President Obama needs to live up to his "uniter" reputation and reach out to poor, white, aging and rural communities, Sylvia Lovely, executive director of the Kentucky League of Cities and the New Cities Institute, says in an article for newgeography.com. She lumps such communities under the acronym PWAR.
These communities face challenges that seem to clash with the new administration's goals. "What happens to the fortunes of the regions – the South in particular – in the new order?" Lovely asks. "Will the battle of red versus blue gain new ground or will other rivalries and labels rise up? Will a region whose economy revolves around coal have a chance in a 'new green world?'" Also hurting PWAR communities, Lovely writes, are stereotypical media portrayals.
PWAR places have faced economic hardships even during otherwise prosperous times, but Lovely says the current economic crisis presents the president with a unique opportunity to recognize the optimism and determination of residents of these communities and to include them in his plan to boost the American economy and way of life. (Read more)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Reversing Bush policy, Obama eases requests for records under Freedom of Information Act
President Barack Obama this afternoon reversed Bush Administration policies that limited freedom of information. "The disclosure rules turn existing law on its head, requiring the government to err on the side of releasing information, not on the side of keeping documents and records secret," Michael Shear of The Washington Post wrote -- perhaps not realizing (though his editors should have) that the Obama policy mirrors the policy followed in the Clinton administration. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times properly noted that Obama "effectively reversed a post-9/11 Bush administration policy."
The roles govern how federal agencies respond to requests made under the federal Freedom of Information Act, which Obama called "perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government accountable and also transparent. ... The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed. That era is over now." Is eight years an era? Perhaps it seemed that long to some, certainly to many Democrats. In any event, we're for more freedom of information, and the FOI Act is a great tool for rural journalists to get data squirreled away in far-off places.
Obama's order was no surprise, since he spoke about government transparency in his campaign and sponsored open-government bills in Congress and the Illinois legislature. For a good rundown on the issue from Clint Hendler of Columbia Journalism Review, click here.
The roles govern how federal agencies respond to requests made under the federal Freedom of Information Act, which Obama called "perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government accountable and also transparent. ... The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed. That era is over now." Is eight years an era? Perhaps it seemed that long to some, certainly to many Democrats. In any event, we're for more freedom of information, and the FOI Act is a great tool for rural journalists to get data squirreled away in far-off places.
Obama's order was no surprise, since he spoke about government transparency in his campaign and sponsored open-government bills in Congress and the Illinois legislature. For a good rundown on the issue from Clint Hendler of Columbia Journalism Review, click here.
Obama stops federal rulemakings for reviews
"President Barack Obama's new administration ordered all federal agencies and departments on Tuesday to stop any pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff, halting last-minute Bush orders in their tracks," reports Reuters. The Bush administration tried to push through many regulations in recent weeks. The order came immediately after Obama took office.
"Controversial late rules by the outgoing Bush administration include allowing the carrying of concealed weapons in some national parks and prohibiting medical facilities from receiving federal money for discriminating against doctors and nurses who refuse to assist with abortions or dispense contraceptives based on religious grounds," adds Reuters. (Read more)
"Controversial late rules by the outgoing Bush administration include allowing the carrying of concealed weapons in some national parks and prohibiting medical facilities from receiving federal money for discriminating against doctors and nurses who refuse to assist with abortions or dispense contraceptives based on religious grounds," adds Reuters. (Read more)
How about using stimulus to prevent forest fires?
Members of the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition have found another way to use stimulus money to help rural America. They "have recommended a $5 billion investment in work that would improve the health and productivity of public forests, provide employment for forest workers who have been displaced by the decline of timbering, and reduce the cost of fighting forest fires in the future," Tim Marema reports in the Daily Yonder.(Photo via Imagery and Our World)
The cost of fighting forest fires has tripled over the last over the last 20 years and now consumes 42 percent of the Forest Service's discretionary budget. "There's plenty of work to be done removing hazardous fuels," writes Marema. "The Forest Service estimates that from 50 to 90 million acres need thinning. In 2007 the service had only enough money to treat 3 million acres."
There would be further benefits to creating healthy forests. Marema adds, "restoring watersheds and streams, removing noxious weeds and other invasive species, maintaining roads and trails, taking inventories of timber, and upgrading public forest facilities to be more energy efficient," would also be possible with stimulus money.
"The forest restoration initiative is a distinctly rural take on economic recovery," writes Marema. "Large scale forests are, by definition, rural, and the rural communities that are part of these forested lands have traditionally built their wealth on trees." (Read more)
EPA study looks to reduce E. coli in Ohio River
Six states that border the Ohio River are joining an Environmental Protection Agency study which is trying to identify and reduce unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria in the river. "The analysis, which officials plan to finish next year, will identify how much bacteria sewage treatment plants, factories and farms, among others, can discharge into the river without exceeding safety standards," reports Bob Driehaus of The New York Times.
Limiting the release of pollutants into the river could be challenging. "In 49 cities and towns, combined sewer and storm water systems release untreated sewage directly into the river during heavy rains," writes Driehaus. "Upgrading those systems will cost billions of dollars, officials said, and federal regulations require sewage treatment plant operators to assemble long-term improvement plans, which will be taken into consideration in the new study." Fertilizer runoff for nearby farms is also thought to be a contributing factor, but states have little power in regulating its use.
"Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are participating, as well as the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, which has collected weekly water samples during the recreational season, May through October, since 1992," adds Driehaus. (Read more)
Limiting the release of pollutants into the river could be challenging. "In 49 cities and towns, combined sewer and storm water systems release untreated sewage directly into the river during heavy rains," writes Driehaus. "Upgrading those systems will cost billions of dollars, officials said, and federal regulations require sewage treatment plant operators to assemble long-term improvement plans, which will be taken into consideration in the new study." Fertilizer runoff for nearby farms is also thought to be a contributing factor, but states have little power in regulating its use.
"Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are participating, as well as the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, which has collected weekly water samples during the recreational season, May through October, since 1992," adds Driehaus. (Read more)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
How to sustain agriculture in urbanizing counties?
"Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties," a report released Dec. 16, "sought to identify conditions under which farming may remain viable in agriculturally important areas that are subject to substantial development pressures," reports the American Farmland Trust. The report examined 15 county-level case studies from 14 different states and covers topics such production inputs, marketing, farmland protection and the future agricultural outlook.
Providing information for coping with growing urbanization is important since the majority of rural Americans live in or adjacent to metropolitan counties. To read a list of key findings and recommendations from the report, click here. To read a large PDF of the full report click here.
Providing information for coping with growing urbanization is important since the majority of rural Americans live in or adjacent to metropolitan counties. To read a list of key findings and recommendations from the report, click here. To read a large PDF of the full report click here.
Ky. walking horse board ousts dubious members
"Members of the Kentucky Walking Horse Association have ousted from their board a controversial former president and vice president who stepped down after the state breeders' incentive fund began scrutinizing the organization last fall," reports Janet Patton of the Lexington Herald-Leader. There is concern that funds may have been given to breeders who had violated the Horse Protection Act.
Earl Rogers Jr., former president of the KWHA, and Gary Oliver, former vice president, deny that any money from the breeders' incentive fund went to violators of the act, "but the Herald-Leader and state investigations found 12 to 15 payments to violators, prompting a new Racing Commission regulation to explicitly prohibit such payments in the future," writes Patton, in the latest of a series of stories she has done on the subject. (Read more)
Earl Rogers Jr., former president of the KWHA, and Gary Oliver, former vice president, deny that any money from the breeders' incentive fund went to violators of the act, "but the Herald-Leader and state investigations found 12 to 15 payments to violators, prompting a new Racing Commission regulation to explicitly prohibit such payments in the future," writes Patton, in the latest of a series of stories she has done on the subject. (Read more)
Several horse issues will face the new Congress
With the start of the 111th Congress, many in the horse industry are wondering what steps the lawmakers will take on equine issues. The new Congress faces issues ranging from economics, with a bill to lengthen the holding period for capital gains tax, to immigration, which is a major concern in an industry which depends on foreign workers.
Animal welfare laws are also anticipated to return as a major issue this session, as well as questions of federal land use rights. But a Democrat-majority does not necessarily signal where legislators will fall on specific votes. "For the most part, issues affecting the horse industry are not partisan," American Horse Council president Jay Hickey told The Northwest Horse Source. "Like most industries, our legislative concerns don't clearly split along party lines." (Read more)
Animal welfare laws are also anticipated to return as a major issue this session, as well as questions of federal land use rights. But a Democrat-majority does not necessarily signal where legislators will fall on specific votes. "For the most part, issues affecting the horse industry are not partisan," American Horse Council president Jay Hickey told The Northwest Horse Source. "Like most industries, our legislative concerns don't clearly split along party lines." (Read more)
Newspapers' battle to keep legal-notice ads may heat up as governments look for ways to save
The declining economy will increase local and state governments' efforts to save money by putting required public notices on government Web sites instead of paying to put them in local newspapers, Jack Murphy, executive director of the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Press Association reports from last month's meeting of Newspaper Association Managers.
Legal ads can be a major source of revenue for rural newspapers. Many state press associations have created Web sites on which newspapers can post legals, to reach audiences that may not be reached by print advertising. John Fearing, the assistant director of the Arizona Newspaper Association, said newspapers should check town records to determine how much money was being spent on newspaper advertising versus other expenses, such as travel, and point out surveys showing that citizens do read printed legals.
Fearing "said in the last legislative session his state was facing the perfect storm of public-notice threats, with a growing complaint by lawmakers that newspapers are antiquated media, every government trying to cut spending, and a legislature sympathetic to the problems of local governments," Murphy writes. "He said the key to defusing the threat was getting publishers of his member newspapers active in the fight, because lawmakers still respond to direct pleas from constituents." (Read more)
Legal ads can be a major source of revenue for rural newspapers. Many state press associations have created Web sites on which newspapers can post legals, to reach audiences that may not be reached by print advertising. John Fearing, the assistant director of the Arizona Newspaper Association, said newspapers should check town records to determine how much money was being spent on newspaper advertising versus other expenses, such as travel, and point out surveys showing that citizens do read printed legals.
Fearing "said in the last legislative session his state was facing the perfect storm of public-notice threats, with a growing complaint by lawmakers that newspapers are antiquated media, every government trying to cut spending, and a legislature sympathetic to the problems of local governments," Murphy writes. "He said the key to defusing the threat was getting publishers of his member newspapers active in the fight, because lawmakers still respond to direct pleas from constituents." (Read more)
After 3 years of decline, meth production is rising
Methamphetamine production rose in 2008 after years of decline. Between 2004 and 2007, the number of meth labs discovered in the U.S. dropped from 17,000 to 6,000, following new regulations on the sale of over-the-counter medications used to produce the drug. But falling meth prices and an increase in meth-lab seizures trouble many law enforcement agents, saying they point to savvier producers of the drug.
"Restrictions did their job for a while, but they found a way to get around them," said Abraham Azzam, Michigan director of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federal program that coordinates drug enforcement, told Brian Whitley of The Christian Science Monitor. Rural California is seeing a surge in production, thanks to recently-strengthened regulations in Mexico. Law enforcement officials are also noticing most of the increase is coming from small-scale production. (Read more)
"The problem appears to be re-emerging, and it's important to nip it in the bud," The Tennesseean says in an editorial.
