Virtual Public Hearing July 23 - Industrial Hemp - Northern WI NORML (2010

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is hosting a virtual public hearing for the hemp emergency rule ER2016 at the following:

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020

Time: 1 p.m.

Online (limited to 200 participants): To attend the hearing go to www.webex.com, click on “Join” in the top right corner and use meeting access number 126 395 1554 and password ARMHearing, or join by telephone at (408) 418-9388, then meeting access number 126 395 1554#, followed by meeting ID 27643274#.

Phone – listen only (limited to 150 participants): Call toll-free at (888) 327-8914 or (847) 944-7654 (long distance charges apply); and enter passcode: 9548531#.

The virtual public hearing offers two separate platforms for public participation – an online/call-in WebEx meeting or a telephone call-in option. The WebEx platform allows for 200 participants. Those who are planning to provide verbal testimony should use the WebEx option, as that option is interactive. For those that are connecting to the meeting to listen to the testimony of others, please utilize the (listen only) toll-free, telephone option to participate.

Public comments can be provided at any time until the close of the public comment period at 11:59 p.m. on July 30, 2020. Comments can be provided by email, regular mail, or verbally during the hearing. Whatever method you choose, all public comments will be given equal weight. For more details on the public input process, view the official public notice for this hearing at link.

The hearing will also be recorded and available at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/HempChanges.aspx 1-2 days after the hearing.

Stakeholders are invited to provide comments and additional information related to ER2016 that DATCP will consider as it develops the state hemp plan for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval and the next emergency rule for the hemp program.

For the past three years DATCP has implemented the hemp pilot research program – per federal regulations the program will sunset on October 31, 2020. At that time, DATCP will develop a new hemp emergency rule by November 1, 2020, to transition Wisconsin to the new federal program for domestic hemp production. The state hemp plan and next emergency rule must meet the federal requirements of USDA’s interim final rule for domestic hemp production (7 CFR 990). A reminder that any federal regulations follow a separate federal process for public comment on rules.

Please send questions and comments for ER2016 to Abbey Graf at abbey.graf@wisconsin.gov by July 30, 2020.

Thank you for your interest in the Wisconsin Hemp Program.

More information about Wisconsin’s Hemp Pilot Research Program: https://hemp.wi.gov

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Division of Agricultural Resource Management | Bureau of Plant Industry
https://datcp.wi.gov