Environmental groups have had success in the past in getting courts to force the federal government to restrict pesticide use, but one group is planning a larger pesticide-related lawsuit for later this summer that may have broad-reaching impacts. "Rather than continuing to file piecemeal lawsuits, the Center for Biological Diversity says it will file a broader suit this summer that involves nearly 400 pesticides and almost 900 species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act," Les Blumenthal of McClatchy Newspapers reports. "Washington state officials said the restrictions that could result from that lawsuit could affect agricultural production significantly in at least 48 states."
Dan Newhouse, the director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told Blumenthal it was impossible to know how dramatic the effects of tighter restrictions would be right now, but he believed in Washington "every farmer would be impacted one way or another." The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies "that are contemplating any action that could 'jeopardize' listed species to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service and come up with a plan to alleviate or lessen the effects," Blumenthal writes, but environmentalists say the Environmental Protection Agency seldom followed that requirement.
That inaction began to change in 2002 when a Seattle District Court judge ruled "that the EPA had violated provisions of the Endangered Species Act by not consulting with the National Marine Fisheries Services about how the use of pesticides and other chemicals could affect the more than two dozen salmon runs that are protected under the act in Washington state, Oregon, California and Idaho." Jeff Miller, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the group is changing its focus from regional to national because EPA continues to drag its feet. "I know (President Barack) Obama has a lot on his plate right now, but the EPA is still not aggressively taking on this issue," he said. (Read more)
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Progressive Farmer tries to counter negative farm images with 'The Real American Farmer'
Agribusiness has seen its image take a hit in recent months because of animal-rights abuses, anti-comptetive practices and environmental issues, and many in the industry feel farmers are gaining an unfair reputation as a result. In an effort to combat those negative images, The Progressive Farmer has a special section in this month's issue called "The Real American Farmer," which profiles three farm and ranch families "who care deeply about their land, their livestock and their profession."
The Beckers, a Minnesota family that owns and operates LB Pork, have seen a shift in the industry to the point that Lonny Becker is in touch daily with three or more marketing advisers, Tom Dodge reports. "Who'd have ever thought five years ago that we'd have to be concerned with the daily gyrations of the euro?" he asked Dodge. To weather the economic downturn, the family has held weekly meetings for the last two years. Lonny's sister-in-law Julie forsees even more scrutiny from outside the industry. "As producers, farmers have been doing the right things all along," she told Dodge. "But from now on, you'll have to prove it to everyone else."
Clay Rightmer (far right, with family) is the fourth generation of Rightmers to ranch in central Texas, and he claims "you cannot find a better life no matter how hard you look," Jim Patrico reports. Rightmer terms frugality his survival tool, pointing to his choice to use cottonseed rather than corn as cattle feed while corn prices soared over the past few years. One area Rightmer said he doesn't look to cut costs is environmental stewardship. "Water begets wildlife," he told Patrico. "It's about working in harmony with the land and changing when it changes."
Todd Hays is a seventh-generation Missouri farmer who earned a two-year degree in marketing because it appeared his family farm had no room for another farmer. He eventually married into another farm family, giving him his chance to return to the work he loves, Patrico reports. Today Hays and his wife's family have about 600 sows and market 13,000 hogs a year. To counter the vocal critics of agriculture the family goes beyond environmental requirements. "When possible, the family injects manure into the soil rather than spreading it on the surface," reducing runoff and odor, Patrico writes.
Hays said he tries to see things such as skepticism about biotech crops from the non-farming point of view. He said such crops can lower production costs and reduce farming's impact on the environment. "We can use fewer chemicals and herbicides," he told Patrico. "And I don't [often] have to use insecticides for rootworms and curtowrms." Hays said the key to improving the ag industry's image is to show people the way farming actually works, and then they will understand and approve. (You can subscribe to The Progressive Farmer here.)
The Beckers, a Minnesota family that owns and operates LB Pork, have seen a shift in the industry to the point that Lonny Becker is in touch daily with three or more marketing advisers, Tom Dodge reports. "Who'd have ever thought five years ago that we'd have to be concerned with the daily gyrations of the euro?" he asked Dodge. To weather the economic downturn, the family has held weekly meetings for the last two years. Lonny's sister-in-law Julie forsees even more scrutiny from outside the industry. "As producers, farmers have been doing the right things all along," she told Dodge. "But from now on, you'll have to prove it to everyone else."
Todd Hays is a seventh-generation Missouri farmer who earned a two-year degree in marketing because it appeared his family farm had no room for another farmer. He eventually married into another farm family, giving him his chance to return to the work he loves, Patrico reports. Today Hays and his wife's family have about 600 sows and market 13,000 hogs a year. To counter the vocal critics of agriculture the family goes beyond environmental requirements. "When possible, the family injects manure into the soil rather than spreading it on the surface," reducing runoff and odor, Patrico writes.
Hays said he tries to see things such as skepticism about biotech crops from the non-farming point of view. He said such crops can lower production costs and reduce farming's impact on the environment. "We can use fewer chemicals and herbicides," he told Patrico. "And I don't [often] have to use insecticides for rootworms and curtowrms." Hays said the key to improving the ag industry's image is to show people the way farming actually works, and then they will understand and approve. (You can subscribe to The Progressive Farmer here.)
Report details violations by Marcellus drillers in Pa.
"There were 155 citations for discharging industrial waste onto the ground or into [state] waters," Gilliland reports. The report revealed 100 violations of the state Clean Streams Law. "There’s likely to be lots more violations out there that haven’t been identified," Jeff Schmidt, director of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Sierra Club, told Gilliland. "Many people feel this is the tip of the iceberg." James A. Schmid, a consulting ecologist who produced a study about DEP's monitoring of longwall coal mines in souther Pennsylvania, said a review of more than 75,000 pages of DEP files revealed "DEP is not very credible in its monitoring and permitting," and since the drilling study didn't look at the actual files there were likely many more violations not reported. (Read more)
Annual free clinic in southwest Va. highlights big gap in dental-care system for adults
A lack of affordable dental care has long been a problem in rural America, and while health-care reform addresses that shortage for children, it makes little mention of adult dental care. At the annual Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise, Va., most of the 2,347 people who showed up for free care wanted to see a dentist even though a wide range of other medical exames, tests and screenings were offered, Mary Otto reports for The Washington Post. "You still have this big huge hole for adults," dentist Terry Dickinson, who runs the state dental association and volunteers at the clinic, run by Knoxville-based RAM, told Otto.