"Restrictions did their job for a while, but they found a way to get around them," said Abraham Azzam, Michigan director of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federal program that coordinates drug enforcement, told Brian Whitley of The Christian Science Monitor. Rural California is seeing a surge in production, thanks to recently-strengthened regulations in Mexico. Law enforcement officials are also noticing most of the increase is coming from small-scale production. (Read more)
"The problem appears to be re-emerging, and it's important to nip it in the bud," The Tennesseean says in an editorial.
White House may get a vegetable garden
With today's inauguration of President Barack Obama, some are hoping he will add something to the White House -- a vegetable garden. Advocates hope that, by growing their own vegetables, the White House could promote land conservation, sustainable farming and healthy eating habits. "This is a real opportunity for the president to lead by example," Daniel Bowman Simon, an organic farming advocate, told Anne Marie Chaker of the Wall Street Journal.
Alice Waters, a celebrity chef, says that she's optimistic that veggies will soon be grown on White House grounds. She pushed for a "victory garden" in an introduction of Michelle Obama, then followed up with a letter to the Obamas. She says the first lady responded with a note, saying, "I love the idea of planting a victory garden at the White House. I'm surprised that it hasn't happened already." (Read more)
Alice Waters, a celebrity chef, says that she's optimistic that veggies will soon be grown on White House grounds. She pushed for a "victory garden" in an introduction of Michelle Obama, then followed up with a letter to the Obamas. She says the first lady responded with a note, saying, "I love the idea of planting a victory garden at the White House. I'm surprised that it hasn't happened already." (Read more)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Seeger brings 'This Land Is Your Land' full circle
We have long thought three things: Pete Seeger is a national treasure; Bruce Springsteen understands America and puts it to music; and "This Land Is Your Land," at least the first three verses, would make a better national anthem than "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Those three things made a perfect platform yesterday at the fabulous inaugural concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and it did us good to see this photo (by Mandel Ngan /AFP/Getty Images) of Springsteen and Seeger singing the song by Woody Guthrie, who was a good friend of Seeger, now 89.
We also got a kick out of learning that Seeger (who was banned from TV in the 1950s and helped get the Smothers Brothers knocked off in the '60s by signing "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," leaving no mistake that "the big fool" pushing on was Lyndon Johnson) "restored the verses that have been censored from ['This Land Is Your Land"] over the years to make it less political," Tommy Stevenson of The Tuscaloosa News writes for Truthout, a liberal news service. To read those, and watch a video of the performance, click here.
UPDATE, May 4: Seeger, who lives in rural upstate New York, celebrated his 90th birthday in New York City, with a concert featuring big musical stars. Here's a heartwarming story by Josh Getlin of the Los Angeles Times.
Those three things made a perfect platform yesterday at the fabulous inaugural concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and it did us good to see this photo (by Mandel Ngan /AFP/Getty Images) of Springsteen and Seeger singing the song by Woody Guthrie, who was a good friend of Seeger, now 89.We also got a kick out of learning that Seeger (who was banned from TV in the 1950s and helped get the Smothers Brothers knocked off in the '60s by signing "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," leaving no mistake that "the big fool" pushing on was Lyndon Johnson) "restored the verses that have been censored from ['This Land Is Your Land"] over the years to make it less political," Tommy Stevenson of The Tuscaloosa News writes for Truthout, a liberal news service. To read those, and watch a video of the performance, click here.
UPDATE, May 4: Seeger, who lives in rural upstate New York, celebrated his 90th birthday in New York City, with a concert featuring big musical stars. Here's a heartwarming story by Josh Getlin of the Los Angeles Times.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Conference March 5-6 to help journalists, developers get the latest on rural development
As a president who promised hope and change starts to lead the country out of its worst recession in 50 years, where will your rural communities fit into the recovery? The Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues and Jacksonville (Ala.) State University have designed a unique conference to answer that question for journalists, business leaders and public officials – sharing facts, opinions, tactics and strategies with experts and each other.
REWRITE$: Main Street, Media and the Recovery will recognize and enhance the roles rural newspaper publishers and editors, and broadcasters, play in their communities’ economic development. They seek expert advice and the best available information to cover the subject. To exercise editorial leadership, they need good examples from other rural media. To fulfill their civic role, they need support in dealing with both the opportunities and the conflicts that can result. Business developers in private and public enterprise also need to embrace the role of media in supporting, guiding or blocking developments.
The conference will begin at Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. CST Thursday, March 5, and conclude at 3 p.m. CST Friday, March 6. For a PDF of the conference brochure, click here. The earlybird registration deadline is Jan. 31.
REWRITE$: Main Street, Media and the Recovery will recognize and enhance the roles rural newspaper publishers and editors, and broadcasters, play in their communities’ economic development. They seek expert advice and the best available information to cover the subject. To exercise editorial leadership, they need good examples from other rural media. To fulfill their civic role, they need support in dealing with both the opportunities and the conflicts that can result. Business developers in private and public enterprise also need to embrace the role of media in supporting, guiding or blocking developments.
The conference will begin at Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. CST Thursday, March 5, and conclude at 3 p.m. CST Friday, March 6. For a PDF of the conference brochure, click here. The earlybird registration deadline is Jan. 31.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Obama was candidate of hope for poor, rural and overwhelmingly white county in Appalachia
Last night, we posted an item on a Washington Post story that used one Arkansas county as an example of rural Americans' wariness of President-elect Barack Obama. This morning, the Lexington Herald-Leader offers the other side, a story about of the few rural counties in Kentucky that voted for a decidedly urban president.
"Menifee County residents invest a particular set of expectations in the president-elect," Cheryl Truman writes. "Here, hope is not just a vague kind of happy idea about how life will be after Obama's inauguration, but instead quite specific: Bring us some kind of jobs, voters say. Free us from the unfunded tyranny of the federally mandated No Child Left Behind. Show us that rural doesn't mean poor, and disenfranchised, and hopeless." (Encarta map)
The 98 percent white county in the Appalachian foothills, "one of the poorest in the nation," also voted Democratic in 2004, but the margin was a bit larger this time, Truman notes. One factor could be an influx of retirees; recent data show the county benefiting from retirees and tourism, and Truman notes that "newish cabins dot the countryside." (Read more)
"Menifee County residents invest a particular set of expectations in the president-elect," Cheryl Truman writes. "Here, hope is not just a vague kind of happy idea about how life will be after Obama's inauguration, but instead quite specific: Bring us some kind of jobs, voters say. Free us from the unfunded tyranny of the federally mandated No Child Left Behind. Show us that rural doesn't mean poor, and disenfranchised, and hopeless." (Encarta map)The 98 percent white county in the Appalachian foothills, "one of the poorest in the nation," also voted Democratic in 2004, but the margin was a bit larger this time, Truman notes. One factor could be an influx of retirees; recent data show the county benefiting from retirees and tourism, and Truman notes that "newish cabins dot the countryside." (Read more)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Andrew Wyeth, painter of rural America, passes
Andrew Wyeth, perhaps the greatest modern painter of rural America, died at his home in Chadd's Ford, Pa., this morning at 91. (Photo by Peter Ralston)"Wyeth was also born in Chadd's Ford, and except for the time he spent at his family's summer home in Maine, he lived his whole life there," National Public Radio reports. "His entire body of work is drawn from these two places: images of rural America and the people who lived there, realistic but often imbued with hidden meaning." (Read more) Below is Cider Barrel.
An Arkansas county represents all of rural America in glimpse of its stance toward the president-elect
One headline on The Washington Post Web site read "Rural residents wary of Obama's America," but the story was only about Monroe County, Arkansas, and the people one resident dealt with during a typical day. The county lies near the heart of "the McCain belt" of counties that voted more Republican last time than in 2004. (Monroe is the red area east of Little Rock, which appears in white.) For the original New York Times map, click here and then on "Voting Shifts."
"On the eve of the inauguration, a sense of apprehension prevails in a place that rejected the new president and now warily awaits his version of America," Anne Hull wrote, introducing her itinerary with Wayne Loewer. "The 52-year-old farmer is a conservative Democrat who bet on Republican John McCain and lost, a description that would apply to many in the white South. Now Loewer wonders about his place in Obama's America. 'I'm worried that he's not gonna understand the rural way of life,' he says ... and everywhere he goes, the same anxieties are expressed. Overtly, it's about guns. Less publicly, it's about race.
Loewer told Hull he voted for Bill Clinton, isn't a churchgoer, supports abortion rights and thought McCain would be another version of George W. Bush, for whom he voted. "He was tired of Bush and what he saw as a failed war in Iraq. He thought Obama's farm policies were stronger than McCain's. But he says Obama lost his support when he made his infamous remarks at a private fundraiser in San Francisco about small-town Americans who feel marginalized and 'cling to guns or religion.' Not long after Obama's comments, Loewer received mailers from the National Rifle Association saying that Obama planned to ban hunting, restrict gun laws and close 90 percent of gun shops. Several nonpartisan fact-checking groups discredited the claims, but the gun dealers Loewer talked to said the NRA had it right. 'When Obama got elected, I went out and bought a rifle and pistol shells for every weapon I own,' he says. 'I bought $400 worth of ammo.' Not that Loewer feared Armageddon or a race war; he was stocking up in case the warnings from the NRA and the gun dealers came true." Many other gun owners did likewise.
Hull's reference to race is quckly followed by her report that Loewer "has noticed that blacks around Brinkley ... have a newly emboldened attitude. He's heard about people cutting in line at the grocery store or 'doing a little victory dance at the Kwik Shop.' Loewer shrugs. 'If he brings us out of this mess we're in right now, I'll get out in the street and fist-bump with them,' he says." Later in the story, Hull quotes a co-op manager who says local voters see "second- and third-generation blacks who are living in the projects" and think, "How can we expect somebody like Obama to do a good job when they can't even handle things around here?" But he adds, "I think he's a bright guy."
The last encounter is with Loewer's main farmhand, Phil Hicks, who is black, voted for Obama, and isn't worried that an urban president will neglect rural people. "A lot of people from the South just got that mentality," he says, telling Loewer, "I know you ain't nothing like that." To read the full story, click here. For a transcript of Hull's online discussion with Post readers about the story, click here.
Loewer told Hull he voted for Bill Clinton, isn't a churchgoer, supports abortion rights and thought McCain would be another version of George W. Bush, for whom he voted. "He was tired of Bush and what he saw as a failed war in Iraq. He thought Obama's farm policies were stronger than McCain's. But he says Obama lost his support when he made his infamous remarks at a private fundraiser in San Francisco about small-town Americans who feel marginalized and 'cling to guns or religion.' Not long after Obama's comments, Loewer received mailers from the National Rifle Association saying that Obama planned to ban hunting, restrict gun laws and close 90 percent of gun shops. Several nonpartisan fact-checking groups discredited the claims, but the gun dealers Loewer talked to said the NRA had it right. 'When Obama got elected, I went out and bought a rifle and pistol shells for every weapon I own,' he says. 'I bought $400 worth of ammo.' Not that Loewer feared Armageddon or a race war; he was stocking up in case the warnings from the NRA and the gun dealers came true." Many other gun owners did likewise.
Hull's reference to race is quckly followed by her report that Loewer "has noticed that blacks around Brinkley ... have a newly emboldened attitude. He's heard about people cutting in line at the grocery store or 'doing a little victory dance at the Kwik Shop.' Loewer shrugs. 'If he brings us out of this mess we're in right now, I'll get out in the street and fist-bump with them,' he says." Later in the story, Hull quotes a co-op manager who says local voters see "second- and third-generation blacks who are living in the projects" and think, "How can we expect somebody like Obama to do a good job when they can't even handle things around here?" But he adds, "I think he's a bright guy."
