UPDATES, Aug. 10: "This weekend's testing of two methane monitors from the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia has not detected any evidence of tampering," Howard Berkes of National Public Radio reports. "A source familiar with this weekend's testing says there was no evidence found that the monitors had been tampered with or disabled just before the massive explosion in April. That assessment was confirmed by Ronald Wooten, director of the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training, who has been briefed about the testing." (Read more)
"Methane monitors worn by miners registered a sudden surge in potentially explosive gas — from 0 percent to 5 percent — in the minutes around the April explosion ... the company said Monday. The company said the high methane reading indicated that an inundation of methane caused the explosion and remained elevated afterward," Kris Maher reports for The Wall Street Journal. "The latest evidence is consistent with Massey's theory that a sudden inundation of methane gas, possibly through a crack in the mine floor, could have initiated the explosion. Such cracks can develop during mining, which causes geologic shifts, especially in heavily mined areas."
The investigation into the April explosion that killed 29 miners at Massey Energy's mine in Montcoal, W.Va., is focusing on "alleged maintenance lapses of critical safety devices that monitor explosive gas levels, including one that was secured by a plastic zip tie," The Wall Street Journal reports. "Since 2008, Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine was cited at least 17 times by federal mine inspectors for failing to keep methane monitors in proper working condition," Kris Maher writes for the Journal. A representative of the Mine Safety and Health Administration said the agency "is concerned any time a mine is cited for improperly working methane monitors—even one citation is too many."
The U.S. attorney in Charleston is looking into alleged maintenance lapses and reported tampering with methane monitors that shut down mining equipment if methane levels get too high, Maher writes. Federal officials confirmed that two methane monitors taken from near the area where the explosion occurred were scheduled to be tested Saturday to examine their working condition. "Some alarm somewhere should have gone off, and we have no record of that," Ron Wooten, director of the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training, who is leading the state's investigation into the accident, told Maher of the methane levels in the mine prior to the explosion.
Massey said it has "no evidence of bridging out of methane monitors" as alleged in news reports. "The company noted that shortly before the explosion, three foremen conducted examinations and reported zero or nearly zero methane, but that high levels of methane were found hours after the accident," Maher writes. "Federal and state officials say the explosion itself could have caused the high levels of methane recorded afterward." (Read more)
Monday, August 09, 2010
Rural Ozarks icon Mitch Jayne dies at 82
Jayne began his career teaching in one-room schools, where he recorded much of the material for his book "Home Grown Stories & Home Fried Lies," about his students’ use of Elizabethan English. In 1962, he joined Douglas and Rodney Dillard in forming The Dillards, who earned critical acclaim and a recurring role as the Darling family on "The Andy Griffith Show" for their blend of "hard-driving melding of electrified bluegrass and rock," the Daily Tribune reports. Jayne's popular radio show, "Hickory Holler Time," was broadcast on KSMO in Salem and featured local news, bluegrass music, "The Snake and Tick Market Report," and a variety of satirical sketches. (Read more)
Jayne lived each of his 82 years "looking at the world through the eyes of an awe-struck 15-year-old" and by his own rules, his friend Ronnie Ellis of CNHI News Service writes. "Here’s the problem writing about Mitch. No matter what I write and no matter what you imagine, Mitch was more," Ellis writes. "One of his songs has this line: 'Promises are words they use for things they never do. Mountains are promises come true.' Mitchell F. Jayne was a promise come true." (Read more)
Friday, August 06, 2010
Tribute to family doctor recalls impact of one man on his rural community
An essay in the Annals of Family Medicine recounts the memorial service honoring Dr. John Anderson, a family practioner of more than 30 years in a rural Washington community. "Dr. John had become part of the landscape, and the geography of the town just changed," wrote William R. Phillips and Larry A. Green, two doctors who had been friends of Anderson. The doctors attended the memorial service and were touched by the outpouring from the community. "Most of what we heard and saw that day was about years of service, days (and some nights) of caring, and moments of tenderness. ... What we did not hear was talk about technology, systems, or efficiency. ... It was powerful testimony to the value that personal doctoring offers to patients, families, communities, and to the future."
