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Peanuts on planes protected

(CNN) -- Packets of peanuts are in no danger of disappearing completely from airplanes. In a nutshell,

there's a law protecting them.

Last year, the Department of Transportation asked the public about a possible peanut ban on planes and other measures it said it was considering to address severe allergies among fliers.

It presented three options for debate: a complete ban on serving peanuts on planes, a ban on serving them when a passenger requests a peanut-free flight in advance, or a requirement for peanut-free buffer zones around severely allergic passengers who make advance requests.

The agency also solicited public input on health risks and the idea of maintaining current practice.

But when the new rules concerning issues from airline fees and bumping to tarmac delays were announced Wednesday, the department said it won't take on the peanut issue because of a 12-year-old law blocking the agency from tampering with peanut policy without more scientific study.

Airlines told to stop hiding fees

"The Department is prohibited by law from restricting the serving of peanuts aboard aircraft unless a peer-reviewed study determines that serving of peanuts causes severe reactions among airline passengers. There has been no such peer-reviewed study, so we declined to take action at this time," it said in a statement.

It seems the agency was hoping the climate was right for change. It cited the law in the original proposal in June when it asked the public to weigh in, adding, "this specific congressional ban on our involvement in this issue has not appeared recently in any legislation" before outlining possible alternate peanut policies for airlines.

The department said Wednesday that it wasn't proposing regulations but wanted to give the public an opportunity to comment on whether a peer-reviewed study should be conducted.

Although the government can't impose peanut restrictions for airlines, some carriers have developed their own policies for allergy sufferers. Some no longer serve peanuts and may create peanut-free buffer zones. But Delta, American and other airlines note on their websites that they can't guarantee peanut-free flights.

That lack of certainty had allergy sufferers and parents with children with peanut allergies weighing in enthusiastically in support of a national policy banning peanuts on planes.

"My 6 year old has severe peanut and tree nut allergies and I am very fearful to put him on a plane," Donna Marie Noga wrote in a comment posted on regulations.gov, a site tracking federal rules, proposed rules and public comments.

More than 2,100 comments were logged in response to all of the passenger protections presented, "the vast majority of which were related to the proposal to address peanut allergies in air travel," according to a Department of Transportation summary of comments.

Most of the comments on peanuts were from consumers who favored a total ban, according to agency documents. Peanut trade groups were against a ban, as were some airlines and airline industry groups.

But it seems the agency was out of bounds with its peanut planning.

Less than three weeks after the department posted its policy considerations in June, it issued a clarification citing the 1999 law with the conclusion, "we will comply with this requirement."

The final rule issued Wednesday echoes that sentiment. So, no relief for peanut allergy sufferers in this round of passenger protections.

The final rule announced Wednesday is available at the regulations.gov website, docket DOT-OST-2010-0140.

Lucas Elected as Chairman of Agriculture Committee

WASHINGTON- Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 6, which formally elects him as the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee for the 112th Congress.

"As a student of agriculture economics, a rancher by trade, and a Member of this Committee from the start of my service in Congress, I am honored to have this opportunity and responsibility. I am also proud to be serving as the first Chairman of the Agriculture Committee from Oklahoma. I will continue to use my experience and perspective as a producer to help shape our nation's agriculture policy.

"We have our challenges ahead. We must work our way out of this budget mess and rein in wasteful spending.

"But, we also have opportunities for economic growth. We must implement the three pending free trade agreements with Korea, Panama, and Colombia. And, we must encourage the administration to act on opening up other trade opportunities overseas for our farmers and ranchers. Foreign markets are critical to the economic viability of rural America.

"It is imperative we prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing standards which would cripple American agriculture and stifle economic growth in rural communities.

"The work of the Agriculture Committee, including reauthorizing the farm bill in 2012, affects every American; ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have the tools they need to produce an abundant and affordable food and fiber supply is as important to our country as national defense.