The last encounter is with Loewer's main farmhand, Phil Hicks, who is black, voted for Obama, and isn't worried that an urban president will neglect rural people. "A lot of people from the South just got that mentality," he says, telling Loewer, "I know you ain't nothing like that." To read the full story, click here. For a transcript of Hull's online discussion with Post readers about the story, click here.
Ag, Energy cabinet picks talk alternative energy
Green energy has taken center stage at some Senate confirmation hearings this week, as the secretary-designates of energy and agriculture answered questions on alternative fuels.
Stephen Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist seeking confirmation as energy secretary, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that if wind power is to grow as an alternative energy source, more high-voltage transmission lines are needed. Philip Brasher of The Des Moines Register quotes Chu as saying more study is needed to determine whether higher biofuel blends are feasible for automobiles: "'This is one of the things we have to look at in conjunction with the automobile industry as to whether we can go to E15, E20 and higher,' Chu said, referring to the terms for fuel blends that are 15 percent or 20 percent ethanol. 'This is something on the table.'"(Read more) Stephen Mufson of The Washington Post notes that Chu also tempered some of his previous statements that criticized coal and supported gasoline taxes and a cap-and-trade system for limiting air pollution. (Read more)
Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor up for agriculture secretary, answered questions from the Senate Agriculture Committee and stressed the need to develop second-generation biofuels, in response to concerns over ethanol's impact on the global food supply, Brasher wrote for the Register. (Read more)
Stephen Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist seeking confirmation as energy secretary, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that if wind power is to grow as an alternative energy source, more high-voltage transmission lines are needed. Philip Brasher of The Des Moines Register quotes Chu as saying more study is needed to determine whether higher biofuel blends are feasible for automobiles: "'This is one of the things we have to look at in conjunction with the automobile industry as to whether we can go to E15, E20 and higher,' Chu said, referring to the terms for fuel blends that are 15 percent or 20 percent ethanol. 'This is something on the table.'"(Read more) Stephen Mufson of The Washington Post notes that Chu also tempered some of his previous statements that criticized coal and supported gasoline taxes and a cap-and-trade system for limiting air pollution. (Read more)
Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor up for agriculture secretary, answered questions from the Senate Agriculture Committee and stressed the need to develop second-generation biofuels, in response to concerns over ethanol's impact on the global food supply, Brasher wrote for the Register. (Read more)
Coal-ash spill prompts bills for federal regulations; editor recalls eerily similar incident early in career
The billion-gallon coal-ash spill in East Tennessee has made disposal of such waste "a pressing national environmental concern that has already sparked legislative proposals and the prospect of new regulation," reports Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post.
The issue has been "largely ignored" though the federal government has deliberated on it for three decades, Eilperin reports. Now, she writes, it may move ahead of climate change on the environmental agenda of the new Obama administration.
"Burning coal produces more than 129 million tons annually of combustion waste -- a concentrated ash that includes toxic elements such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, selenium and mercury -- but federal authorities have yet to establish uniform standards for handling it," Eilperin writes, in a good summary of an issue that affects many rural places. (Read more)
The spill was an eerie reprise for Terri Likens, editor of the Roane County News, the paper published in Kingston, Tenn., next to the site. She wrote a recollection:
The spill killed a former postmaster who "had predicted her own fate to a mine safety inspector," recalled Likens, pictured flying over the Roane County spill. "I had already gone back to our newsroom across the county line when one of the searchers’ makeshift probe struck something with a little bounce to it. But I had been there when her son arrived, a strapping man wild-eyed with heartbreak. Some things you never forget." (Read more)
The issue has been "largely ignored" though the federal government has deliberated on it for three decades, Eilperin reports. Now, she writes, it may move ahead of climate change on the environmental agenda of the new Obama administration.
"Burning coal produces more than 129 million tons annually of combustion waste -- a concentrated ash that includes toxic elements such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, selenium and mercury -- but federal authorities have yet to establish uniform standards for handling it," Eilperin writes, in a good summary of an issue that affects many rural places. (Read more)
The spill was an eerie reprise for Terri Likens, editor of the Roane County News, the paper published in Kingston, Tenn., next to the site. She wrote a recollection:
It was a biting cold day in December.
I shivered violently as I looked out at a sea of sludge that had swept down and moved homes from their foundations.
Roane County’s Swan Pond?
No.
Harlan County’s Ages Hollow.
It was Dec. 19, 1981, and I was in Eastern Kentucky covering the first big story of my new career.
A coal slurry pond on the hillside over Ages Hollow — in my mind I always hear the word “holler” — had broken open and swept down on the small village.
The spill killed a former postmaster who "had predicted her own fate to a mine safety inspector," recalled Likens, pictured flying over the Roane County spill. "I had already gone back to our newsroom across the county line when one of the searchers’ makeshift probe struck something with a little bounce to it. But I had been there when her son arrived, a strapping man wild-eyed with heartbreak. Some things you never forget." (Read more)
Internet overtakes papers as source of national and international news; more local focus likely
The Internet is now Americans' No. 2 source for national and international news, surpassing newspapers and second only to television, according to a recent survey by the Pew Center for the People and the Press. The figures suggest that major newspapers are likely to continue their increasing focus on local news, closing Washington and state-capital bureaus and cutting out rural circulation and coverage.Asked their main source of national and international news, with multiple answers allowed, 70 percent of adults named TV, 40 percent named the Internet and 34 percent said newspapers. Last year, the figures were TV 74, newspapers 34 and Internet 24. (Pew chart) Among those 18 to 29, the Internet now equals TV as main source of such news. (Read more)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Miners' widows object to Massey firm's plea deal
Delorice Bragg and Freda Hatfield, widows of two miners killed in a Massey Energy coal mine in January 2006, urged U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver to reject the plea deal being offered to Massey subsidiary Aracoma Coal Co. The plea deal would impose 10 criminal counts, including one felony, and $2.5 million in fines on Aracoma but would not allow federal prosecutors to pursue charges against any Massey employees.
"Under the plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges against parent company Massey or any of its officers or agents," writes Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. "They also agreed that the government 'does not have evidence suggesting that Massey knew, approved or acquiesced in, Aracoma's failure to maintain true and accurate records of escapeway drills.'" Many including Bragg and Hatfield feel Massey employees deserve much of the blame for the deaths.
Aracoma "entered its plea Wednesday, admitting to not providing a proper escape tunnel out of the underground mine, to not conducting required evacuation drills, and to faking a record book so it appeared the drills had been done," Ward reports. Falsification of the evacuation drill record book is the only sort of violation that can draw felony charges under mine safety laws. (Read more) We first reported the settlement in the following blog item.
"Under the plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges against parent company Massey or any of its officers or agents," writes Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. "They also agreed that the government 'does not have evidence suggesting that Massey knew, approved or acquiesced in, Aracoma's failure to maintain true and accurate records of escapeway drills.'" Many including Bragg and Hatfield feel Massey employees deserve much of the blame for the deaths.
Aracoma "entered its plea Wednesday, admitting to not providing a proper escape tunnel out of the underground mine, to not conducting required evacuation drills, and to faking a record book so it appeared the drills had been done," Ward reports. Falsification of the evacuation drill record book is the only sort of violation that can draw felony charges under mine safety laws. (Read more) We first reported the settlement in the following blog item.
Bush administration enacting last-minute rule on toxic Teflon constituent; not enough, groups say
"Less than a week before leaving office, the Bush administration is preparing to issue an emergency health advisory for drinking water polluted with the toxic chemical C8," reports Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. The proposed federal standard, while stronger than the one currently in place, is 10 times weaker than a standard put in place in New Jersey.
"C8 is another name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA," writes Ward. "DuPont Co. has used the chemical since the 1950s at its Washington Works plant south of Parkersburg. C8 is a processing agent used to make Teflon and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant textiles." There is growing evidence that even low levels of C8 and other PFC's in the blood stream can pose health risks.
According to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency advisory obtained by Ward, EPA "plans to recommend reducing consumption of water that contains more than 0.4 parts per billion of C8," he writes. Environmental and health advocacy groups say that is too high a threshold. "This is nothing more than a last-minute bailout by the Bush administration for PFOA polluters that would legalize dangerous levels of Teflon pollution in the tap water of millions of Americans," said Richard Wiles, director of the Environmental Working Group, which has followed the issue closely. (Read more)
"C8 is another name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA," writes Ward. "DuPont Co. has used the chemical since the 1950s at its Washington Works plant south of Parkersburg. C8 is a processing agent used to make Teflon and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant textiles." There is growing evidence that even low levels of C8 and other PFC's in the blood stream can pose health risks.
According to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency advisory obtained by Ward, EPA "plans to recommend reducing consumption of water that contains more than 0.4 parts per billion of C8," he writes. Environmental and health advocacy groups say that is too high a threshold. "This is nothing more than a last-minute bailout by the Bush administration for PFOA polluters that would legalize dangerous levels of Teflon pollution in the tap water of millions of Americans," said Richard Wiles, director of the Environmental Working Group, which has followed the issue closely. (Read more)
House stimulus plan includes money for rural broadband, more for digital-TV converter coupons
UPDATE, Jan. 16: For other rural-related items in the bill, from the Daily Yonder, click here.
The House Appropriations Committee "today released details of an economic stimulus package that would include $6 billion in grants to bring high-speed Internet lines to rural and other underserved areas," reports Cecilia Yang of The Washington Post. The panel "also called for $650 million for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide coupons for consumers to buy converter boxes for the Feb. 17 digital television transition." The coupon program is out of money and is keeping a waiting list.
The broadband and digital TV incentives are part of a larger $825 billion stimulus plan developed by congressional Democrats with President-elect Barack Obama. Freshman rural Democrats are pushing for rural stimulus and are led by Rep. Betsy Markey, D-Colo., who met with members of the Obama economic team to share ideas. (Read more)
During that meeting, Markey "said the only commitment she got from the Obama staffers was that he would push for a two- or three-year extension of the renewable energy production tax credit in his $775 billion stimulus plan," reports Faith Bremner of The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. (Read more)
The House Appropriations Committee "today released details of an economic stimulus package that would include $6 billion in grants to bring high-speed Internet lines to rural and other underserved areas," reports Cecilia Yang of The Washington Post. The panel "also called for $650 million for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide coupons for consumers to buy converter boxes for the Feb. 17 digital television transition." The coupon program is out of money and is keeping a waiting list.
The broadband and digital TV incentives are part of a larger $825 billion stimulus plan developed by congressional Democrats with President-elect Barack Obama. Freshman rural Democrats are pushing for rural stimulus and are led by Rep. Betsy Markey, D-Colo., who met with members of the Obama economic team to share ideas. (Read more)
During that meeting, Markey "said the only commitment she got from the Obama staffers was that he would push for a two- or three-year extension of the renewable energy production tax credit in his $775 billion stimulus plan," reports Faith Bremner of The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. (Read more)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Freshman rural Democrats seek share of stimulus
Twenty House Democratic freshmen who represent primarily rural districts want rural America to have its share of the stimulus plan coming to Congress. "A significant amount of any economic recovery package has to be invested in rural areas, Rep. Betsy Markey and 19 of her colleagues said in a letter today to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi," reports Robert Moore of The Coloradoan in Fort Collins.