Public and private dental insurance can be hard to find, even after the passage of health care reform, Otto writes. Some can afford to pay for dental care out of pocket, but for many, like those at the Wise clinic, that is not an option. "For the financially stretched, dental work can take a back seat to other needs, such as food, fuel and housing," Otto reports. (Post photo by Michael S. Williamson of crowd gathered outside gates before opening of clinic)
"It's rugged dentistry," North Carolina dentist Brittany Semones told Otto. "It's rewarding. We get a lot of hugs." Blacksburg, Va., dentist William Huff said, "I came here because people need help desperately. A lot of people are hopeless. Their teeth are beyond what we can restore." While pulling teeth is considered a last resort, it's the grim reality for many of the Wise clinic patients. "We cannot leave these people in pain." Huff told Otto. (Read more)
"It's rugged dentistry," North Carolina dentist Brittany Semones told Otto. "It's rewarding. We get a lot of hugs." Blacksburg, Va., dentist William Huff said, "I came here because people need help desperately. A lot of people are hopeless. Their teeth are beyond what we can restore." While pulling teeth is considered a last resort, it's the grim reality for many of the Wise clinic patients. "We cannot leave these people in pain." Huff told Otto. (Read more)
Senate candidate Paul taken to task for comments about making mine safety a local responsibility
In July we reported backlash against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky for comments he made opposing farm subsidies; now he is facing similar criticism for comments he reportedly made about decreasing mine-safety regulation. "The comments attributed to Paul in Details, a monthly magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, reportedly came from a public appearance Paul made at the Harlan Center in Harlan County before the May 18 GOP primary election," Bill Estep and Jack Brammer report for the Lexington Herald-Leader. The magazine says Paul said, "The bottom line is I'm not an expert, so don't give me the power in Washington to be making rules. You live here, and you have to work in the mines. You'd try to make good rules to protect your people here. If you don't, I'm thinking that no one will apply for those jobs."
Tony Oppegard, a Lexington attorney and mine-safety advocate, called Paul's statement "idiotic," and members of the United Mine Workers from Kentucky have scheduled a telephone news conference Tuesday to take Paul to task for the comments. Oppegard said Paul's comments show "a lack of understanding of Eastern Kentucky, the region's economy and of the history of underground coal mining in the region, where for generations coal operators strongly opposed efforts by workers to form unions," Estep and Brammer report.
The Paul campaign did not dispute the quotation but criticized the initial Details story and subsequent follow-ups as "sloppy reporting on more sloppy reporting." Paul spokesman Ryan Hogan said in a statement, "Dr. Paul has been clear that he favors more local control rather than ham-fisted, one-size-fits-all dictates from Washington. Insinuating Washington bureaucrats are the only solution to problems is insulting to Kentucky." Hogan also said Paul feels punishment is called for if the investigation into the April explosion that killed 29 miners at a Massey Energy mine in West Virginia reveals safety rules were broken, the reporters write.
The Details story, by Jonathan Miles, begins with him and Paul "trying to remember why Harlan, Ky., might be famous." Paul mentions the nearby county seat of Hazard and says, "It's famous for, like, The Dukes of Hazzard." While Hazard, Ky., used that supposed connection while the TV show was on network TV, the show was actually set in Georgia. Even when a campaign aide correctly says Harlan was known for "the coal battles" of the 1930s, Paul ignores him. Later, Miles confirms that and provides details, leading into Paul's comments's about coal, which also included an endorsement of mountaintop-removal coal mining.
UPDATE, Aug. 10: Though his concept of mine-safety regulation is clearly libertarian, Paul writes in an op-ed for USA Today that "I choose to use a different phrase to describe my beliefs — I consider myself a constitutional conservative, which I take to mean a conservative who actually believes in smaller government and more individual freedom. The libertarian principles of limited government, self-reliance and respect for the Constitution are embedded within my constitutional conservatism, and in the views of countless Americans from across the political spectrum." He says the libertarian label "has become an emotionally charged, and often misunderstood, word in our current political climate." (Read more)
Tony Oppegard, a Lexington attorney and mine-safety advocate, called Paul's statement "idiotic," and members of the United Mine Workers from Kentucky have scheduled a telephone news conference Tuesday to take Paul to task for the comments. Oppegard said Paul's comments show "a lack of understanding of Eastern Kentucky, the region's economy and of the history of underground coal mining in the region, where for generations coal operators strongly opposed efforts by workers to form unions," Estep and Brammer report.
The Paul campaign did not dispute the quotation but criticized the initial Details story and subsequent follow-ups as "sloppy reporting on more sloppy reporting." Paul spokesman Ryan Hogan said in a statement, "Dr. Paul has been clear that he favors more local control rather than ham-fisted, one-size-fits-all dictates from Washington. Insinuating Washington bureaucrats are the only solution to problems is insulting to Kentucky." Hogan also said Paul feels punishment is called for if the investigation into the April explosion that killed 29 miners at a Massey Energy mine in West Virginia reveals safety rules were broken, the reporters write.
The Details story, by Jonathan Miles, begins with him and Paul "trying to remember why Harlan, Ky., might be famous." Paul mentions the nearby county seat of Hazard and says, "It's famous for, like, The Dukes of Hazzard." While Hazard, Ky., used that supposed connection while the TV show was on network TV, the show was actually set in Georgia. Even when a campaign aide correctly says Harlan was known for "the coal battles" of the 1930s, Paul ignores him. Later, Miles confirms that and provides details, leading into Paul's comments's about coal, which also included an endorsement of mountaintop-removal coal mining.
