Government & Public Policy

Climate Change

Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture's Farmland Preservation Program wins a US$7.9M competitive top grant from the USDA to support climate-smart conservation on Pennsylvania farms
Pennsylvania Business Report (08/23)

Cal Fire releases vision for 50,000-acre Jackson Demonstration State Forest that addresses climate change and extreme wildfire risk; future management will likely include sustainable logging, while creating pathways for co-management with local tribes
The Press Democrat (08/23)

USDA to invest up to US$20M in fiscal 2023 to help conservation partners protect, restore critical wetlands through Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership; NRCS is prioritizing proposals that support efforts to mitigate climate change
Targeted News Service (08/23)

Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

Wood Mackenzie: US Inflation Reduction Act to spark a boom in decarbonization technologies over next 10 years, create more confidence to invest in clean energy projects and set the stage for tech like carbon capture, biofuels, low-carbon hydrogen and EVs
Wood Mackenzie (08/23)

Recycling Centers/Materials Recovery (MRF)

US Composting Infrastructure Coalition asks EPA to dedicate part of Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant program to composting infrastructure, equipment, distribution; group says less than 10% of compost facilities currently collect food scraps
Targeted News Service (08/23)

Packaged Foods

USDA signs US$3.5M cooperative agreement with Minnesota to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs; Minnesota is the first state to enter into a cooperative agreement under the program
Agriculture Department: USDA Blog (08/23)

Corruption/Fraud/Illegal Activities

Maduro's government calls decision in favor of ConocoPhillips "unlawful" and "illegal
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (08/23)

Health Care, Pharmaceuticals & Wellness

GlobalData forecasts US pharmaceutical sales of prescription/nonprescription drugs to hit US$624B in 2023, but expects few pharmaceutical companies to be left unaffected by Medicare’s planned negotiation on US drug prices, which go into full effect 2026
GlobalData Plc (08/23)

Fitch: Generic drugs facing challenges in US due to pricing pressures; lawmakers have outlined buying cheap, foreign-made generics, particularly within state-subsidized healthcare schemes, will become essential tool in ensuring better access to healthcare
Fitch Solutions Sector Intelligence (08/23)

Novavax receives FDA emergency use authorization for its adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents 12 through 17 years of age; vaccine approved in two-dose primary series to prevent COVID-19
SeeNews Pharmaceuticals (08/23)

Pfizer and Biontech's COVID-19 vaccine receives approval from Health Canada as booster in children between five and 11 years of age; vaccine is first to be approved as booster dose for children in the country
SeeNews Pharmaceuticals (08/23)

Gilead’s injectable lenacapavir HIV medication approved by European Commission for use every six months in combination with other antiretrovirals to treat adults with multidrug-resistant HIV; drug will be marketed as Sunlenca in Europe
FiercePharma (08/23)