"The infrastructure of rural economies is in crisis," the Democrats said. "The economic recovery and reinvestment plan must invest significantly in maintaining and upgrading infrastructure in rural and other distressed communities, which will create local jobs. Among other viable options, the quality of life in rural America can be improved by expanding broadband technology, public transportation, and water and sewage systems."
The letter stemmed from a report by Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, which called for the need to include rural areas in any economic stimulus. (Read more) View the letter and signers here.
"The infrastructure of rural economies is in crisis," the Democrats said. "The economic recovery and reinvestment plan must invest significantly in maintaining and upgrading infrastructure in rural and other distressed communities, which will create local jobs. Among other viable options, the quality of life in rural America can be improved by expanding broadband technology, public transportation, and water and sewage systems."
The letter stemmed from a report by Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, which called for the need to include rural areas in any economic stimulus. (Read more) View the letter and signers here.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
VA gives $22 million to states to care for rural vets
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is giving states $22 million to improve services for rural veterans. "The extra funding is part of a two-year VA program to improve the access and quality of health care for veterans in geographically isolated areas," according to a VA release. "The program focuses on several areas, including access to health care, providing world-class care, the use of the latest technology, recruiting and retaining a highly educated workforce and collaborating with other organizations."
The funds will allow states "to increase the number of mobile clinics, establish new outpatient clinics, expand fee-based care, explore collaborations with federal and community partners, accelerate the use of telemedicine deployment, and fund innovative pilot programs," VA said. To read more and see a state-by-state break down of the available funds, click here.
The funds will allow states "to increase the number of mobile clinics, establish new outpatient clinics, expand fee-based care, explore collaborations with federal and community partners, accelerate the use of telemedicine deployment, and fund innovative pilot programs," VA said. To read more and see a state-by-state break down of the available funds, click here.
Pilot plant making ethanol from corn cobs in S.D.
A new program is testing the viability of using corn cobs to make ethanol. "A pilot-scale facility located at Scotland, S.D., has become the first such plant to produce ethanol from corn cobs," writes Dave Russell of Brownfield. The POET company has set up the pilot facility and says the process has run smoothly and that corn cobs are an excellent source of biomass for ethanol production. (Flickr photo by Dragonseye)
POET CEO Jeff Broin claims there are other benefits to using cobs. "Because they are being grown today, they don’t require farmers to grow a new crop," said Broin. "And there are lots of them, enough to produce 5 billion gallons of ethanol every year, that’s 5 billion gallons of ethanol that can come from what is a waste product today." Broin says a full-scale facility should be operational by 2011. (Read more)
POET CEO Jeff Broin claims there are other benefits to using cobs. "Because they are being grown today, they don’t require farmers to grow a new crop," said Broin. "And there are lots of them, enough to produce 5 billion gallons of ethanol every year, that’s 5 billion gallons of ethanol that can come from what is a waste product today." Broin says a full-scale facility should be operational by 2011. (Read more)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Montana station lays off veteran reporter whose statewide reports had a rural impact
For some time we've reported about metropolitan newspapers abandoning circulation and coverage in rural areas, and now the trend has shown up in broadcasting. A Montana television station has laid off a veteran journalist whose special reports had statewide impact in Montana, especially its vast rural areas, and whose work in freedom of information served journalists nationwide.
Ian Marquand had been at KPAX-TV in Missoula since 1978. "The senior reporter, journalism mentor and open-government advocate was the station's special projects coordinator, a position the station cut to combat the recession," reports Keila Szpaller of The Missoulian. The station's general manager, Bob Hermes, told her, "The need or the opportunity to use a statewide special projects coordinator has kind of changed over time, so it's just an area the company decided to go without given the state of the economy." (Photo by Luke George, University of Montana)
Marquand's final report for the station was a 2½-minute look ahead at stories for Western Montana in 2009, including several of rural interest in a state that was 46 percent rural at the 2000 census. Because your blogger knows Ian and his journalistic skills well, I can say that the only part of the report that was off base was his final line: "See you next year."
As freedom-of-information chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists, including my term as president in 2001-02, Marquand produced Open Doors, a resource book for journalists to use laws on open meetings, courts and records. In 2004, SPJ awarded him the Wells Key, its highest honor to a member, for service to the society. On the FOI Committee's blog, Chairman David Cullier called Ian a "longtime SPJ FOI hero."
Ian says his layoff surprised him, but he is looking forward to life's next phase. He told Szpaller, “It may be that it will be something in television. It may be something elsewhere in journalism. It might be in the academic world,” he said. “I think I bring a certain group of skills that would be useful in a number of areas.” (Read more) I agree. Good luck, my friend.
Ian Marquand had been at KPAX-TV in Missoula since 1978. "The senior reporter, journalism mentor and open-government advocate was the station's special projects coordinator, a position the station cut to combat the recession," reports Keila Szpaller of The Missoulian. The station's general manager, Bob Hermes, told her, "The need or the opportunity to use a statewide special projects coordinator has kind of changed over time, so it's just an area the company decided to go without given the state of the economy." (Photo by Luke George, University of Montana)Marquand's final report for the station was a 2½-minute look ahead at stories for Western Montana in 2009, including several of rural interest in a state that was 46 percent rural at the 2000 census. Because your blogger knows Ian and his journalistic skills well, I can say that the only part of the report that was off base was his final line: "See you next year."
As freedom-of-information chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists, including my term as president in 2001-02, Marquand produced Open Doors, a resource book for journalists to use laws on open meetings, courts and records. In 2004, SPJ awarded him the Wells Key, its highest honor to a member, for service to the society. On the FOI Committee's blog, Chairman David Cullier called Ian a "longtime SPJ FOI hero."
Ian says his layoff surprised him, but he is looking forward to life's next phase. He told Szpaller, “It may be that it will be something in television. It may be something elsewhere in journalism. It might be in the academic world,” he said. “I think I bring a certain group of skills that would be useful in a number of areas.” (Read more) I agree. Good luck, my friend.
TV manufacturers fight delay in digital transition
The lobbying battle over a proposed delay in the Feb. 17 transition to digital television went public today, as the Consumer Electronics Association said a postponement would be confusing, “serious and potentially disruptive.” CEA made its arguments in a letter to John Podesta, co-chair of President-elect Obama's transition team, who last week asked Congress to delay the Feb. 17 mandate, mainly to help poor and rural TV viewers, since the federal coupon program for converter boxes has started and a waiting list has begun.
CEA represents major manufacturers of TVs and other electronic goods. Its president and CEO, Gary Shapiro, said in the letter, “A change in the date could engender skepticism, confusion and distrust the next time government asks them to undertake specific actions in anticipation of a major event. ... With awareness now close to 100 percent, any change will be confusing and difficult to explain,” and perhaps also expensive.
While Podesta's letter to Congress "didn’t mention a date, broadcasters say the date being considered is some time in June," reports Ira Tenowitz of TV Week. "Senate Commerce Committee chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is preparing legislation that is expected to propose a delay." (Read more)
UPDATE, Jan. 13: Two big telecommunications firms are on opposite sides of the issue, with At&T endorsing a three-month delay and Verizon opposing it, Ted Hearn of Multichannel News reports.
CEA represents major manufacturers of TVs and other electronic goods. Its president and CEO, Gary Shapiro, said in the letter, “A change in the date could engender skepticism, confusion and distrust the next time government asks them to undertake specific actions in anticipation of a major event. ... With awareness now close to 100 percent, any change will be confusing and difficult to explain,” and perhaps also expensive.
While Podesta's letter to Congress "didn’t mention a date, broadcasters say the date being considered is some time in June," reports Ira Tenowitz of TV Week. "Senate Commerce Committee chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is preparing legislation that is expected to propose a delay." (Read more)
UPDATE, Jan. 13: Two big telecommunications firms are on opposite sides of the issue, with At&T endorsing a three-month delay and Verizon opposing it, Ted Hearn of Multichannel News reports.
Expect corn output to rise, use and price to fall, USDA says, contrary to market analysts' forecasts
Confounding farm market analysts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated today that U.S. corn production and stocks of the crop would increase in the current marketing year, which ends Aug. 31. USDA also said expected use of corn would decline because of reductions in "livestock feeding, ethanol use and exports," writes Janie Gabbett of MeatingPlace, a news site for the meat industry.
"Market analysts had expected USDA to decrease corn production and expected a much smaller increase in ending stocks," Gabbett reports. The main factor in the forecast for decreased use was ethanol, because producers are losing money. "The projected season-average farm price for corn was lowered 10 cents on each end of the range to $3.55 to $4.25 per bushel."
Gabbett also reports on USDA forecasts for soybeans. While exports are expected to rise on strong demand from China, the projected bean crush is down because of reduced domestic demand. "The U.S. season-average soybean price range for 2008-09 is projected at $8.50 to $9.50 per bushel compared with $8.25 to $9.75 per bushel last month." (Read more)
Jeff Caldwell of Agriculture Online writes, "All eyes now turn to South America, where weather conditions will have a lot to do with crop size there and, in turn, market prices here. And, soybeans will be leading the charge, analysts say." (Read more) For the full USDA crop forecast, click here.
"Market analysts had expected USDA to decrease corn production and expected a much smaller increase in ending stocks," Gabbett reports. The main factor in the forecast for decreased use was ethanol, because producers are losing money. "The projected season-average farm price for corn was lowered 10 cents on each end of the range to $3.55 to $4.25 per bushel."
Gabbett also reports on USDA forecasts for soybeans. While exports are expected to rise on strong demand from China, the projected bean crush is down because of reduced domestic demand. "The U.S. season-average soybean price range for 2008-09 is projected at $8.50 to $9.50 per bushel compared with $8.25 to $9.75 per bushel last month." (Read more)
Jeff Caldwell of Agriculture Online writes, "All eyes now turn to South America, where weather conditions will have a lot to do with crop size there and, in turn, market prices here. And, soybeans will be leading the charge, analysts say." (Read more) For the full USDA crop forecast, click here.
Report finds West Virginia lax on coal slurry dams
Federal investigators from the Office of Surface Mining are finding inconsistencies in the regulation of coal-slurry impoundments by the state of West Virginia. Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette writes, "Department of Environmental Protection officials do not properly apply 'safety zone' rules for impoundments built on top of underground mine workings, according to the report."
The report comes during nervous times in the coal industry, following the highly publicized coal ash spill in Tennessee. (Read more) To view the Gazette's graphic on coal-slurry dam problems, click here.
The report comes during nervous times in the coal industry, following the highly publicized coal ash spill in Tennessee. (Read more) To view the Gazette's graphic on coal-slurry dam problems, click here.
Once-booming towns in the Southeast are feeling more of a bust as unemployment spreads
As the length and severity of the recession continues to increase, areas of the country previously resilient to the economic downturn are beginning to struggle. "For decades, high-growth states like North Carolina, Georgia and many of their neighbors showed extraordinary resiliency during national economic downturns," reports Dan Fitzpatrick of The Wall Street Journal. "But increasingly, the region appears no longer able to stave off the slowdown."
For example, "North Carolina's widely lauded economic transformation of the last three decades -- in which the state diversified away from its dependence on agriculture and textiles and into technology, banking and pharmaceuticals -- is proving no match for what could be the longest and deepest U.S. recession since World War II," Fitzpatrick writes. The state is experiencing a 26-year high in unemployment at 7.9 percent and some experts are predicting double digit unemployment for 2009.