UPDATE, Aug. 10: Though his concept of mine-safety regulation is clearly libertarian, Paul writes in an op-ed for USA Today that "I choose to use a different phrase to describe my beliefs — I consider myself a constitutional conservative, which I take to mean a conservative who actually believes in smaller government and more individual freedom. The libertarian principles of limited government, self-reliance and respect for the Constitution are embedded within my constitutional conservatism, and in the views of countless Americans from across the political spectrum." He says the libertarian label "has become an emotionally charged, and often misunderstood, word in our current political climate." (Read more)
North Carolina program shows how webcams can help rural teachers improve student literacy
A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill program is working to use free, over-the-Internet applications to help rural teachers gain valuable continuing education. "Beaming into classrooms in North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas via webcams, literacy consultants at UNC have helped 58 teachers learn new ways to teach struggling readers in kindergarten and first grade — and helped 300 children learn to read," UNC's website reports. "They are part of Targeted Reading Intervention, a program that aims to eliminate achievement gaps." Participating students received 15 minutes of one-on-one instruction a day with a teacher in person and UNC literacy expert via web chat services like Skype and iChat.
"There’s no substitute for helping that teacher right there in real time," said Dr. Lynne Vernon-Feagans, principal investigator on the project. Participating teachers visit Chapel Hill before the school year for training in Targeted Reading Intervention instruction methods. The program is funded in part through the National Research Center on Rural Education Support, established in 2004 with a five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. When compared with students at a control school, "struggling readers receiving Targeted Reading Intervention scored an average of 10-to-13 points higher than struggling readers in control schools," UNC reports. (Read more)
"Using free applications also makes this a cost-effective way to deliver professional development to remote rural schools," Mary Schulken of Education Week writes of the program on the Rural Education blog. "Such partnerships are particularly important for small schools where the resource pool is limited and there isn't always know-how (or a tech-guru) to get things set up." Vernon-Feagans told Schulken the Targeted Reading Intervention program is considered a national model for delivering professional development to rural schools via webcam technology. (Read more) (UNC Video)
"There’s no substitute for helping that teacher right there in real time," said Dr. Lynne Vernon-Feagans, principal investigator on the project. Participating teachers visit Chapel Hill before the school year for training in Targeted Reading Intervention instruction methods. The program is funded in part through the National Research Center on Rural Education Support, established in 2004 with a five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. When compared with students at a control school, "struggling readers receiving Targeted Reading Intervention scored an average of 10-to-13 points higher than struggling readers in control schools," UNC reports. (Read more)
"Using free applications also makes this a cost-effective way to deliver professional development to remote rural schools," Mary Schulken of Education Week writes of the program on the Rural Education blog. "Such partnerships are particularly important for small schools where the resource pool is limited and there isn't always know-how (or a tech-guru) to get things set up." Vernon-Feagans told Schulken the Targeted Reading Intervention program is considered a national model for delivering professional development to rural schools via webcam technology. (Read more) (UNC Video)
Monday, August 02, 2010
Biotechnology critics call for greater regulation of weedkillers
Critics of agriculture biotechnology have used the increasing reports of herbicide-resistant weeds as new fodder for their campaign to increase regulation of the industry. Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who chaired a House hearing Wednesday on the spread of Roundup-resistant weeds, said the Agriculture Department has been too quick to approve new varieties of herbicide-tolerant crops and other biotech products, Philip Brasher of the Des Moines Register reports on the Green Fields blog. David Mortensen, a weed scientist at Penn State University, called for the government to restrict the use of herbicide-resistant crops and impose a tax on biotech seeds to fund research and education programs.
"Now, more than ever, farmers need to have a Department of Agriculture that takes care to preserve and protect the farming environment for generations to come," Kucinich said. The herbicide-resistant weeds are most prevalent in southern cotton and soybean fields but is spreading to other regions, Brasher writes. Michael Owen, an Iowa State University weed scientist, disagreed with Mortensen's call for a seed tax but agreed farmers need to quit relying so heavily on Roundup to control weeds. Farmers "value the convenience and simplicity of these crops without appreciating the long-term ecological and economic risks," Mortensen said. (Read more)
"Now, more than ever, farmers need to have a Department of Agriculture that takes care to preserve and protect the farming environment for generations to come," Kucinich said. The herbicide-resistant weeds are most prevalent in southern cotton and soybean fields but is spreading to other regions, Brasher writes. Michael Owen, an Iowa State University weed scientist, disagreed with Mortensen's call for a seed tax but agreed farmers need to quit relying so heavily on Roundup to control weeds. Farmers "value the convenience and simplicity of these crops without appreciating the long-term ecological and economic risks," Mortensen said. (Read more)
Air pollution added to list of complaints against natural gas drilling
Most of the focus regarding potential pollution problems resulting from natural gas drilling in shale formations has been focused on water, but fears of pervasive air pollution from Barnett Shale operations in Texas are affecting the industry as well. While the natural gas industry has been marketing itself as a cleaner alternative to coal, that description is being "shoved aside by critics who say addressing public health issues tied to gas production is no longer optional," Joel Kirkland of Environment & Energy Daily reports. "They want gas drillers to face the same scrutiny for their air emissions as 'major' emitters such as gas processing plants or oil refineries."
"Just because coal mining is worse, or that coal burns dirtier than gas, doesn't make this all safe," Tim Ruggiero, who houses a Aruba Petroleum Inc. well on his horse farm outside of Fort Worth, told Kirkland. "It burns clean compared to other fossil fuels. OK, I give you that. But if you look at the process by which they obtain the gas, I'm not so sure that all told, beginning to end, it's any cleaner than coal." In recent months the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has increased its monitoring of pollution sources operating in the Barnett, Kirkland writes, but critics say that move came only in response to mounting public pressure to do so.
Even amid the national conversation about greenhouse gas emissions, some locals' air pollution fears are on a much more basic level. "They ask, 'Do you believe in the greenhouse, Tim, do you believe in global warming?'" Ruggiero told Kirkland. "I go, 'You know what, when you've got this thing blowing in your backyard, and you can stand on your front porch and smell propane, global warming isn't the first thing that comes to mind.'"
Al Armendariz, the Environmental Protection Agency's top regional official based in Dallas, projected in a 2009 study that summer "emissions of nitrogen oxide and cancer-causing volatile organic compounds from gas sources in the Barnett Shale would exceed emissions from cars and trucks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Kirkland writes. The political environment over the saftey of hydraulic fracturing operations has also thrown the future of Barnett Shale operations into doubt. "Right now they [gas companies] like that they have a geologic formation where they can make a profit. They like the fact they have a stable political environment," Republican Rep. Michael Burgess told Burgess. "But if they damage it because of their own actions, they have nobody to blame but themselves." (Read more, suscription required)
"Just because coal mining is worse, or that coal burns dirtier than gas, doesn't make this all safe," Tim Ruggiero, who houses a Aruba Petroleum Inc. well on his horse farm outside of Fort Worth, told Kirkland. "It burns clean compared to other fossil fuels. OK, I give you that. But if you look at the process by which they obtain the gas, I'm not so sure that all told, beginning to end, it's any cleaner than coal." In recent months the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has increased its monitoring of pollution sources operating in the Barnett, Kirkland writes, but critics say that move came only in response to mounting public pressure to do so.