Anderson was a founder of the National Rural Health Association and through it connected to countless other small towns and health care teams across the nation. "No one felt the need to exaggerate virtues or downplay the burdens of being a good doctor in a small town; the people who dwelled in this community knew John and the job he did." As one person said at the service, "Thank you to the Doc Andersons everywhere." (Read more)
Anderson was a founder of the National Rural Health Association and through it connected to countless other small towns and health care teams across the nation. "No one felt the need to exaggerate virtues or downplay the burdens of being a good doctor in a small town; the people who dwelled in this community knew John and the job he did." As one person said at the service, "Thank you to the Doc Andersons everywhere." (Read more)
Google-Verizon deal would be blow to net neutrality
Google and Verizon are negotiating an agreement that would have Google pay Verizon to "speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege," The New York Times reports. Such an agreement would be a serious blow to "net neutrality" advocates, who say the Internet should be free and open with no content being favored over any other, Edward Wyatt writes for the Times. "The charges could be paid by companies, like YouTube, owned by Google, for example, to Verizon, one of the nation’s leading Internet service providers, to ensure that its content received priority as it made its way to consumers," Wyatt writes. "The agreement could eventually lead to higher charges for Internet users."
The Federal Communications Commission moved in June to reclassify the Internet as a telecommunications service, giving the commission power to mandate net neutrality, a key element to the Obama Administration's national broadband plan. "People close to the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly about them said an agreement could be reached as soon as next week," Wyatt writes. Spokespersons for each company declined to comment on the rumored negotiations, and while such a deal would affect only those two companies it might "sway the opinions of lawmakers, many of whom have questioned the wisdom of the F.C.C.’s plans to oversee broadband service," Wyatt writes. (Read more)
Google moved to deny the Times story Thursday afternoon. "The New York Times is quite simply wrong," a Google spokesman told Ashby Jones of The Wall Street Journal in an email. "We have not had any conversations with Verizon about paying for carriage of Google or YouTube traffic. We remain as committed as we always have been to an open Internet." (Read more)
The Federal Communications Commission moved in June to reclassify the Internet as a telecommunications service, giving the commission power to mandate net neutrality, a key element to the Obama Administration's national broadband plan. "People close to the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly about them said an agreement could be reached as soon as next week," Wyatt writes. Spokespersons for each company declined to comment on the rumored negotiations, and while such a deal would affect only those two companies it might "sway the opinions of lawmakers, many of whom have questioned the wisdom of the F.C.C.’s plans to oversee broadband service," Wyatt writes. (Read more)
Google moved to deny the Times story Thursday afternoon. "The New York Times is quite simply wrong," a Google spokesman told Ashby Jones of The Wall Street Journal in an email. "We have not had any conversations with Verizon about paying for carriage of Google or YouTube traffic. We remain as committed as we always have been to an open Internet." (Read more)
Summer's end feeds a delightful blackberry addiction
While the modern blackberry addiction is someone with an inappropriate attachment to a cell phone, this is the time of year for a different type of blackberry addiction. "The BlackBerries to which others are wed are pesky, ubiquitous metallic objects. I see Manhattan lawyers, Albany lobbyists, and Amtrak business travelers tethered to these devices all the time," New York farmer Mark Scherzer writes for Rural Intelligence. "My blackberry liaison is longingly anticipated and, when finally consummated each mid-summer, filled with rapture. I connect with the fruits of a living blackberry cane, or more precisely (and promiscuously) with dozens, right there in our backyard."
Scherzer grows Illini blackberries, right, named for the University of Illinois where they were originally bred. "The canes were specifically developed to survive the winter in hardiness Zone 5," Scherzer writes. "No, it’s not an heirloom variety, but we planted it because we wanted a high degree of confidence that it would survive the coldest of our winters, and it has." While purists might criticize the larger size of the Illini berry compared with wild blackberries, Scherzer writes none of the taste has been lost due to the size increase. (Photo by Scherzer)
"They are big enough to fill a pint container quickly," Scherzer writes. "As you might expect, there is a certain art to picking. The berries that have red druplets on them or that have to be pulled off the bush are still a bit tart for eating, though their higher pectin content makes them excellent for jam." As for possible recipes to use the blackberries, Scherzer argues "any further 'preparation' of the berries seems almost desecration to me." Instead he writes all you need to do is "take them home, rinse them off, put them in a bowl, and feast." (Read more)
"They are big enough to fill a pint container quickly," Scherzer writes. "As you might expect, there is a certain art to picking. The berries that have red druplets on them or that have to be pulled off the bush are still a bit tart for eating, though their higher pectin content makes them excellent for jam." As for possible recipes to use the blackberries, Scherzer argues "any further 'preparation' of the berries seems almost desecration to me." Instead he writes all you need to do is "take them home, rinse them off, put them in a bowl, and feast." (Read more)
Genetically modified canola plants breed in wild
A new study suggest genetically modified farm crops are spreading into the wild. "A survey of North Dakota has turned up hundreds of genetically modified canola plants growing along roads across the state," Geoffrey Brumfiel of National Public Radio reports. "The results, presented Friday at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Pittsburgh, show that the vast majority of feral canola plants in the state contain artificial genes that make them resistant to herbicides." Cindy Sagers, an ecologist at the University of Arkansas who led the study, said researchers found two plants that contained traits from multiple modified varieties, suggesting genetically modified plants are breeding in the wild.
