Prime Time International Co. v. United States Department of Agriculture

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge TATEL.

TATEL, Circuit Judge:

The Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund a subsidy program for tobacco growers by imposing monetary assessments on manufacturers of tobacco products. In this case, one such manufacturer argues that USDA’s method of calculating assessments for cigars violates the Act. The district court disagreed, concluding that the Department’s approach represented a reasonable interpretation of the Act. We affirm.

I

Section 518d of the Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act (FETRA)…