Even amid the national conversation about greenhouse gas emissions, some locals' air pollution fears are on a much more basic level. "They ask, 'Do you believe in the greenhouse, Tim, do you believe in global warming?'" Ruggiero told Kirkland. "I go, 'You know what, when you've got this thing blowing in your backyard, and you can stand on your front porch and smell propane, global warming isn't the first thing that comes to mind.'"
Al Armendariz, the Environmental Protection Agency's top regional official based in Dallas, projected in a 2009 study that summer "emissions of nitrogen oxide and cancer-causing volatile organic compounds from gas sources in the Barnett Shale would exceed emissions from cars and trucks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Kirkland writes. The political environment over the saftey of hydraulic fracturing operations has also thrown the future of Barnett Shale operations into doubt. "Right now they [gas companies] like that they have a geologic formation where they can make a profit. They like the fact they have a stable political environment," Republican Rep. Michael Burgess told Burgess. "But if they damage it because of their own actions, they have nobody to blame but themselves." (Read more, suscription required)
Oldest U.S. grapevine saved from errant herbicide
What began as a simple attempt to rid power line poles of brush nearly killed the country's oldest grapevine. The Mother Vine, in Manteo, N.C., was planted about 400 years ago, most likely by Croatan Indians or Sir Walter Raleigh's settlers, David Zucchino reports for The Los Angeles Times. In May, a power company contractor spraying herbicides on power poles accidentally hit some of the vine, causing the sickness to spread through the plant. Jack Wilson, right, an 84-year-old retiree who owns a house where the vine grows near the edge of Roanoke Island, "pruned dead leaves and vines, only to watch the weedkiller outrace him, pumping poison from the ends of the vine toward the roots," Zucchino writes. (LA Times photo by Zucchino)"Plant experts rushed in from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture," Zucchino writes. "A viticulture specialist from North Carolina State University was dispatched to Manteo for consultation." The power company, Dominion Virginia Power, upon learning it had caused the problem hired Virginia Tech University weed scientist Lloyd Hipkins to tackle the problem. "When I was told a 400-year-old grapevine had been sprayed with herbicide, well, it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear," Chuck Penn, a Dominion spokesman, told Zucchino. "We were distraught. You're talking about an historical icon." The vine's canopy, 32 feet by 120 feet, is supported by an elaborate set of posts, some carved out of locust trees decades ago.
Hipkins' prescribed treatment was prune, water and fertilize, which appears to have saved the plant. "It looks like hell," Hipkins said of the vine's damaged section, "but the injury to the plant was really localized." Rodney Blevins, a Dominion Power vice president who visited the Wilsons recently to check on the Mother Vine's health, said the company is working with contractors to ensure nothing like this happens again. For now, the Wilsons say the vine appears to have weathered the storm. "If she's made it 350 years, or 400 years, I think if we keep taking care of her, she'll survive," John Wilson told Zucchino. "She's a tough old bird." (Read more)
Schwarzenegger vetoes bill requiring overtime pay for farmworkers
Saying he didn't want to hurt the California agriculture industry, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have given farmworkers the same right to overtime pay enjoyed by other hourly workers in the nation's largest farm state. In his veto message the Republican governor said, "applying the eight-hour day to agriculture would be burdensome to business and reverse longstanding labor practices," Marc Lifsher of the Los Angeles Times reports. The bill would have made California the first state to recognize overtime rights for farmworkers.
As recently as 1999, state lawmakers approved a bill that specifically exempted farmworkers from the eight-hour day, Schwarzenegger said, "recognizing that agricultural work is different from other industries: it is seasonal, subject to unpredictability of Mother Nature and requires the harvesting of perishable goods." Both giant agribusinesses and organic-farm owners had used similar arguments against the bill. Agriculture lobbyists said payroll costs would rise by at least 10 percent if overtime were added after eight hours.
The bill's supporters said it was wrong to treat farmworkers differently than other employees. "The governor's decision is a blow to fairness and justice. We will have to wait for a new governor to right this wrong," Democratic state Sen. Darrell Steinberg told Lifsher, referring to the end of Schwarzenegger's term in January. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez accused the governor of "turning his back on history" by choosing "to continue the second-class treatment of the men and women who toil in the fields, their backbreaking labor at the core of a more than $30-billion-a-year agricultural industry." (Read more)
As recently as 1999, state lawmakers approved a bill that specifically exempted farmworkers from the eight-hour day, Schwarzenegger said, "recognizing that agricultural work is different from other industries: it is seasonal, subject to unpredictability of Mother Nature and requires the harvesting of perishable goods." Both giant agribusinesses and organic-farm owners had used similar arguments against the bill. Agriculture lobbyists said payroll costs would rise by at least 10 percent if overtime were added after eight hours.
The bill's supporters said it was wrong to treat farmworkers differently than other employees. "The governor's decision is a blow to fairness and justice. We will have to wait for a new governor to right this wrong," Democratic state Sen. Darrell Steinberg told Lifsher, referring to the end of Schwarzenegger's term in January. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez accused the governor of "turning his back on history" by choosing "to continue the second-class treatment of the men and women who toil in the fields, their backbreaking labor at the core of a more than $30-billion-a-year agricultural industry." (Read more)
Test scores drop after Louisiana district adopts four-day school week
The four-day school week, an idea that seems to be gaining traction among some rural school districts, may be adversely affecting one Louisiana district where test scores have dropped since the policy's adoption. A comparison of Caldwell Parish Schools fourth-grade standardized test scores from 2007, the year before the district adopted a four-day week, and scores from 2010 shows students' scores dropped in three out of four subject areas, Barbara Leader of The News Star in Monroe reports. Scores among eighth graders were also down in three of four subject areas. Caldwell Parish had a population just over 10,500 according to the 2000 census.