"What we've demonstrated in this study is a large-scale escape of a genetically modified crop in the United States," Sager told Brumfiel. While few scientists believe that the canola plants, right, pose an environmental risk, they say "the study highlights the ease with which some genetically modified plants can spread beyond their fields," Brumfiel writes. Canola plants are used in cooking oil, animal feed and some forms of biodiesel, and virtually all of U.S. canola is grown in North Dakota. (N.D. Tourism photo by Heather LeMoine)
"I wouldn't lose any sleep over it," Mike Wilkinson, a researcher at Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom, told Brumfiel. Wilkinson, who has studied the spread of conventional canola in the U.K., said while it's common for the seedlings to spread, they don't fare well in the wild. The modified plants don't necessarily have any advantage over native plants, Wilkinson said because "in this particular case, herbicide resistance will provide little edge to plants growing in areas that, almost by definition, don't receive many herbicides," Brumfiel writes. (Read more)
"I wouldn't lose any sleep over it," Mike Wilkinson, a researcher at Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom, told Brumfiel. Wilkinson, who has studied the spread of conventional canola in the U.K., said while it's common for the seedlings to spread, they don't fare well in the wild. The modified plants don't necessarily have any advantage over native plants, Wilkinson said because "in this particular case, herbicide resistance will provide little edge to plants growing in areas that, almost by definition, don't receive many herbicides," Brumfiel writes. (Read more)
FutureGen coal plant to be built based on redesign
Last summer we reported the Obama administration planned to move ahead on the Illinois "cleaner-coal" power plant, known as FutureGen, that the Bush administration canceled in 2007. Now the administration has announced it will instead invest $1 billion to retrofit the Central Illinois plant to accommodate carbon-capture and storage technology, Christa Marshall of Environment & Energy Daily reports. Initial plans were to build a first-of-a kind power plant that would have gasified coal before burning and capturing nearly all of its emissions.
"Engineers plan to swap out a boiler in the 200-megawatt plant, replace it with one that can capture CO2 and pipe the resulting gas across the state to a storage spot in Mattoon, Ill.," Marshall writes. While the announcement represented a significant step back from the initial 2003 plans for a $2 billion state-of-the-art facility, the project's supporters considered Thursday's news a victory. "This was a great day for Illinois," Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said on a conference call with reporters. "The heart of this is a research effort. We're going to learn as we go."
Durbin said the project, redubbed FutureGen 2.0, would bring 900 jobs to downstate Illinois and 1,000 additional jobs to Illinois manufacturers. Several coal experts told Marshall the project did not necessarily signal future federal investment in CO2 technology. "You're not going to see that huge amount of money unless there's a climate bill," Kevin Book, managing director of research at ClearView Energy Partners, told Marshall. "With federal climate legislation stalled on Capitol Hill for now, he and other analysts said that there may not be an economic driver to spur widespread deployment of the technology," Marshall writes. (Read more, subscription required)
"Engineers plan to swap out a boiler in the 200-megawatt plant, replace it with one that can capture CO2 and pipe the resulting gas across the state to a storage spot in Mattoon, Ill.," Marshall writes. While the announcement represented a significant step back from the initial 2003 plans for a $2 billion state-of-the-art facility, the project's supporters considered Thursday's news a victory. "This was a great day for Illinois," Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said on a conference call with reporters. "The heart of this is a research effort. We're going to learn as we go."