The town of Hickory is indicative of what small towns in the Southeast are experiencing. Fitzpatrick writes, "The area is still a hub for furniture and textile makers, despite plant shutdowns and tens of thousands of layoffs as cheaper foreign labor took its toll."(Read more)
To see state-by-state unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with year-over-year change in percentage points, click here.
For example, "North Carolina's widely lauded economic transformation of the last three decades -- in which the state diversified away from its dependence on agriculture and textiles and into technology, banking and pharmaceuticals -- is proving no match for what could be the longest and deepest U.S. recession since World War II," Fitzpatrick writes. The state is experiencing a 26-year high in unemployment at 7.9 percent and some experts are predicting double digit unemployment for 2009.
The town of Hickory is indicative of what small towns in the Southeast are experiencing. Fitzpatrick writes, "The area is still a hub for furniture and textile makers, despite plant shutdowns and tens of thousands of layoffs as cheaper foreign labor took its toll."(Read more)
To see state-by-state unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with year-over-year change in percentage points, click here.
TVA needs to return to its roots, journalist opines
The recent coal-ash slurry spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's steam plant in Kingston, Tenn., highlights the need to bring the Depression-spawned federal utility back to its research and environmental roots, writes Tom Eblen of the Lexington Herald-Leader, who covered TVA in his days as a reporter in the Southeast.
Former TVA Chairman S. David Freeman told Eblen, "We taught the rest of the nation about flood plain management. We had a civil-service system before the [rest of the] federal government had one. TVA was the fertilizer research center for the whole world, and we developed all kinds of fertilizers. We taught soil conservation to the farmers." But in the 1980s, Congress eliminated many if not most of TVA's non-power programs. "The power part of the system was the tail," Freeman said. "I think what happened over the years was the tail became the dog."
Eblen asks, "What if TVA were tasked with developing renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, or demonstrating new technologies to solve environmental problems? If such a thing as “clean coal” technology really exists, why not have TVA show how it could work?" Sounds logical to us. (Read more)
Former TVA Chairman S. David Freeman told Eblen, "We taught the rest of the nation about flood plain management. We had a civil-service system before the [rest of the] federal government had one. TVA was the fertilizer research center for the whole world, and we developed all kinds of fertilizers. We taught soil conservation to the farmers." But in the 1980s, Congress eliminated many if not most of TVA's non-power programs. "The power part of the system was the tail," Freeman said. "I think what happened over the years was the tail became the dog."
Eblen asks, "What if TVA were tasked with developing renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, or demonstrating new technologies to solve environmental problems? If such a thing as “clean coal” technology really exists, why not have TVA show how it could work?" Sounds logical to us. (Read more)
Farmers cite business skills as key to success, but researchers also cite basic farming knowledge
The financial success of farmers depends on both business savvy and basic agricultural ability, according to a new study by Purdue University. The land-grant school asked some of the most financially successful farmers which of their skills they considered to be most important. The farmers rated their competence in financial and risk management to be most important, but researchers also noticed other factors that indicated success.
“What we found is the success of today’s farmers, as they rated themselves, was more related to their ability to manage livestock, grow crops, and to manage their personnel, some of what we consider more of the basic skills of managing that farm operation," says Bruce Erikson, director of Purdue's Cropping Systems Management. "So we theorize that going into the future those more business type skills will be important, but at least for the success of today’s farmers, it’s the basics that seem to prevail." (Read more)
“What we found is the success of today’s farmers, as they rated themselves, was more related to their ability to manage livestock, grow crops, and to manage their personnel, some of what we consider more of the basic skills of managing that farm operation," says Bruce Erikson, director of Purdue's Cropping Systems Management. "So we theorize that going into the future those more business type skills will be important, but at least for the success of today’s farmers, it’s the basics that seem to prevail." (Read more)
5 adjoining rural states lowest in unemployment
As unemployment last month reached peaks not seen in six decades, five adjoining states with largely rural landscapes had the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Nebraska were all at 3.7 percent or lower in November, compared to 6.7 percent nationally. The following month, the national rate hit 7.2 percent; state rates have not yet been published.
Ernie Goss, an economics professor at Creighton University in Omaha, told Dirk Lammers of The Associated Press that the five states have been "insulated, but not isolated" from the recession. Goss says a more stable housing market, willingness to relocate, and a greater margin of error due to smaller sample sizes may all affect the rates. Other contributing factors may include a history of more cautious lending practices, strong commodity prices for wheat, soybeans and corn, and falling fuel prices. (Read more) We would add as additional factors the oil and gas industries in Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota.
Ernie Goss, an economics professor at Creighton University in Omaha, told Dirk Lammers of The Associated Press that the five states have been "insulated, but not isolated" from the recession. Goss says a more stable housing market, willingness to relocate, and a greater margin of error due to smaller sample sizes may all affect the rates. Other contributing factors may include a history of more cautious lending practices, strong commodity prices for wheat, soybeans and corn, and falling fuel prices. (Read more) We would add as additional factors the oil and gas industries in Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Leahy pushes for aid to rural police in stimulus
Add rural law enforcement to the list of potential beneficiaries of the economic stimulus package being prepared for Congress. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., "this week introduced the Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act, which would authorize $75 million a year over the next five years in new ... grant money for state and local law enforcement in rural states such as Vermont and in rural areas within larger states," Erin Kelly writes for the Burlington Free Press. "The money could be used to hire and train police officers, buy equipment and fund special crime-fighting task forces. The grants also could be used for crime prevention and drug treatment programs."
Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had several law-enforcement officials testify before his panel yesterday, all of whom pushed for restoration of recent cuts in federal support for local police. "The one dissenting voice ... was David Muhlhausen, a senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank," Kelly reports. He said expanding such programs wouldn't stimulate the economy. “The federal government should not become a crutch on which local law enforcement becomes dependent,” he said. (Read more)
Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had several law-enforcement officials testify before his panel yesterday, all of whom pushed for restoration of recent cuts in federal support for local police. "The one dissenting voice ... was David Muhlhausen, a senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank," Kelly reports. He said expanding such programs wouldn't stimulate the economy. “The federal government should not become a crutch on which local law enforcement becomes dependent,” he said. (Read more)
What sort of ash disposal method does your coal-fired power plant use?
The Coalfield Progress, a twice-weekly newspaper in Norton, Va., is doing what should be done by all news organizations that serve readers, listeners and viewers who live near coal-fired power plants or future plant sites: asking questions about ash disposal in the wake of the spill that wrecked a neighborhood in Tennessee (see item below).
"If the coal-ash disposal method that failed Dec. 22 near Knoxville is an apple, then Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed Virginia City coal-ash landfill is an orange, according to company officials," Jeff Lester reports. "Dominion says its plan for burying ash in a lined, state-of-the-art landfill is very different — and much safer — than the Tennessee Valley Authority ash slurry pond that breached in Kingston, Tenn., causing the biggest ash spill in American history."
The Tennessee plant uses wet disposal, which creates a slurry that flows. The Virginia plant, far from a major stream, plans to conserve water and will use dry disposal, Lester writes. (Read more; subscription may be required)
"If the coal-ash disposal method that failed Dec. 22 near Knoxville is an apple, then Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed Virginia City coal-ash landfill is an orange, according to company officials," Jeff Lester reports. "Dominion says its plan for burying ash in a lined, state-of-the-art landfill is very different — and much safer — than the Tennessee Valley Authority ash slurry pond that breached in Kingston, Tenn., causing the biggest ash spill in American history."
The Tennessee plant uses wet disposal, which creates a slurry that flows. The Virginia plant, far from a major stream, plans to conserve water and will use dry disposal, Lester writes. (Read more; subscription may be required)
Leak found, stopped at TVA disposal pond in Ala.
The Tennessee Valley Authority "is investigating a leak from a gypsum pond at its Widows Creek coal-burning plant in northeastern Alabama, a spokesman said at about 10:45 a.m. Central Time," writes Anne Paine of The Tennessean. TVA says was detected at 6 a.m. today and has been stopped. Many safety concerns about waste disposal at coal-fired power plants have been raised following the disaster at the TVA ash pond in Kingston, Tenn.
Some of the material from the Alabama pond flowed into nearby Widows Creek, but according to TVA officials most remained in the pond. "Gypsum is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants when 'scrubbers' are added that use limestone spray to clean air emissions," adds Paine. This pulls sulfur dioxide from the emissions." (Read more)
Some of the material from the Alabama pond flowed into nearby Widows Creek, but according to TVA officials most remained in the pond. "Gypsum is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants when 'scrubbers' are added that use limestone spray to clean air emissions," adds Paine. This pulls sulfur dioxide from the emissions." (Read more)
2008 saw record low number of miners killed
"The number of miners killed on the job in the United States fell to 51 in 2008, the fewest number of deaths since officials began keeping records nearly a century ago, according to preliminary data released by federal regulators Thursday," writes Roger Alford of The Associated Press. The historic low follows two years in which the number of mining fatalities rose, largely because of coal-mine disasters. Coal mines accounted for 29 of last year's deaths, compared to 34 in 2007. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration reported that 22 deaths occured in other types of mines, down from 33 in 2007.
As beefed-up mine safety regulations helped bring down the number of mining deaths in 2008, it was also the first year that mine safety inspectors were able to complete all mandated mine reviews. MSHA added 360 inspectors and paid $10 million in overtime to complete the task. "Inspectors issued nearly 167,000 citations for safety violations in 2008, up from 130,000 the year before," writes Alford. "The federal agency fined mine operators $194 million in 2008 for safety violations. That was the largest amount of fines in the agency's history, up from $130 million in 2007."(Read more)
As beefed-up mine safety regulations helped bring down the number of mining deaths in 2008, it was also the first year that mine safety inspectors were able to complete all mandated mine reviews. MSHA added 360 inspectors and paid $10 million in overtime to complete the task. "Inspectors issued nearly 167,000 citations for safety violations in 2008, up from 130,000 the year before," writes Alford. "The federal agency fined mine operators $194 million in 2008 for safety violations. That was the largest amount of fines in the agency's history, up from $130 million in 2007."(Read more)
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Chair of Obama transition calls for digital TV delay
Congress should delay the Feb. 17 switch to digital television because the nation, especially many rural viewers, are unlikely to be prepared for it, President-elect Barack Obama's transition co-chairman told congressional leaders in a letter today.
John Podesta cited the new waiting list for $40 federal coupons for digital converter boxes and "problems with the government's effort to educate the public about the switch and help prepare people, particularly the elderly, poor and those living in rural areas," report Jim Puzzanghera and Christi Parsons of the Tribune Co. Washington Bureau.
"Podesta said in the letter that 1 million requests are on the waiting list and the number could climb to more than 5 million by early February," Tribune reports. "Obama supports waiving federal rules to allow the Commerce Department to start sending out more coupons' rather than waiting for coupons already issued to expire." He also plans to include more money for the coupon program in his stimulus package; broadcasters favor that instead of a delay. They "have spent billions of dollars preparing for the transition and are eager to turn off their old analog signals." But Consumers Union favors a delay, "and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), the incoming head of a House subcommittee with oversight over telecommunications, said Thursday that he is considering a delay." (Read more)
John Podesta cited the new waiting list for $40 federal coupons for digital converter boxes and "problems with the government's effort to educate the public about the switch and help prepare people, particularly the elderly, poor and those living in rural areas," report Jim Puzzanghera and Christi Parsons of the Tribune Co. Washington Bureau.