"Students qualifying for promotion from grade four to five has remained the same as in 2007, but students meeting promotional standards in eighth grade are down four points," Leader writes. Caldwell Superintendent John Sartin countered that the districts total performance score, a combination of a school district's individual students scores on LEAP, iLEAP and Graduate Exit Exam, as well as attendance and dropout rates and graduation outcomes, actually increased from 92.8 in 2007 to 96 in 2009. Data from 2010 was not yet available. "We certainly are looking at [the four-day week] very carefully," Sartin told Leader. "If we felt like it was overall adversely affecting our score, we would have to look at changing."
"I have real reservations about how it will affect student achievement," Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Keith Guice told Leader of the four-day week. "But, sometimes districts don't have a choice." In Union Parish, population just over 22,000, the local school board recently decided to adopt the four day week. "Union doesn't have a choice because it is being forced on them by financial problems," Guice told Leader. Sartin said regardless of the test score results, the four day week was "absolutely not" adversely affecting student performance. (Read more)
"Students qualifying for promotion from grade four to five has remained the same as in 2007, but students meeting promotional standards in eighth grade are down four points," Leader writes. Caldwell Superintendent John Sartin countered that the districts total performance score, a combination of a school district's individual students scores on LEAP, iLEAP and Graduate Exit Exam, as well as attendance and dropout rates and graduation outcomes, actually increased from 92.8 in 2007 to 96 in 2009. Data from 2010 was not yet available. "We certainly are looking at [the four-day week] very carefully," Sartin told Leader. "If we felt like it was overall adversely affecting our score, we would have to look at changing."
"I have real reservations about how it will affect student achievement," Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Keith Guice told Leader of the four-day week. "But, sometimes districts don't have a choice." In Union Parish, population just over 22,000, the local school board recently decided to adopt the four day week. "Union doesn't have a choice because it is being forced on them by financial problems," Guice told Leader. Sartin said regardless of the test score results, the four day week was "absolutely not" adversely affecting student performance. (Read more)
Friday, July 30, 2010
Asian carp are just one of many invasive species threatening the Great Lakes
Much attention has been given recently to the threatened invasion of the Great Lakes by Asian carp, but the fish aren't the first invasive species to attack the lakes, and other rural areas have similar issues, David Harrison reports for Stateline.org.
The carp follow "other creatures such as the zebra and quagga mussel and the sea lamprey, all of which have found homes in the lakes’ waters," Harrison notes. "The carp have attained a degree of notoriety that has eluded the other species, owing to their size and their distressing habit of thrashing out of the water at the sound of passing motorboats." (Photo: Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee)
Some scientists claim "other invasive species already have depleted food sources in the Great Lakes so much that carp could find the waters to be inhospitable," Harrison reports, but the focus on the carp has brought new attention to the problem of invasive species at large. Behind the rhetoric from many state governments about closing canal locks and gates that connect Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River system is "the disconcerting fact that states are powerless to combat most invasive species," Harrison writes. "Fish and mollusks don’t respect state sovereignty, which makes it impossible for one state to completely seal off its waters from another. The best way to effectively control the spread of invasive species, advocates say, is for the federal government to step in."
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have tried to force such action by filing a lawsuit against the federal government to make the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers speed up its efforts to protect the lakes from the fish. But even if the feds step up action to stop Asian carp, the fish may still not be the lakes biggest threat. "Their impact pales in comparison to that of the quagga mussel which first showed up in the lakes in the late 1990s and has become ensconced there," Harrison writes. "The mussels reproduce rapidly and devour plankton, disrupting the lower levels of a food chain that native species rely upon." While most of the focus has been pointed at the Mississippi River, the biggest threat may actually come from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the northeast, through which most of the 185 invasive species in the lakes entered. (Read more)
UPDATE, Aug. 2, 2010: The coalition Unlock Our Jobs responds: Shutting down the locks will have a tremendous negative effect on the regional economies and industries that depend on the waterways for shipping goods - especially the agriculture industry. Little evidence is out there to prove that it is necessary to shut the locks down. The lawsuit seems to be a classic example of politicians engaging in "leap before you look" behavior. Lock closure will absolutely devastate waterway commerce and does nothing to help the situation. Furthermore, the demands for additional barriers are completely gratuitous – plans for an additional electric barrier are already in motion.
A coalition called Unlock Our Jobs has formed to work toward a common sense, comprehensive, effective, long-term solution. Regional leaders must come together in support of solutions driven by facts and science, avoiding knee-jerk reactions and political grandstanding. There is great information at http://www.unlockourjobs.org/. The primary goal should be to keep Asian Carp out of Lake Michigan while avoiding damaging economic decisions such as lock closure.
The carp follow "other creatures such as the zebra and quagga mussel and the sea lamprey, all of which have found homes in the lakes’ waters," Harrison notes. "The carp have attained a degree of notoriety that has eluded the other species, owing to their size and their distressing habit of thrashing out of the water at the sound of passing motorboats." (Photo: Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee)
Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have tried to force such action by filing a lawsuit against the federal government to make the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers speed up its efforts to protect the lakes from the fish. But even if the feds step up action to stop Asian carp, the fish may still not be the lakes biggest threat. "Their impact pales in comparison to that of the quagga mussel which first showed up in the lakes in the late 1990s and has become ensconced there," Harrison writes. "The mussels reproduce rapidly and devour plankton, disrupting the lower levels of a food chain that native species rely upon." While most of the focus has been pointed at the Mississippi River, the biggest threat may actually come from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the northeast, through which most of the 185 invasive species in the lakes entered. (Read more)
UPDATE, Aug. 2, 2010: The coalition Unlock Our Jobs responds: Shutting down the locks will have a tremendous negative effect on the regional economies and industries that depend on the waterways for shipping goods - especially the agriculture industry. Little evidence is out there to prove that it is necessary to shut the locks down. The lawsuit seems to be a classic example of politicians engaging in "leap before you look" behavior. Lock closure will absolutely devastate waterway commerce and does nothing to help the situation. Furthermore, the demands for additional barriers are completely gratuitous – plans for an additional electric barrier are already in motion.
