EPA Launches New Office of Agricultural and Rural Affairs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is establishing a new office to expand engagement opportunities with agricultural and rural communities. The new Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will be led by Rod Snyder, who has served as EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan’s Senior Advisor for Agriculture since October 2021. EPA says the new office will expand on the work of the Ag Advisor and increase coordination with a network of existing agriculture policy advisors located in all ten EPA regional offices across the country. In close coordination with EPA’s program offices and regions, the office will forge practical, science-based solutions that protect the environment while ensuring a vibrant and productive agricultural system. EPA says the new office will also facilitate closer coordination with relevant federal and state partners such as USDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state departments of agriculture.