Durbin said the project, redubbed FutureGen 2.0, would bring 900 jobs to downstate Illinois and 1,000 additional jobs to Illinois manufacturers. Several coal experts told Marshall the project did not necessarily signal future federal investment in CO2 technology. "You're not going to see that huge amount of money unless there's a climate bill," Kevin Book, managing director of research at ClearView Energy Partners, told Marshall. "With federal climate legislation stalled on Capitol Hill for now, he and other analysts said that there may not be an economic driver to spur widespread deployment of the technology," Marshall writes. (Read more, subscription required)
Rural newspaper advocates testify against ending Saturday mail delivery
UPDATE, Sept. 16: Heath testified in person today and Cross did so Tuesday. To listen to a recording of Cross's testimony, preceded by that of Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, click here.
In testimony filed this week with the Postal Regulatory Commission two rural newspaper advocates argued that the proposed end to Saturday mail would hurt both rural newspapers and the communities they serve. "I believe the Postal Service has a special obligation to rural America that is rooted in its constitutional origins," Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Director Al Cross testified. "Rural America’s needs cannot be assumed to be the same as those of urban America. Information options are more limited, and residents rely heavily upon local newspapers to remain connected to the community."
Max Heath, postal committee chairman of the National Newspaper Association, testified that the group is "aware of the many challenges in achieving real structural and business change in a falling mail volume environment . . . but in the end, we must support our members, who will be damaged by a five-day mail plan. Rather than support this proposal, we look to other options for reform: such as NNA’s long support on Capitol Hill efforts to remove the $5.5 billion in retiree health benefit prepayments, unprecedented in government agencies."
Cross testified that rural Americans rely more heavily on the U.S. Postal Service than their urban counterparts as they are presented with fewer and often more expensive options for private mail carriers. Rural residents tend to be older and more likely to rely on the Postal Service for delivery of maintenance medications. Rural post offices provide services that are often only accessible for rural residents on Saturdays, Cross added. Many rural newspapers depend on the Postal Service for Saturday delivery, but even those that deliver on Thursdays and Fridays could be hurt as subsribers farther away might not receive newspapers until Monday or Tuesday in the event of a holiday.
Heath testified that the USPS has not adequately considered the impact on rural newspapers of ending Saturday delivery. "The Postal Service has represented itself as 'sensitive' to these concerns of NNA member newspapers," Heath testified. "But beyond lip service, I am aware of no genuine effort to address our concerns." Heath said ending Monday delivery would provide the same benefits as ending Saturday to the Postal Service but would cause less harm to rural businesses and newspapers.
Much of the threat of ending Saturday delivery to rural newspapers lies in the need for their advertisers to publish in time for weekend shopping, Cross testified. "While big-box stores and other major retailers can use mass mailings any day of the week, independent retail merchants must rely on their local newspaper to get printed advertising in the hands of their customers and potential customers," Cross testified. "The lack of a Saturday newspaper would mean the absence of a powerful advertising vehicle for local businesses at an increasingly important time of the week."
In testimony filed this week with the Postal Regulatory Commission two rural newspaper advocates argued that the proposed end to Saturday mail would hurt both rural newspapers and the communities they serve. "I believe the Postal Service has a special obligation to rural America that is rooted in its constitutional origins," Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Director Al Cross testified. "Rural America’s needs cannot be assumed to be the same as those of urban America. Information options are more limited, and residents rely heavily upon local newspapers to remain connected to the community."
Max Heath, postal committee chairman of the National Newspaper Association, testified that the group is "aware of the many challenges in achieving real structural and business change in a falling mail volume environment . . . but in the end, we must support our members, who will be damaged by a five-day mail plan. Rather than support this proposal, we look to other options for reform: such as NNA’s long support on Capitol Hill efforts to remove the $5.5 billion in retiree health benefit prepayments, unprecedented in government agencies."
Heath testified that the USPS has not adequately considered the impact on rural newspapers of ending Saturday delivery. "The Postal Service has represented itself as 'sensitive' to these concerns of NNA member newspapers," Heath testified. "But beyond lip service, I am aware of no genuine effort to address our concerns." Heath said ending Monday delivery would provide the same benefits as ending Saturday to the Postal Service but would cause less harm to rural businesses and newspapers.