A coalition called Unlock Our Jobs has formed to work toward a common sense, comprehensive, effective, long-term solution. Regional leaders must come together in support of solutions driven by facts and science, avoiding knee-jerk reactions and political grandstanding. There is great information at http://www.unlockourjobs.org/. The primary goal should be to keep Asian Carp out of Lake Michigan while avoiding damaging economic decisions such as lock closure.
Oldest U.S. family farm faces the end of the line
America's oldest operating family farm, which dates to 1632, has been put up for sale in Dover, N.H. Will Tuttle, 63, has decided his family's legacy will end with him, Peter Schowrm of the Boston Globe reports. "This is a different business now," Tuttle, who raises vegetables, told Schowrm. "Farming at any level is a labor of love, but now the future is so uncertain. Looking forward, I don’t see much opportunity for small farms to thrive. It’s a tough grind." Since 1982, the U.S. has lost 41 million acres of rural land like the Tuttle farm, now surrounded by development near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
"Along the coast, where land values have soared and suburban sprawl has intensified, the challenge to farming is especially acute," Schowrm writes. The 134-acre property is listed for $3.35 million and is protected by conservation restrictions that prevent it from being developed after sold, though the new owner is under no obligation to keep it an active farm. "Since the economy turned, we’ve been losing," said Michelle Tuttle, Will's wife. (Globe photo by Kayana Szymczak)
The farm was founded by English settler John Tuttle with a land grant from King Charles III and has become a tourist destination in recent years. Even actor Robert De Niro has been known to stop by, Schowrm reports. After selling the farm the Tuttles plan to move to the house they own next door. "It’s not going anywhere," Will Tuttle told Schowrm. "It will always stay beautiful, open land, and will always be a piece of land with every square inch of my sweat on it." (Read more)
The farm was founded by English settler John Tuttle with a land grant from King Charles III and has become a tourist destination in recent years. Even actor Robert De Niro has been known to stop by, Schowrm reports. After selling the farm the Tuttles plan to move to the house they own next door. "It’s not going anywhere," Will Tuttle told Schowrm. "It will always stay beautiful, open land, and will always be a piece of land with every square inch of my sweat on it." (Read more)
NBC documentary looked at recession's impact in Appalachian Ohio; local, online reactions differ
Ann Curry of NBC News spent nine months working on her story for "Dateline" about how the recession was affecting Appalachian Ohio, which locals say was a mostly tasteful account of the region's problems. But all the reaction to "Friends and Neighbors" hasn't been positive, judging from a rash of negative online comments, reports Libby Cunningham of The Athens News of Athens County, where much of the program was filmed. As of this posting the NBC online transcript of the show had drawn more than 700 comments. A Huffington Post story in preview of the documentary had garnered more than 1,200.
"Online posts from users such as 'ratsplat' seemed to echo the complaints of many viewers of the hour-long documentary," Cunningham writes. "Many criticized some of the featured poor for being overweight, wearing jewelry, having babies out of wedlock and doing things such as smoking cigarettes and drinking soda pop." In one comment, representative of many others, "Ratsplat" wrote, "The story was trying to convince us that these people are suffering, but we see smoking cigs, fake nails, gold chains, irresponsible teens living off the system by using their children as food stamps, dirty children (how hard is it to wipe a face clean), kids playing with pistols, etc."
"You can’t let it sink into your heart or it will pull you down. I try to focus on how just as many people come to me and make positive comments," Lisa Roberts, whose Friends and Neighbors Community Choice Food Center (photo by Curry) was a focus of the show, told the News. "There was something that said that (one interviewee) had a gold necklace on; it’s a family heirloom. It’s all he had left; he’s lost all of his items. It’s true that he’s gone hungry for a lot of times, but he’s kept that necklace." Roberts reports her food center has received many positive cards and notes from across the country since the show aired. Many people have asked how they can help. (Read more)
The show was a "was a heartbreaking hour of television for Ohioans," Connie Schultz of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland writes. "It was like opening your personal diary to the saddest parts, and letting the whole world read." While the show was rough viewing for locals, Schultz concludes it was "an oasis in the increasingly parched land of social justice reporting. Curry dug deep in one corner of Ohio to tell the story of hunger and poverty across America, and never traded Ohio Appalachians' dignity for drama."
"They asked the right questions," Jack Frech of the Department of Job and Family Services in Athens County told Schultz. "The question isn't, 'Why are all those people standing in line at a food pantry?' The question is, 'Why aren't federal and state programs providing enough assistance?' And where's the outrage over policies that bail out banks and people at the top, but won't help the millions of people who fall under the poverty line?" (Read more) A webcast of the show is here.
"Online posts from users such as 'ratsplat' seemed to echo the complaints of many viewers of the hour-long documentary," Cunningham writes. "Many criticized some of the featured poor for being overweight, wearing jewelry, having babies out of wedlock and doing things such as smoking cigarettes and drinking soda pop." In one comment, representative of many others, "Ratsplat" wrote, "The story was trying to convince us that these people are suffering, but we see smoking cigs, fake nails, gold chains, irresponsible teens living off the system by using their children as food stamps, dirty children (how hard is it to wipe a face clean), kids playing with pistols, etc."
The show was a "was a heartbreaking hour of television for Ohioans," Connie Schultz of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland writes. "It was like opening your personal diary to the saddest parts, and letting the whole world read." While the show was rough viewing for locals, Schultz concludes it was "an oasis in the increasingly parched land of social justice reporting. Curry dug deep in one corner of Ohio to tell the story of hunger and poverty across America, and never traded Ohio Appalachians' dignity for drama."
"They asked the right questions," Jack Frech of the Department of Job and Family Services in Athens County told Schultz. "The question isn't, 'Why are all those people standing in line at a food pantry?' The question is, 'Why aren't federal and state programs providing enough assistance?' And where's the outrage over policies that bail out banks and people at the top, but won't help the millions of people who fall under the poverty line?" (Read more) A webcast of the show is here.
Rural-school advocates note rural, black-led districts hurt by Title I formula
Rural-school advocates are campaigning against the federal funding equation that gives added weight to districts based on the raw number of impoverished students regardless of their percentage in a district's population, and now they have added a racial element. Of the so-called "Rural 900" school districts, those with the highest student poverty rates that lose the most by the "number weighting" system, 93 are led by black superintendents, Marty Strange writes for the Formula Fairness Campaign website.