"Podesta said in the letter that 1 million requests are on the waiting list and the number could climb to more than 5 million by early February," Tribune reports. "Obama supports waiving federal rules to allow the Commerce Department to start sending out more coupons' rather than waiting for coupons already issued to expire." He also plans to include more money for the coupon program in his stimulus package; broadcasters favor that instead of a delay. They "have spent billions of dollars preparing for the transition and are eager to turn off their old analog signals." But Consumers Union favors a delay, "and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), the incoming head of a House subcommittee with oversight over telecommunications, said Thursday that he is considering a delay." (Read more)
Obama includes rural broadband in stimulus plan
President-elect Barack Obama said today that his massive economic stimulus program includes "expanding broadband across America, so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world." Obama had called for action on rural broadband throughout his campaign and after the election.
"Most industry players concede that there needs to be greater stimulus for broadband rollout, but there are disagreements over how relevant the rankings are given that some of the leading countries are smaller and easier to wire. They also disagree on the best way to close the gap," John Eggerton reports for Broadcasting & Cable. "One proposal the FCC has been considering is to reform the government-run, telecommunications company-funded subsidy of rural telecommunications to underserved communities, the Universal Service Fund, to help fund the broadband rollout. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has also proposed creating a baseline free Internet service as part of an upcoming auction a national spectrum license, and recently agreed to allow unlicensed devices like laptops to share broadcast spectrum, in part to boost broadband penetration." (Read more)
"Most industry players concede that there needs to be greater stimulus for broadband rollout, but there are disagreements over how relevant the rankings are given that some of the leading countries are smaller and easier to wire. They also disagree on the best way to close the gap," John Eggerton reports for Broadcasting & Cable. "One proposal the FCC has been considering is to reform the government-run, telecommunications company-funded subsidy of rural telecommunications to underserved communities, the Universal Service Fund, to help fund the broadband rollout. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has also proposed creating a baseline free Internet service as part of an upcoming auction a national spectrum license, and recently agreed to allow unlicensed devices like laptops to share broadcast spectrum, in part to boost broadband penetration." (Read more)
Buyer found for Conn. papers in danger of closing
A buyer has been found for five small newspapers in central Connecticut that the financially troubled Journal Register Co. planned to close next week. Michael Schroeder, a Long Island media consultant and former publisher of a free commuter daily in Boston, has signed a letter of intent to buy the Bristol Press and the New Britain Herald, 9,000-circulation papers that have a combined Sunday edition, and three weeklies: the Wethersfield Post, the Newington Town Crier and the Rocky Hill Post.
"The move to save the papers became something of a community cause as Mayors Timothy Stewart, of New Britain, and Art Ward, of Bristol, along with state Reps. Tim O’Brien, Betty Boukus and Frank Nicastro and others worked to keep them open and functioning as a service to their constituents," the Press reported. In a news conference at the state Capitiol, Schroeder indicated that the papers, not far from the capital of Hatford, need to strengthen their community connections: “I’m here to give enough time so the community can save the papers.” Press reporter Jackie Majerus paraphrased him as saying "The papers are going to need subscribers, advertisers and community support to make it work." (Read more)
"Just who is Schroeder?" asks Lynn Doan of The Hartford Courant. "He's getting into the newspaper business as the industry faces fundamental change, but those who know him say he might be just the person to resurrect the Press, Herald and three weeklies that come with the deal." Schoreder was a copy editor and later chief of staff to the publisher of Newsday on Long Island. (Read more) For Press reporter Steve Collins' blog on efforts to save the paper, click here.
UPDATE, Jan. 13: Schroeder's plan for changes at the papers "could be one of the most remarkable experiments in media anywhere in America," Courant columnist Rick Green writes.
"The move to save the papers became something of a community cause as Mayors Timothy Stewart, of New Britain, and Art Ward, of Bristol, along with state Reps. Tim O’Brien, Betty Boukus and Frank Nicastro and others worked to keep them open and functioning as a service to their constituents," the Press reported. In a news conference at the state Capitiol, Schroeder indicated that the papers, not far from the capital of Hatford, need to strengthen their community connections: “I’m here to give enough time so the community can save the papers.” Press reporter Jackie Majerus paraphrased him as saying "The papers are going to need subscribers, advertisers and community support to make it work." (Read more)
"Just who is Schroeder?" asks Lynn Doan of The Hartford Courant. "He's getting into the newspaper business as the industry faces fundamental change, but those who know him say he might be just the person to resurrect the Press, Herald and three weeklies that come with the deal." Schoreder was a copy editor and later chief of staff to the publisher of Newsday on Long Island. (Read more) For Press reporter Steve Collins' blog on efforts to save the paper, click here.
UPDATE, Jan. 13: Schroeder's plan for changes at the papers "could be one of the most remarkable experiments in media anywhere in America," Courant columnist Rick Green writes.
Sharper decline in number of students in rural Alaska suggests rural population is shrinking
As Alaska officials attempt to determine how many rural residents have migrated to the state's only urban area, in and around Anchorage, they are trying to find out how many students have left rural schools. State researchers ... report that rural schools lost 1,802 students in the last five years," writes Alex DeMarban of the Daily News-Miner in Fairbanks, but there have been some problems in using these statistics.
In the same period, the number of urban students declined by 204, and one would expect that number to have risen if rural students were migrating. A decrease in the birth rate is a likely factor. "The Alaska birth rate has fallen in recent years, dropping from 24.4 for every 1,000 residents in the 1980s to 15.4 in 2005-2006," DeMarban writes.
The review of student populations is part of a larger effort to determine at overall population trends in Alaska. What the rural student numbers clearly suggest is that the state's rural population, 34 percent of the total at the 2000 census, is in decline. (Read more)
An earlier blog here, citing an article from the Anchorage Daily, found that much of the data about the migration from Alaska's rural school population has been exaggerated.
In the same period, the number of urban students declined by 204, and one would expect that number to have risen if rural students were migrating. A decrease in the birth rate is a likely factor. "The Alaska birth rate has fallen in recent years, dropping from 24.4 for every 1,000 residents in the 1980s to 15.4 in 2005-2006," DeMarban writes.
The review of student populations is part of a larger effort to determine at overall population trends in Alaska. What the rural student numbers clearly suggest is that the state's rural population, 34 percent of the total at the 2000 census, is in decline. (Read more)
An earlier blog here, citing an article from the Anchorage Daily, found that much of the data about the migration from Alaska's rural school population has been exaggerated.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Democrats plan bill to void late Bush regulations
Congressional Democrats are preparing bills to reverse a host of reguations adopted by the Bush administration in its final weeks, apparently including one intended to remove legal and technical obstacles to mountaintop-removal mining of coal. So reports Joaquin Sapien of ProPublica, citing The American Prospect, a liberal magazine.
The Prospect's Tapped blog reports that one of the first 10 Senate bills will be the "Returning Government to the American People Act, to return the government to the people by reviewing controversial 'midnight regulations' issued in the waning days of the Bush administration. Senate Democrats plan "to provide the new administration legislative authority, if it doesn't have it already, to review (and presumably deny) the last administration's late regulations." (Read more)
The Prospect's Tapped blog reports that one of the first 10 Senate bills will be the "Returning Government to the American People Act, to return the government to the people by reviewing controversial 'midnight regulations' issued in the waning days of the Bush administration. Senate Democrats plan "to provide the new administration legislative authority, if it doesn't have it already, to review (and presumably deny) the last administration's late regulations." (Read more)
In agreement with EPA, Perdue will help its contract poultry farmers limit water pollution
Perdue Farms has agreed with the Environmental Protection Agency "to implement a four-year program aimed at protecting waters in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast" over the next four years, reports Janie Gabbett of MeatingPlace. "The agreement grew out of a pilot program initiated by EPA and Perdue on the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia," Gabbett writes. The agreement is especially important for the Chesapeake Bay.
"Beginning in 2007, EPA and Perdue provided training and assistance to the largest independent contract poultry farms growing for Perdue throughout the peninsula," EPA said in a press release. The training helps farmers control water runoff and manage chicken litter. Under the agreement, each Perdue plant will have a management system "to reduce environmental impacts and increase operating efficiency," EPA said. "The initiative also will include an awards program to recognize poultry farms that demonstrate environmental excellence in protecting and restoring waterways." For a copy of the agreement, click here.
"Beginning in 2007, EPA and Perdue provided training and assistance to the largest independent contract poultry farms growing for Perdue throughout the peninsula," EPA said in a press release. The training helps farmers control water runoff and manage chicken litter. Under the agreement, each Perdue plant will have a management system "to reduce environmental impacts and increase operating efficiency," EPA said. "The initiative also will include an awards program to recognize poultry farms that demonstrate environmental excellence in protecting and restoring waterways." For a copy of the agreement, click here.
As housing bubble burst, rural had less air to lose
The burst of the housing bubble was a largely urban phenomenon. "From early 2007 until the third quarter of '08, housing prices in rural areas have risen by two percent on average, according to figures released by the Office for Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight," writes Bill Bishop of the Daily Yonder. "During the same period, metro housing prices have declined by nearly 8 percent."
Rural home values didn't drop as sharply because, as the graph shows, they did not experience a steep price increase that preceded the decline in urban home values that followed. "There was less rise in rural home prices from 2000 to 2005 so there was less air in the bubble when it finally popped," Bishop writes.
Not all rural areas were able to avoid the sharp decline in home values. Some areas of Pacific Coats states have seen a sizable decline in home values since 2007. However, "In the West South Central region (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana), an area where rural communities have been bolstered by a strong energy-producing and agriculture economy, housing prices outside the cities have continued to grow despite the national bust," Bishop notes. Read an earlier post on the rural housing market by clicking here.
(Read more)
Rural home values didn't drop as sharply because, as the graph shows, they did not experience a steep price increase that preceded the decline in urban home values that followed. "There was less rise in rural home prices from 2000 to 2005 so there was less air in the bubble when it finally popped," Bishop writes.Not all rural areas were able to avoid the sharp decline in home values. Some areas of Pacific Coats states have seen a sizable decline in home values since 2007. However, "In the West South Central region (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana), an area where rural communities have been bolstered by a strong energy-producing and agriculture economy, housing prices outside the cities have continued to grow despite the national bust," Bishop notes. Read an earlier post on the rural housing market by clicking here.
(Read more)
Coal-ash dump sites are unmonitored, unregulated
In wake of the coal-ash pond breach in East Tennessee last month (Associated Press photo), The New York Times reports that many of 1,300 similar dump sites in the U.S. remain unregulated and unmonitored. The sites contain toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury and selenium, which according to the Environmental Protection Agency threaten both water supplies and human health, and are not subject to any federal regulation.The coal industry has even been seeking "beneficial uses" for coal ash as a means of dealing with the huge quantities of waste from burning coal. "In 2007, according to a coal industry estimate, 50 tons of fly ash even went to agricultural uses, like improving soil’s ability to hold water, despite a 1999 EPA warning about high levels of arsenic, writes the Times' Shaila Dewan. "The industry has promoted the reuse of coal combustion products because of the growing amount of them being produced each year — 131 million tons in 2007, up from less than 90 million tons in 1990."