"I look forward to working with Ranking Member Collin Peterson and the other Members of our Committee as we move forward to ensure the health and vitality of production agriculture and rural economies," said Chairman Frank D. Lucas.

Roby Assigned to Agriculture, Armed Services Committees

martha roby 1 (MONTGOMERY, AL) – Martha Roby, Congressman-elect for Alabama’s Second Congressional District, announced today her committee assignments for the 112th Congress. Roby has been selected by GOP leadership to serve on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Armed Services Committee.

“I am pleased to have been appointed to serve on two prestigious committees, the Agriculture Committee and the Armed Services Committee. This is great news for our area. Our district is home to significant agricultural production and a number of very important military bases, which are critical to the nation’s defense as well as our local economy. My appointment to these committees will directly serve our agriculture base and the military, and is understandably a very good fit for our district.”

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) was created in 1946 by the consolidation of the Committee on Military Affairs and the Committee on Naval Affairs. HASC is responsible for oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States armed forces.

“The military institutions in our district, including Fort Rucker, Maxwell Air Force Base, Gunter Annex and the 187th Fighter Wing, are at the forefront of our nation’s military defense. Our country must continue to provide the resources and tools to our military installations in order for them to be effective. It is a great honor to be representing military service members and veterans by having the opportunity to work on legislation in the House Armed Services Committee. Our number one goal must be to support our men and women in uniform and maintain the fine military facilities in our district. A strong military means a strong national defense.”

Established in 1820, the Committee on Agriculture was created to give agriculture issues equal weight with commercial and manufacturing interests. The committee has jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy, and its prime objective is to oversee legislation for the maintenance of healthy agricultural production.

“Agriculture remains our number one industry here in Alabama, and it is a top priority for me. Our country’s reliance on domestic agriculture production is rising with our continuous population growth. As the agriculture industry grows and gets more complex, food and fiber must be provided to us here at home and it is a necessity that Congress take up legislation that will positively affect our family farms. In addition, Congress will soon begin work on the Farm Bill, which will be the primary agricultural legislation for our country. As the bill takes shape, I will be listening to our farmers right here at home in the second district to learn how I may best represent their voices in the committee.”

Committees are integral to the work of Congress in determining the policy needs of the nation and acting on them.

Committees in the House have four primary powers: conduct hearings and investigations, consider bills and resolutions and amendments to them, report legislation to the House for its possible consideration, and monitor executive branch performance.

Members will also be assigned Subcommittee assignments respective to their committees, which may be announced soon.

With more than 85 Republican freshmen members seeking assignment to a limited number of seats on high profile committees, the committee request process for the 112th Congress was extremely competitive.

“I am grateful to Speaker-designate Boehner and Leader-designate Cantor for their steadfast support and to the Steering Committee which works to place members on the best possible committees for their district,” Roby said. “They, with Chairmen Lucus and McKeon, each recognized from the start that agriculture and military issues are extremely important in my district, and they have been very supportive of my requests to be on these prestigious committees.”

Superior Southern Peanut Growers Conference

The 2010 Southern Peanut Growers Conference, held July 22-24, 2010, at the Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City Beach, Fla., offered farmers an opportunity to learn more about the legislative issues, peanut research and promotions.

General session topics included: Marketing from the Manufacturer’s Viewpoint; An Industry That Feeds the World; Research and Production Issues; and Peanuts and Politics.

Approximately 500 growers and industry representatives attended the 12th annual event that attracted farmers from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida.

The conference is sponsored by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation whose members include: Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Florida Peanut Producers Association, Georgia Peanut Commission, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association and Southern Peanut Growers.

For more on the conference log on to: www.southernpeanutfarmers.org

DOT Calls Off Airline Peanut Ban

peanuts Good news came recently for the American peanut industry when the U.S Department of Transportation issued a clarification to the proposed rule on banning peanuts from commercial airlines. The clarification states that DOT will comply with Section 346 of the DOT and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000 Public Law 106-09 which calls for a scientific study before requiring an air carrier to ban peanuts.

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