Those 93 superintendents account for over one-fourth of the 371 black superintendents nationwide. The 93 districts lost a combined $8.2 million in federal Title I funding because of number weighting, Strange reports. The loss leasder was the Greenville Public School District in Mississippi, with a $360,000, while Covert Public Schools in Michigan had the greatest per-student loss, $300 per disadvanatged student. Greenville has a student poverty rate of 51 percent; Covert's is 48 percent. The average student poverty rate of all schools in the Rural 900 is 39 percent, more than double the national average. (Read more)
Those 93 superintendents account for over one-fourth of the 371 black superintendents nationwide. The 93 districts lost a combined $8.2 million in federal Title I funding because of number weighting, Strange reports. The loss leasder was the Greenville Public School District in Mississippi, with a $360,000, while Covert Public Schools in Michigan had the greatest per-student loss, $300 per disadvanatged student. Greenville has a student poverty rate of 51 percent; Covert's is 48 percent. The average student poverty rate of all schools in the Rural 900 is 39 percent, more than double the national average. (Read more)
Kentucky entrepreneur to showcase recycled materials construction system at world horse games
A Southern Kentucky entrepreneur is being recognized for making concrete from recycled materials and will have a chance to showcase his product at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington this fall. Steve Pfoff, owner and founder of Monumental Builders in Jamestown, is building a horse barn at the Kentucky Horse Park, which will host the games, Derek Aaron of The Times Journal of Russell Springs reports. The barn will be constructed from Pfoff's patented "cultured stone" concrete block system, which uses 90 percent recycled material.
Earlier this week Pfoff's system was awarded a $1,000 prize, based on a one-page outline of the idea and business model, from the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation's Big Idea Competition. Pfoff will move onto the second phase of judging where he will be eligible for an additional $2,500. If he makes it to the third phase, Pfoff could win as much as $10,000 and 12 months of free rent in the Kentucky Highlands Business Innovation and Growth Center. "Literally what we can do is go in, crush an existing building down grind it up and put all the materials from that building back into the stone and rebuild a building in place of it," he said. "The buildings have a shelf life of hundreds of years," Pfoff told Aaron. "We went to the landfill owners and took some state people and told them that we've got a product that can stop a lot of the landfill fills."
"It is unlimited in what it can be utilized for," he added. "For LEED and recyclable purposes it has just a huge potential profit." LEED is an internationally recognized "green building" certification system. The Horse Park gave Pfoff a lot to display his barn during the games, which run Sept. 25-Oct. 10. It was only after beginning construction on the barn that Pfoff learned of the Kentucky Highlands competition. "It is larger than I am and we are all aware of this," he said. "Every landfill in this nation could implement a program where they take the infrastructure that is being demoed in their local area and it be ground up, recycled and put back in my stone to rebuild their infrastructure locally and that material would not end up in a landfill." (Read more)
Earlier this week Pfoff's system was awarded a $1,000 prize, based on a one-page outline of the idea and business model, from the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation's Big Idea Competition. Pfoff will move onto the second phase of judging where he will be eligible for an additional $2,500. If he makes it to the third phase, Pfoff could win as much as $10,000 and 12 months of free rent in the Kentucky Highlands Business Innovation and Growth Center. "Literally what we can do is go in, crush an existing building down grind it up and put all the materials from that building back into the stone and rebuild a building in place of it," he said. "The buildings have a shelf life of hundreds of years," Pfoff told Aaron. "We went to the landfill owners and took some state people and told them that we've got a product that can stop a lot of the landfill fills."
"It is unlimited in what it can be utilized for," he added. "For LEED and recyclable purposes it has just a huge potential profit." LEED is an internationally recognized "green building" certification system. The Horse Park gave Pfoff a lot to display his barn during the games, which run Sept. 25-Oct. 10. It was only after beginning construction on the barn that Pfoff learned of the Kentucky Highlands competition. "It is larger than I am and we are all aware of this," he said. "Every landfill in this nation could implement a program where they take the infrastructure that is being demoed in their local area and it be ground up, recycled and put back in my stone to rebuild their infrastructure locally and that material would not end up in a landfill." (Read more)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sherrod says she will sue blogger Breitbart; still not sure about returning to Department of Agriculture
The Obama administration has apologized for demanding Sherrod's resignation before knowing the full contents of her speech at an NAACP meeting, and has offered her a top civil-rights job in the Agriculture Department, or her old job back. She said she is far from deciding what to do, and noted that the written offer for the new job "says 'draft.' I need to ask them, what does that mean?" She also said she isn't sure the unit she would head even has a budget. But later she said she is very concerned about the declining number of black farmers, and wants to talk with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who she said needs more African Americans around him. "If he's truly interested in dealing with discrimination in his agency, then there are a lot of things that need to happen," she said. "I don't know if it can be done within the department." In reponse to a question from the audience, Sherrod said she has not heard from Cheryl Cook, the deputy undersecretary who demanded her resignation, but would like to. "There are quite a few issues I would like to talk to her about," she said. Cook, who is from Pennsylvania, is white.
In response to questions from the panel, Sherrod said President Obama needs a lesson in the history of the civil rights movement, in which she and her husband were involved. She noted that she has invited him to visit her native Southern Georgia. "I need to have him down there so I can take him around and show him some of that history," she said. Near the beginning of the session panelist Don Lemon of CNN played video of his story on what he called "a picture of racial unity," Sherrod's reunion with the elderly white farmers whose farm she helped save, after first not making a full effort at a nonprofit where she worked 24 years ago.
Sherrod said she will continue to refuse interviews with Fox News "because they had their chance to get the truth out, and they're not interested in the truth." Fox did not air the video until Sherrod's resignation had been announced, but it did run a story on its website about an hour before the announcement. "There was a breakdown in the system," Michael Clemente, Fox's senior vice president of news, told Keach Hagey of Politico yesterday. (Read more)
As GOP hits fracking disclosure, sponsor faults gas industry for opposing inclusion in energy bill
The author of legislation that would require natural-gas companies to disclose hydraulic-fracturing fluids says she feels betrayed by industry groups that have spoken out against the requirement's inclusion in the Senate Energy bill. "A lot of these companies want to say publicly 'We support disclosure.' But then they try to kill it behind the scenes," Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado told Mike Sorghan of Environment & Energy Daily. "This is something that is going to happen. I wish industry would work with us instead of talking out of both sides of their mouths."