Much of the threat of ending Saturday delivery to rural newspapers lies in the need for their advertisers to publish in time for weekend shopping, Cross testified. "While big-box stores and other major retailers can use mass mailings any day of the week, independent retail merchants must rely on their local newspaper to get printed advertising in the hands of their customers and potential customers," Cross testified. "The lack of a Saturday newspaper would mean the absence of a powerful advertising vehicle for local businesses at an increasingly important time of the week."
Tennessee farmer whose subsidies drew intraparty criticism wins Republican nomination for Congress
The farmer who was supported by many Republican leaders but was also criticized for seeking tea-party support while getting federal farm subsidies easily won the GOP nomination for the open congressional seat in northwest Tennessee's 8th District yesterday.
Stephen Fincher got 35,016 votes, just under half the total, in unofficial returns compiled by The Tennessean. Ron Kirkland got 17,638, George Flinn 17,309, Randy Smith 1,546 and Ben Watts 729. Fincher will face Democrat Roy Herron, who defeated Kimberlee Smith 27,132 to 12,965. The winner will succeed Democratic Rep. John Tanner, who is retiring.
The race has been the nation's most expensive for a House seat this year, The Associated Press reports: "The candidates ... have spent $5.2 million on the race so far, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. And that figure doesn't include another $1.3 million spent by one candidate's brother as an independent expenditure." Robert Kirkland, "co-founder of a national home decor retailer Kirkland's Inc.," ran polls and TV ads, criticized Fincher's $3.2 million in farm subsidies and noted that "10 percent of the wealthiest farmers receive nearly three-quarters of all farm subsidies." (Read more)
Stephen Fincher got 35,016 votes, just under half the total, in unofficial returns compiled by The Tennessean. Ron Kirkland got 17,638, George Flinn 17,309, Randy Smith 1,546 and Ben Watts 729. Fincher will face Democrat Roy Herron, who defeated Kimberlee Smith 27,132 to 12,965. The winner will succeed Democratic Rep. John Tanner, who is retiring.
The race has been the nation's most expensive for a House seat this year, The Associated Press reports: "The candidates ... have spent $5.2 million on the race so far, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. And that figure doesn't include another $1.3 million spent by one candidate's brother as an independent expenditure." Robert Kirkland, "co-founder of a national home decor retailer Kirkland's Inc.," ran polls and TV ads, criticized Fincher's $3.2 million in farm subsidies and noted that "10 percent of the wealthiest farmers receive nearly three-quarters of all farm subsidies." (Read more)
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Russian drought prompts export ban, driving up wheat prices; weather boosts other crop prices
Wheat prices zoomed to a 23-month high today as Russia said it would ban grain exports starting Aug. 15 in the wake of a severe drought that has sparked deadly fires in the country, the world's third-largest wheat grower. Also, Bloomberg reports "Dry weather in Kazakhstan, Ukraine and the European Union and excess rain in Canada are draining wheat stockpiles and dragging up prices of rice, soybeans and corn."
"Wheat for December delivery, the contract with the largest open interest, advanced as much as 7.9 percent to $8.155 a bushel in Chicago today, the highest level since August 2008," Bloomberg reports. “Wheat prices may continue rising till the end of August,” Chris Yoo, manager of the global derivatives team at Samsung Futures Inc. in Seoul, told Bloomberg. “Consumers are likely to switch to consume rice.”
"Wheat for December delivery, the contract with the largest open interest, advanced as much as 7.9 percent to $8.155 a bushel in Chicago today, the highest level since August 2008," Bloomberg reports. “Wheat prices may continue rising till the end of August,” Chris Yoo, manager of the global derivatives team at Samsung Futures Inc. in Seoul, told Bloomberg. “Consumers are likely to switch to consume rice.”
Feingold, Grassley propose cap on farm subsidies
A bill introduced by a bipartisan pair of senators would put a $250,000-per-farm limit on payments from federal commodity programs. Sens. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Charles Grassley of Iowa say the measure would save more than $1 billion “by closing loopholes in farm programs which allow mega-farms and non-farmers to collect huge government checks each year.”
Feingold, who is in a battle for re-election, told Brownfield Network, “For too long large agribusinesses and non-farmers have gamed the limits on farm subsidy programs, taking limited and critical resources better used to support our family farmers who are facing numerous challenges in the current economic climate.” (Read more) President Obama has proposed such a limit but it has been defeated in the House with the help of rural Democrats.
