[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2227-S2228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. 
        Wyden):
  S. 2134. A bill to amend the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require 
research and development regarding a policy to insure wine grapes 
against losses due to smoke exposure, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Smoke Exposure 
Crop Insurance Act of 2023. This legislation will make Federal crop 
insurance work better for wine grapes impacted by wildfire smoke 
exposure.

[[Page S2228]]

  Increasingly frequent and catastrophic wildfires in California, 
Oregon, and Washington are threatening the long-term sustainability of 
important winegrowing regions. Vineyards, winery operations, and the 
communities they support are routinely facing the threat of wildfires 
that can not only destroy vineyards, but can damage fruit through 
prolonged smoke exposure, which can be absorbed into the grape, 
creating an ashy taste known as smoke taint.
  The impact has been particularly acute for California's 4,800 
wineries and 5,900 winegrape growers, who have seen significant 
property loss, loss of tourism, and loss of production due to smoke-
exposed grapes. In 2020 alone, industry sources estimate that between 
165,000 and 325,000 tons of California wine grapes were lost due to 
actual or perceived smoke damage, and financial estimates place losses 
at over $600 million.
  Federal crop insurance tools are not working for winegrape producers 
grappling with the impacts of climate change induced wildfires. That's 
why we need to pass the Smoke Exposure Crop Insurance Act.
  The Smoke Exposure Crop Insurance Act of 2023 would direct the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture and Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to 
research, develop, and create a crop insurance policy to better insure 
against wine grape losses due to wildfire smoke exposure.
  Wine grapes are vital to the economies of California, Oregon, and 
Washington--the largest producers of wine grapes in the United States 
and the most impacted by smoke-exposure. But crop insurance is not 
working for wine grapes--current products do not fully capture the 
risks associated with growing in these smoke and wildfire-prone States.
  That is why we need to pass the Smoke Exposure Crop Insurance Act of 
2023, to improve crop insurance for winegrape producers, wineries, and 
the consumers they support to help address the impossible choice facing 
producers after a wildfire: Does a grower harvest grapes knowing they 
may be unusable for wine or do they take an indemnity for what may be 
perfectly good grapes?
  This bill gets us one step closer to answering that question.
  I would like to thank my colleagues from California, Washington, and 
Oregon for joining me to introduce this bill and for our partners in 
the House, Representatives Mike Thompson and Dan Newhouse, for 
championing this bill in the House.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Smoke 
Exposure Crop Insurance Act as quickly as possible for inclusion in the 
2023 farm Bill.
                                 ______