There have been numerous reports of water contamination from coal-ash dumps across the country. "In 2007, an EPA report identified 63 sites in 26 states where the water was contaminated by heavy metals from such dumps, including three other Tennessee Valley Authority dumps," adds Dewan. "Environmental advocacy groups have submitted at least 17 additional cases that they say should be added to that list." (Read more)
Kentucky coal companies stop fighting bill that would require emergency plans for slurry spills
Kentucky's coal industry has dropped its opposition to legislation that requires emergency plans for action in the event of coal slurry disasters. "We recognize the need. It's the right thing to do," Bill Caylor, president of the Kentucky Coal Association, told Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Kentyucky has 64 coal-slurry impoundments that are considered "high-hazard," meaning that a dam break would pose high potential for death or serious structural damage. Many residents at risk began lobbying for legislation requiring emergency plans after a dam broke in Martin County in 2000. Though the damage was largely to creekside property, many believe it could easily have been much worse, because residents were not immediately notified of the breach.
Caylor says coal-industry opposition has never been to the implementation of emergency plans, but to legislation that unfairly targets slurry impoundments. He says that legislation should apply to all high-hazard dams. Kentucky is one of 10 states that do not yet require such plans. (Read more)
Kentyucky has 64 coal-slurry impoundments that are considered "high-hazard," meaning that a dam break would pose high potential for death or serious structural damage. Many residents at risk began lobbying for legislation requiring emergency plans after a dam broke in Martin County in 2000. Though the damage was largely to creekside property, many believe it could easily have been much worse, because residents were not immediately notified of the breach.
Caylor says coal-industry opposition has never been to the implementation of emergency plans, but to legislation that unfairly targets slurry impoundments. He says that legislation should apply to all high-hazard dams. Kentucky is one of 10 states that do not yet require such plans. (Read more)
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Rural stock index scored better than the bigs in '08
The Daily Yonder summarized the 2008 performance of the "Yonder 40," the 40 stocks it has picked to represent the rural economy, and found that those stocks beat the Dow Jones Industrial Index, the NASDAQ composite and the Standard and Poor's 500. The Yonder 40 was down 31.3 percent , compared to -34% for the Dow, -38% for S&P, and -40.5% for NASDAQ.
"The Yonder 40 was helped by having some of the best performing stocks in the major indices," co-editor Bill Bishop writes. "The two best stocks in the S&P 500 in 2008 were UST, the smokeless tobacco producer, and Family Dollar, the Main Street retailer," while "Wal-Mart, a DY 40 stalwart, was one of only two stocks among the 30 companies in the Dow Industrials to show positive returns in 2008." (Read more)
"The Yonder 40 was helped by having some of the best performing stocks in the major indices," co-editor Bill Bishop writes. "The two best stocks in the S&P 500 in 2008 were UST, the smokeless tobacco producer, and Family Dollar, the Main Street retailer," while "Wal-Mart, a DY 40 stalwart, was one of only two stocks among the 30 companies in the Dow Industrials to show positive returns in 2008." (Read more)
Rural housing prices more stable than in metros
Rural housing prices have remained more stable than their metropolitan counterparts during the recent crisis, according to a study published in The Main Street Economist, a publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Chad Wilkerson, a vice-president of the bank, attributes that to "better fundamentals in home prices" in rural areas. He notes that rural housing prices have always been more closely related to household income than in urban areas, so there was less of a "bubble" in rural areas. Also, new home construction in rural areas slowed at the first sign of the economic crisis, which left fewer unsold houses to drive down prices.
The rural housing market is not immune from the crisis, though. While not experiencing the housing inflation seen in metropolitan areas, rural areas did see housing prices grow slightly faster than incomes, a trend that Wilkerson says "may need to unwind somewhat." He adds, "With commodity prices falling sharply in late 2008, many rural economies are bracing for slower economic growth heading forward -- and, in turn, softer demand for housing." (Read more)
Chad Wilkerson, a vice-president of the bank, attributes that to "better fundamentals in home prices" in rural areas. He notes that rural housing prices have always been more closely related to household income than in urban areas, so there was less of a "bubble" in rural areas. Also, new home construction in rural areas slowed at the first sign of the economic crisis, which left fewer unsold houses to drive down prices.
The rural housing market is not immune from the crisis, though. While not experiencing the housing inflation seen in metropolitan areas, rural areas did see housing prices grow slightly faster than incomes, a trend that Wilkerson says "may need to unwind somewhat." He adds, "With commodity prices falling sharply in late 2008, many rural economies are bracing for slower economic growth heading forward -- and, in turn, softer demand for housing." (Read more)
RIP: Verna Mae Slone, writer, homemaker, cultural historian and a face of Appalachia
Appalachia lost one of its most authentic chroniclers yesterday, when Verna Mae Slone died at the age of 94. Slone, who lived most of her life in Pippa Passes, Ky., population 300, was best known for her first book, What My Heart Wants to Tell, which was published when she was 65. She went on to write five more books. "I often referred to her as the Grandma Moses of the mountains," Mike Mullins, longtime director of the Hindman Settlement School, told Tom Eblen of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
"In simple language, Slone wrote about life and the importance of family, community and the fast-disappearing culture of her beloved Eastern Kentucky mountains," Eblen writes. But along with serving as a voice for Appalachia, she also became a face of it when a 1993 photograph, right, by Barbara Beirne was the centerpiece of Beirne's "Women of Appalachia" exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. "Verna Mae Slone was a gracious, dignified, intelligent woman," Beirne said Monday. "Everyone who views her photograph seems aware that they have been introduced to a very special person."
Slone became a writer after reading transcripts of oral histories she gave the settlement school. In addition to her books, she also wrote a column for the local weekly, the Troublesome Creek Times. The paper still has five community correspondents, plus a local music columnist. (Read more)
"In simple language, Slone wrote about life and the importance of family, community and the fast-disappearing culture of her beloved Eastern Kentucky mountains," Eblen writes. But along with serving as a voice for Appalachia, she also became a face of it when a 1993 photograph, right, by Barbara Beirne was the centerpiece of Beirne's "Women of Appalachia" exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. "Verna Mae Slone was a gracious, dignified, intelligent woman," Beirne said Monday. "Everyone who views her photograph seems aware that they have been introduced to a very special person."Slone became a writer after reading transcripts of oral histories she gave the settlement school. In addition to her books, she also wrote a column for the local weekly, the Troublesome Creek Times. The paper still has five community correspondents, plus a local music columnist. (Read more)
Study confirms long-held suspicion that when local budgets get tight, cops write more traffic tickets
A new study has confirmed what many have long suspected: when local government budgets tighten, more traffic tickets are written, at least in North Carolina. After getting a speeding ticket, Thomas A. Garrett, an assistant vice president at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, teamed with Gary A. Wagner, an economist at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, to study the correlation between local economies and traffic citations.
The study, "Red Ink in the Rearview Mirror," examined 96 North Carolina counties over 14 years, and found, that "controlling for other factors, a 1 percentage point drop in local government revenue leads to a roughly .32 percentage point increase in the number of traffic tickets in the following year, a statistically significant connection," reports Todd Frankel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Garrett said the study does not dispute that public safety remains at the heart of ticket-writing, but he said the study shows that political and economic interests affect how much emphasis is placed on writing tickets." (Read more)
The findings would not apply to all states. For example, when Kentucky unified its state judicial system in the mid-1970s, local governments stopped getting revenue from fines. They still get an annual appropriation from the state, based on the revenue they were generating then.
The study, "Red Ink in the Rearview Mirror," examined 96 North Carolina counties over 14 years, and found, that "controlling for other factors, a 1 percentage point drop in local government revenue leads to a roughly .32 percentage point increase in the number of traffic tickets in the following year, a statistically significant connection," reports Todd Frankel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Garrett said the study does not dispute that public safety remains at the heart of ticket-writing, but he said the study shows that political and economic interests affect how much emphasis is placed on writing tickets." (Read more)
The findings would not apply to all states. For example, when Kentucky unified its state judicial system in the mid-1970s, local governments stopped getting revenue from fines. They still get an annual appropriation from the state, based on the revenue they were generating then.
Developer drops bid for change that would have let federal forest roads be paved for development
We recently reported on controversial plans by the U.S. Forest Service to change its road easements, allowing the paving of logging roads through naitonal forests for residential development on adjacent tracts. But today, The Missoulian reports that the developer pushing for the change has backed off, citing public opposition as the primary factor.
“Although we continue to believe that the easement amendment would be beneficial to the general public, given the lack of receptivity, we have decided not to go forward with the amendment,” Plum Creek Timber Co. President and CEO Rick Holley wrote in a letter to Montana's Missoula County. The company had been working with Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey to amend the company's easements, which traditionally have been understood to allow roads only for timber transportation.
"The argument over the scope of the easements, in fact, remains far from resolved," writes Michael Jamison. County Commissioner Jean Curtiss "said Plum Creek has removed the urgency created by Rey's departure," which will come as the Bush administration ends. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Plum Creek's move will help create a more transparent process in deciding on how to interpret the easements: “If this is a good deal for the public, then there's no harm in taking the time to work through it properly." (Read more)
“Although we continue to believe that the easement amendment would be beneficial to the general public, given the lack of receptivity, we have decided not to go forward with the amendment,” Plum Creek Timber Co. President and CEO Rick Holley wrote in a letter to Montana's Missoula County. The company had been working with Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey to amend the company's easements, which traditionally have been understood to allow roads only for timber transportation.
"The argument over the scope of the easements, in fact, remains far from resolved," writes Michael Jamison. County Commissioner Jean Curtiss "said Plum Creek has removed the urgency created by Rey's departure," which will come as the Bush administration ends. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Plum Creek's move will help create a more transparent process in deciding on how to interpret the easements: “If this is a good deal for the public, then there's no harm in taking the time to work through it properly." (Read more)
Immigration raids may have paved the way for unionization of America's largest pork plant
The recent unionization of the largest pork processing plant in the U.S., Smithfield Foods' plant in Tar Heel, N.C., may have been driven by immigration raids that purged the plant of undocumented workers wary of the idea.
"The 2007 raids purged the Bladen County plant of illegal Hispanic workers, and left behind a majority of native workers more likely to support unionization," writes Kristin Collins of The News & Observer of Raleigh. "According to the company, the share of Hispanic workers has shrunk from about half in early 2007 to one quarter today. Black people now make up 54 percent of the plant's work force. ... Labor experts say blacks are traditionally more supportive of unions than other races or ethnic groups."
A pro-union employee who is a U.S. citizen of Dominican descent told Collins that the raids left even legal workers at the 5,000-employee plant "too frightened to speak up for unionization," as Collins put it. But company and union officials dismissed the ethincity factor. A United Food and Commercial Workers spokesman "said the key to the union victory was not the exodus of Hispanics, but bridging the divides between races," Collins writes. (Read more)
"The 2007 raids purged the Bladen County plant of illegal Hispanic workers, and left behind a majority of native workers more likely to support unionization," writes Kristin Collins of The News & Observer of Raleigh. "According to the company, the share of Hispanic workers has shrunk from about half in early 2007 to one quarter today. Black people now make up 54 percent of the plant's work force. ... Labor experts say blacks are traditionally more supportive of unions than other races or ethnic groups."