Feingold, who is in a battle for re-election, told Brownfield Network, “For too long large agribusinesses and non-farmers have gamed the limits on farm subsidy programs, taking limited and critical resources better used to support our family farmers who are facing numerous challenges in the current economic climate.” (Read more) President Obama has proposed such a limit but it has been defeated in the House with the help of rural Democrats.
Ky.-Tenn. outfit gets big rural broadband grant; Vermont winner predicts universal access in state
As part of the second round of stimulus package broadband funding, the Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday $1.2 billion in funding for 126 rural broadband initiatives in 38 states and tribal areas. "The broadband projects announced today will give rural Americans access to the tools they need to attract new businesses, jobs, health care and educational opportunities," Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release.
USDA said the largest award went to the West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative, which received $123.8 million to construct fiber-optic communication that will provide very fast Internet access, up to 20 megabytes per second. The company, which according to its website became West Kentucky and Tennessee Telecommunications in October 2009, serves more than 21,000 households in 11 counties. It will spend 69 percent of its award in Kentucky and 31 percent in Tennessee. Another big award along the border, almost $66.5 million to Highland Telephone Cooperative, will aid McCreary County, Kentucky and Scott County, Tennessee.
VTel Wireless Inc., the winner of $116 million in grants and loans, said the deal put Vermont "in line to become the first ... to bring high-speed wireless Internet access to every resident," Sam Hemingway of the Burlington Free Press reports.
Rural schools also stand to gain from USDA's broadband funding. "These investments will fund projects to improve connections to rural communities and Native American tribal lands, bringing broadband to more than 1,900 schools, serving 550,000 students, and many of the students' homes," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a news release. "These projects will include more than 300 schools currently in unserved areas, providing the opportunity for a high-speed connection to 82,000 students for the first time." The full list of funded projects is here.
USDA said the largest award went to the West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative, which received $123.8 million to construct fiber-optic communication that will provide very fast Internet access, up to 20 megabytes per second. The company, which according to its website became West Kentucky and Tennessee Telecommunications in October 2009, serves more than 21,000 households in 11 counties. It will spend 69 percent of its award in Kentucky and 31 percent in Tennessee. Another big award along the border, almost $66.5 million to Highland Telephone Cooperative, will aid McCreary County, Kentucky and Scott County, Tennessee.
VTel Wireless Inc., the winner of $116 million in grants and loans, said the deal put Vermont "in line to become the first ... to bring high-speed wireless Internet access to every resident," Sam Hemingway of the Burlington Free Press reports.
Rural schools also stand to gain from USDA's broadband funding. "These investments will fund projects to improve connections to rural communities and Native American tribal lands, bringing broadband to more than 1,900 schools, serving 550,000 students, and many of the students' homes," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a news release. "These projects will include more than 300 schools currently in unserved areas, providing the opportunity for a high-speed connection to 82,000 students for the first time." The full list of funded projects is here.
N.Y. Senate votes for moratorium on fracking
New York lawmakers took the first step toward a temporary moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in natural-gas drilling Tuesday when the state Senate voted 48 to 9 to impose a ban on issuing Marcellus Shale permits until May 15, 2011. Fracking is required to release gas from the deep, tight formation.
"While the measure cannot become law before the state Assembly passes a similar bill, and that chamber is not expected to take up the issue until September, environmentalists said the vote was significant in that it gave state officials more time to examine safety issues," Mireya Navarro of The New York Times reports on the Green blog. The vote was supported by New York City officials who oppose drilling near the watersheds that supply water to the city.
Brad Gill, executive director for the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, told Navarro the moratorium would delay the jobs, tax revenue and other benefits the state would attract with more drilling. "We have companies that want to come to New York, but in this regulatory and legislative climate and instability they’re going to Pennsylvania," he said. "We’re just losing out on this economic opportunity." (Read more)
"While the measure cannot become law before the state Assembly passes a similar bill, and that chamber is not expected to take up the issue until September, environmentalists said the vote was significant in that it gave state officials more time to examine safety issues," Mireya Navarro of The New York Times reports on the Green blog. The vote was supported by New York City officials who oppose drilling near the watersheds that supply water to the city.