"America's Natural Gas Alliance, which lobbies for some of the larger independent drilling companies, released a statement Tuesday opposing the disclosure provision, citing concerns that the program would be overseen by U.S. EPA, and saying fracturing should be regulated at the state level," Sorghan writes. DeGette was most angered by the opposition of the measure from Range Resources Corp., which has been out front among drillers on the disclosure issue. "We support disclosure, which is why we've implemented our voluntary disclosure initiative," Matt Pitzarella, spokesman for Range, a major player in Pennsylvania's shale boom, told Sorghan. "However, we believe that should be the decision and duty of the individual states, not the federal government."
"I'm shocked these companies are telling you that," DeGette told Sorghan. "These companies have been working with us from day one." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid included DeGette's measure in his energy bill after a last-minute plea Tuesday from Pennsylvania Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, where there is considerable concern about the effect on water of "fracking" in the Marcellus Shale. (Read more, subscription required)
Republicans ran with the gas lobby, shifting their criticism of Reid's bill to fracking disclosure from its offshore-drilling elements, Coral Davenport of Politico reports. "Reid dismissed the GOP criticism, saying the new language simply requires companies to disclose the mix of their chemical blends" to state regulators, Davenport writes. Reid said, "We have more natural gas than any country in the world. Is there anything wrong with taking a look at how that’s extracted? (Read more)
"America's Natural Gas Alliance, which lobbies for some of the larger independent drilling companies, released a statement Tuesday opposing the disclosure provision, citing concerns that the program would be overseen by U.S. EPA, and saying fracturing should be regulated at the state level," Sorghan writes. DeGette was most angered by the opposition of the measure from Range Resources Corp., which has been out front among drillers on the disclosure issue. "We support disclosure, which is why we've implemented our voluntary disclosure initiative," Matt Pitzarella, spokesman for Range, a major player in Pennsylvania's shale boom, told Sorghan. "However, we believe that should be the decision and duty of the individual states, not the federal government."
"I'm shocked these companies are telling you that," DeGette told Sorghan. "These companies have been working with us from day one." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid included DeGette's measure in his energy bill after a last-minute plea Tuesday from Pennsylvania Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, where there is considerable concern about the effect on water of "fracking" in the Marcellus Shale. (Read more, subscription required)
Republicans ran with the gas lobby, shifting their criticism of Reid's bill to fracking disclosure from its offshore-drilling elements, Coral Davenport of Politico reports. "Reid dismissed the GOP criticism, saying the new language simply requires companies to disclose the mix of their chemical blends" to state regulators, Davenport writes. Reid said, "We have more natural gas than any country in the world. Is there anything wrong with taking a look at how that’s extracted? (Read more)
Only 2.4% of U.S. farms aren't family-owned, but they account for 17.7% of production value
The vast majority of U.S. farms, almost 98 percent in 2007, are family-run operations, according to a new study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. Even most of the large operations, which account for 12 percent of farms but 84 percent of production value, are family-owned, authors Robert A. Hoppe and David E. Baker report in ERS's Family Farm Report, 2010 Edition. Non-family operated farms, those where the majority of business is not owned by the operator or those related to the operator, accounted for only 2.4 percent of U.S. farms but 17.7 percent of total production value.
"Small family farms make up most of the U.S. farm count but produce a modest share of farm output," the authors write. "Small farms are less profitable than large-scale farms, on average, and their operator households tend to rely on off-farm income for their livelihood." Generally, "Farm operator households cannot be characterized as low-income when both farm and off-farm income are considered," they say in the report's executive summary. "Nevertheless, limited-resource farms still exist and account for 3 to 12 percent of family farms, depending on how 'limited-resource' is defined." Small family farms were defined as those with annual income less than $250,000. (Read more)
"Small family farms make up most of the U.S. farm count but produce a modest share of farm output," the authors write. "Small farms are less profitable than large-scale farms, on average, and their operator households tend to rely on off-farm income for their livelihood." Generally, "Farm operator households cannot be characterized as low-income when both farm and off-farm income are considered," they say in the report's executive summary. "Nevertheless, limited-resource farms still exist and account for 3 to 12 percent of family farms, depending on how 'limited-resource' is defined." Small family farms were defined as those with annual income less than $250,000. (Read more)
Wind industry bemoans decline in construction, says renewable energy mandate is needed
Construction of wind farms has dropped dramatically this year, and industry officials say it will continue to do so if Congress doesn't enact a federal renewable energy standard to require a certain amount of U.S. electricity to come form renewable sources and "reassure investors that there will be a market for additional wind power, Phillip Brasher of the Des Moines Register reports. Data from the American Wind Industry Association shows "construction of wind farms has fallen 71 percent nationwide this year and has disappeared from Iowa," Brasher writes.
AWIA reports orders for wind turbines rose slightly during the second quarter of the year, but not enough to encourage manufacturers to expand. While Iowa remains the No. 2 state for total wind capacity with 3,670 megawatts, no construction projects for new wind farms are currently underway, Brasher writes. The No. 1 state for wind generation, Texas, added 202 megawatts during the first half of 2010, the largest increase in the country. Texas now has a total capacity of 9,708 megawatts. While the Senate is moving forward with a scaled-back energy bill that focuses on the Gulf of Mexico oil blowout, Bode claimed that a renewable-energy mandate alone has at least 60 votes, the number needed to avoid a Republican filibuster in the Senate. (Read more)
AWIA reports orders for wind turbines rose slightly during the second quarter of the year, but not enough to encourage manufacturers to expand. While Iowa remains the No. 2 state for total wind capacity with 3,670 megawatts, no construction projects for new wind farms are currently underway, Brasher writes. The No. 1 state for wind generation, Texas, added 202 megawatts during the first half of 2010, the largest increase in the country. Texas now has a total capacity of 9,708 megawatts. While the Senate is moving forward with a scaled-back energy bill that focuses on the Gulf of Mexico oil blowout, Bode claimed that a renewable-energy mandate alone has at least 60 votes, the number needed to avoid a Republican filibuster in the Senate. (Read more)
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