A pro-union employee who is a U.S. citizen of Dominican descent told Collins that the raids left even legal workers at the 5,000-employee plant "too frightened to speak up for unionization," as Collins put it. But company and union officials dismissed the ethincity factor. A United Food and Commercial Workers spokesman "said the key to the union victory was not the exodus of Hispanics, but bridging the divides between races," Collins writes. (Read more)
Coalition urges an end to wildlife killings by USDA
"A coalition of 115 conservation, animal protection, ranching, and faith-based organizations from across the United States today sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for agriculture secretary asking that he halt the government slaughter of millions of wild animals, including wolves, coyotes, bears, cougars, and prairie dogs," according to the Environmental News Service. These groups argue that the killing of these animals is bad for the environment, because carnivores are "keystone species," and that money spent on the killings could be used to educate people to reduce contact with the animals. Former Iowa Gov, Tom Vilsack is Obama's choice for secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Read more)
Monday, January 05, 2009
Need a federal coupon for a digital TV converter? You'll have to wait; the program is out of money
Next month's transition to digital television, which is bound to be troublesome for many rural Americans, just got more troublesome. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced today that the program to provide $40 coupons for digital converter boxes has exhausted its $1.34 billion budget, "weeks sooner than anyone expected," because of heavy news coverage of the issue over the holidays, writes Ira Teinowitz of TVWeek.
"Instead of getting a coupon, consumers on the list will be notified there will be a delay," Teinowitz reports. "Through Feb. 11, about 351,000 coupons are expected to expire unused each week, and the same number then can be issued. Because more consumers applied for coupons in November and December, the number that will expire later in February and March also will grow, but that will come after the Feb. 17 DTV transition." (Read more)
"Members of Congress are now scrambling to find ways to allocate more money to the program," reports Kim Hart of The Washington Post. "Congress could solve the funding shortfall by approving more money for the program or waiving the rule to allow the NTIA to issue new coupons without waiting for unredeemed ones to expire." (Read more)
The switch to digital TV is a major story in rural America, but one that many rural journalists may have difficulty covering because it's an unfamiliar subject and the sources are mostly in Washington. The National Press Foundation is sponsoring a free, 75-minute webinar on the subject on Jan. 22. Space is limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, click here.
"Instead of getting a coupon, consumers on the list will be notified there will be a delay," Teinowitz reports. "Through Feb. 11, about 351,000 coupons are expected to expire unused each week, and the same number then can be issued. Because more consumers applied for coupons in November and December, the number that will expire later in February and March also will grow, but that will come after the Feb. 17 DTV transition." (Read more)
"Members of Congress are now scrambling to find ways to allocate more money to the program," reports Kim Hart of The Washington Post. "Congress could solve the funding shortfall by approving more money for the program or waiving the rule to allow the NTIA to issue new coupons without waiting for unredeemed ones to expire." (Read more)
The switch to digital TV is a major story in rural America, but one that many rural journalists may have difficulty covering because it's an unfamiliar subject and the sources are mostly in Washington. The National Press Foundation is sponsoring a free, 75-minute webinar on the subject on Jan. 22. Space is limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, click here.
Towns seek new solutions to rising salt prices
High salt prices have some towns getting creative when it comes to keeping ice off their roads. A couple of recent articles have examined solutions to salt prices that have almost doubled since last year, a rise which has strained many towns' already-squeezed budgets.
The Wall Street Journal reports many towns are abandoning traditional road salt outright, or making their own concoctions. "We're sort of experimenting," says Ted Hubbard, the chief deputy county engineer in Hamilton County, Ohio, where road salt is being mixed with ash residue from coal-fired power plants. Other towns have tried garlic salt, molasses and "a rum-production byproduct that smells like soy sauce," write Ilan Brat and Timothy W. Martin. (Read more)
Some Midwestern states and localities, on the other hand, are finding that buying salt together is helping to defray costs and combat price gouging, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Investigators also found price discrepancies in Indiana and Kentucky, where some local governments were paying up to 50 percent less than their counterparts just across the border in Ohio," writes Scott Williams. As a result, the Ohio Department of Transportation is recommending interstate cooperation with states such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa in purchasing road salt, saying that "coordination instead of competition among other states could reduce the likelihood of unbalanced shortages and supplies." (Read more)
To read The Rural Blog's previous coverage of road salt, click here and here.
The Wall Street Journal reports many towns are abandoning traditional road salt outright, or making their own concoctions. "We're sort of experimenting," says Ted Hubbard, the chief deputy county engineer in Hamilton County, Ohio, where road salt is being mixed with ash residue from coal-fired power plants. Other towns have tried garlic salt, molasses and "a rum-production byproduct that smells like soy sauce," write Ilan Brat and Timothy W. Martin. (Read more)
Some Midwestern states and localities, on the other hand, are finding that buying salt together is helping to defray costs and combat price gouging, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Investigators also found price discrepancies in Indiana and Kentucky, where some local governments were paying up to 50 percent less than their counterparts just across the border in Ohio," writes Scott Williams. As a result, the Ohio Department of Transportation is recommending interstate cooperation with states such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa in purchasing road salt, saying that "coordination instead of competition among other states could reduce the likelihood of unbalanced shortages and supplies." (Read more)
To read The Rural Blog's previous coverage of road salt, click here and here.
Study says 1/3 of veterans show signs of depression, a major risk factor for suicide
About a third of veterans treated at Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities show signs of depression, a serious risk factor for suicide among them, a study by the University of Michigan Health System found. That is significant for rural areas, since rural inhabitants make up a disproportionately large amount of military recruits and the VA has had difficilty getting mental-health services to rural areas.
The researchers recommended that patients, in the 12 weeks after seeking treatment, should receive intensive treatment for depression to prevent suicidal behavior. Marcia Valenstein, M.D., clinical psychiatrist with the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and associate professor of psychiatry with the University of Michigan Health System said the study shows "the need for very close follow-up for patients who are discharged from our inpatient services because this is a particularly vulnerable time for them."
The VA has made the isssue a priority by giving $300 million to expand suicide prevention and other mental-health services. (Read more)
Lovers of the land call for farm programs against soil loss and degradation, for rural communities
One of the first New Deal farm programs was the Soil Conservation Service, successor to the inaptly named Soil Erosion Service. Now it's part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, but the ethic of soil stewardship lives on in county soil conservation districts -- and in the minds of thoughtful folks like farmer-author Wendell Berry of Kentucky, right, and Wes Jackson, a plant geneticist and president of The Land Institute in Salina, Kan. In The New York Times today, they call attention to the parlous health of our nation's soil.Soil "is as nonrenewable as (and far more valuable than) oil. Unlike oil, it has no technological substitute — and no powerful friends in the halls of government," they write. Soil erosion and depletion "never enough noticed, has been made worse by the huge monocultures and continuous soil-exposure of the agriculture we now practice. To the problem of soil loss, the industrialization of agriculture has added pollution by toxic chemicals, now universally present in our farmlands and streams. ... Clearly, our present ways of agriculture are not sustainable, and so our food supply is not sustainable. We must restore ecological health to our agricultural landscapes, as well as economic and cultural stability to our rural communities."
Berry and Jackson recommend a return to crop rotations that include pasture for hay and grazing, and the "more radical response" of research to develop perennial versions of major grain crops. (Rye may offer the best immediate prospect.) And they call for "a national agricultural policy that is based upon ecological principles. We need a 50-year farm bill that addresses forthrightly the problems of soil loss and degradation, toxic pollution, fossil-fuel dependency and the destruction of rural communities." (Read more)
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Daughter of Stinking Creek author returns, tells story of two women who made big differences
Forty years ago, John Fetterman was a top writer at The Courier-Journal in Louisville and spent much of his time chronicling the tribulations of Appalachia, in particular the communities along Stinking Creek in the southeastern corner of the state. He wrote a book, Stinking Creek, and won a Pulitzer Prize for a C-J Magazine story on the funeral of a mountain soldier killed in Vietnam. John Fetterman died young, but took his daughter Mindy to Stinking Creek with him and inspired her to be a journalist. In the last year or so she went back, to report on life there for USA Today, for which she has been a reporter and is now manager of enterprise and innovation.
The result was an insipring story that ran over the holidays in USA Today, The C-J and surely some other Gannett Co. Inc. newspapers, accompanied by an online photo gallery and video. It told the tale of a teacher-farmer, Irma Gall, and a nurse-midwife, Peggy Kemner, left, who had spent 50 years on the creek, educating and serving generations of families with a wide range of health, social, youth and community services -- and are still doing it through tribulations of their own, such as the osteoporosis that has bent Kemner's back. (Photo by Garrett Hubbard)
The result was an insipring story that ran over the holidays in USA Today, The C-J and surely some other Gannett Co. Inc. newspapers, accompanied by an online photo gallery and video. It told the tale of a teacher-farmer, Irma Gall, and a nurse-midwife, Peggy Kemner, left, who had spent 50 years on the creek, educating and serving generations of families with a wide range of health, social, youth and community services -- and are still doing it through tribulations of their own, such as the osteoporosis that has bent Kemner's back. (Photo by Garrett Hubbard)"Quietly, they advocated birth control and education for women," Fetterman wrote. "Viewed at first with suspicion and distrust, the women known as "the nurses" have, over the decades, proved how much hands-on caring can make a difference in the lives of individuals. ... As family size shrank, the abject poverty that encased Stinking Creek began to ease. The mountains opened up, and the people could see out."
Fetterman says in the video, "I realized that these two women have had as much impact on Stinking Creek as the federal government's War on Poverty," which provides a national frame for her story. To read it, view the photo gallery and watch the video, all of which are worth your time, click here.
Forest Service plans to amend easements, allowing logging roads to be paved for subdivisions
In its final days, the Bush administration is preparing to change U.S. Forest Service easements to "make it far easier for mountain forests to be converted to housing subdivisions," by allowing logging roads to to paved, Karl Vick reports for The Washington Post.
Vick reports that Mark Rey, a former timber-industry lobbyist who is the agriculture undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service, negotiated the change "behind closed doors with the nation's largest private landowner," Plum Creek Timber Co., which transformed itself from a logging firm into a real-estate investment trust and is building subdivisions in the Rockies, primarily in Montana, where President-elect Barack Obama campaigned against the idea after journalists reported on it and county officials opposed it.
Michael Jamison of The Missoulian reports that officials in Missoula County officials, where Plum Creek owns 57 percent of the private land, that the change "could pave the way for wholesale rural development -- along with all the attendant costs, as taxpayers struggle to deliver urban infrastructure and firefighting" to newly developed areas.
"The uproar last summer forced Rey to postpone finalizing the change, which came after 'considerable internal disagreement' within the Forest Service, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report requested by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)," Vick writes. "The report said that 900 miles of logging roads could be paved in Montana and that amending the long-held easements 'could have a nationwide impact.'" (Read more)
Vick reports that Mark Rey, a former timber-industry lobbyist who is the agriculture undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service, negotiated the change "behind closed doors with the nation's largest private landowner," Plum Creek Timber Co., which transformed itself from a logging firm into a real-estate investment trust and is building subdivisions in the Rockies, primarily in Montana, where President-elect Barack Obama campaigned against the idea after journalists reported on it and county officials opposed it.
Michael Jamison of The Missoulian reports that officials in Missoula County officials, where Plum Creek owns 57 percent of the private land, that the change "could pave the way for wholesale rural development -- along with all the attendant costs, as taxpayers struggle to deliver urban infrastructure and firefighting" to newly developed areas.
"The uproar last summer forced Rey to postpone finalizing the change, which came after 'considerable internal disagreement' within the Forest Service, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report requested by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.)," Vick writes. "The report said that 900 miles of logging roads could be paved in Montana and that amending the long-held easements 'could have a nationwide impact.'" (Read more)
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