Sept. 10, p. 1). The CIT judge asked for a review of several aspects of the ITC’s 2005 decision, including arguments that urea imports from the subject countries were likely to depress U.S. urea prices. The CIT judge also questioned the ITC’s conclusion that revocation of the orders would “render the domestic industry vulnerable to material injury,” particularly in light of the improved financial picture for domestic producers since the antidumping duty orders were instituted in the late 1980s and administered throughout the 1990s. The ITC has until Nov. 26 to file its remand results with the CIT. The plaintiffs and “defendant-intervenors” will then have until Dec. 28 to submit responses to the decision. The plaintiffs in the case include Russian urea producers Nevinnomysskiy Azot, Novomoskovsk Azot JSC, JSC MCC Eurochem, Kuybyshevazot JSC, JSC “Azot” Berezniki, and JSC “Azot” Kemerovo. The defendant-intervenors include Agrium U.S. Inc. and the Ad Hoc Committee of Domestic Nitrogen Producers, whose urea-producing members include CF Industries Holdings Inc. and PCS Nitrogen Inc.

Washington, D.C.-The U.S. EPA is currently seeking public comment on proposed modifications to the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations. According to the Agricultural Retailers Association, the modifications being proposed by EPA would primarily impact farms, but some could affect agricultural retailers as well. These include a proposal to exempt all pesticide application equipment and related mix containers used on farms, including ground boom applicators, airblast sprayers, and specialty aircraft. Equipment and mix containers may currently be subject to the SPCC rule when crop oil or adjuvant oil are added to formulations. ARA said EPA officials believe that since pesticides are regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), additional regulation of pesticide containers and application equipment under the SPCC rule is not necessary. ARA said EPA is also considering exempting farms that store oil below a certain storage capacity threshold from the SPCC requirements, and is proposing to streamline and tailor the SPCC requirements for a subset of “qualified facilities,” allowing a self-certified, simpler SPCC plan template instead of a full SPCC plan. ARA is asking member companies to register their input on the proposed modifications to Jim Thrift, ARA’s Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Corporate Relations, so that ARA can submit its comments to EPA by Dec. 14. Thrift can be contacted at jthrift@aradc.org.

Washington, D.C.-The Fertilizer Institute on Nov. 19 issued a statement commending the Association of American Railroads (AAR) for delaying until April 1, 2008, the implementation of new rail tank car specifications for toxic-by-inhalation (TIH) products such as anhydrous ammonia. The implementation date for the requirements was initially set for Jan. 1, 2008. “TFI applauds AAR’s decision to delay implementation of its new standards for rail tank cars hauling TIH materials,” said TFI President Ford B. West. “The fertilizer industry has been working closely with the AAR and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for the past year. With a pending federal rulemaking on the issue, we are pleased with this decision and hope this step indicates agreement that the statutory authority on tank car design rests with the FRA.” According to TFI, FRA Administrator Joseph Boardman had requested that the AAR delay implementation of its standards in view of the pending tank car proposal, which is expected to be released by FRA during the first quarter of 2008.

Washington, D.C.-The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and The Fertilizer Institute in October announced the distribution of a conservation practices survey to thousands of producers. The organizations said the collaborative effort aims to gain a better understanding of environmental management measures on U.S. farms and barriers to adoption, as well as provide information on the best way to distribute educational materials regarding best management practices and environmental stewardship. “With this survey, we’ll know more about how to get the most needed information about conservation technology into the hands of farmers,” said Karen Scanlon, CTIC executive director. The survey is designed to collect data on conservation practices producers are using and what reasons producers may have for not implementing additional conservation practices in their operations. Topics include conservation tillage, soil tests, and nutrient management. “The results of this survey will provide us with knowledge of producer practices that will help us best identify how we can achieve documented nutrient use efficiency,” said TFI President Ford B. West. CTIC and TFI worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Foundation for Agronomic Research, and the Certified Crop Adviser Program in developing the survey questions.