Brad Gill, executive director for the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, told Navarro the moratorium would delay the jobs, tax revenue and other benefits the state would attract with more drilling. "We have companies that want to come to New York, but in this regulatory and legislative climate and instability they’re going to Pennsylvania," he said. "We’re just losing out on this economic opportunity." (Read more)
Farm groups fight FDA plan to limit antibiotics, but other groups say proposal not sufficient
In July we reported that the Federal Drug Administration had concluded that overuse of antibiotics in livestock led to development of drug-resistant diseases in humans. But farmers say if the FDA moves ahead on its plan to curb livestock antibiotics, it will drive up production costs and eventually food prices. "Such limits aren't justified, producers say, arguing that there is insufficient scientific evidence that drug-resistant bacteria move from animals into food," Philip Brasher of the Des Moines Register reports. FDA said it would still allow antibiotics to be used to prevent illness in livestock, but industry groups are fighting back out of fear regulations will be tightened even further.
National Pork Producers Council spokesman David Warner said the group "fears losing the use of drugs that are now approved for growth promotion but also may help in disease prevention," Brasher writes. Warner claimed "manufacturers would be reluctant to go through the arduous process of reapplying to the FDA for the right to sell the drugs for prevention purposes." Meanwhile farm-state lawmakers from both parties have raised alarms about trying to restrict antibiotic use.
"We are a culture that looks for simple, easy answers when a lot of the time we're talking about complex tradeoffs," Iowa Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley said at a recent House hearing. While cattle operations can use antibiotics that don't have a human application, hog farmers say antibiotics also used in humans are particularly important to them because "swine are susceptible to diseases that can wipe out entire herds," Brasher writes.
FDA's move would only restrict antibiotics used for growth promotion, and some say that doesn't go far enough. A bill sponsored by the ironically named Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., would end all non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics. "If we want to truly preserve antibiotics for future generations ... then we need to look beyond growth promotion," Laura Rogers, project director of the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, told Brasher. (Read more)
National Pork Producers Council spokesman David Warner said the group "fears losing the use of drugs that are now approved for growth promotion but also may help in disease prevention," Brasher writes. Warner claimed "manufacturers would be reluctant to go through the arduous process of reapplying to the FDA for the right to sell the drugs for prevention purposes." Meanwhile farm-state lawmakers from both parties have raised alarms about trying to restrict antibiotic use.
"We are a culture that looks for simple, easy answers when a lot of the time we're talking about complex tradeoffs," Iowa Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley said at a recent House hearing. While cattle operations can use antibiotics that don't have a human application, hog farmers say antibiotics also used in humans are particularly important to them because "swine are susceptible to diseases that can wipe out entire herds," Brasher writes.
FDA's move would only restrict antibiotics used for growth promotion, and some say that doesn't go far enough. A bill sponsored by the ironically named Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., would end all non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics. "If we want to truly preserve antibiotics for future generations ... then we need to look beyond growth promotion," Laura Rogers, project director of the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, told Brasher. (Read more)
Baby boomers supplement retirement income with organic farming
While the Department of Agriculture says it's difficult to track the exact figures, an increasing number of baby boomers appear to be moving to small-scale organic farming to supplement retirement incomes. "Yes, these farmers can make some money," Laura Tillman writes for the Daily Yonder. "But more importantly, farmers like [Kalman] Morris enjoy the life they’re living more than the office jobs they’ve left behind." Morris, who spent his pre-retirement career in graphic design, acknowledges he couldn't sustain his current lifestyle without the money he made from his previous work, but said farmers like him are sending an important message to the agriculture industry.
"One of the things that I believe in is the power of many small things," Morris told Tillman. "Stronger bonds are made between things with many parts — even though the power of each is not significant, it's the strongest bond you can create. It seems to me that in a large sense America has it all wrong: the American concept of bigger is better is not correct. You end up with things that are too big to fail." USDA says it has little data on the number of baby boomers supplementing retirement income with organic farming, and the movement can be tough to track since many farmers don't decide to be officially certified as organic operations.
John Cromartie, a geographer with the Resources and Rural Economics Division of USDA, recently wrote a report on baby boomer movement to rural areas but said he didn't look at the farming component of that migration. Brad Stufflebeam, former president of Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, told Tillman he has witnessed mixed results among baby-boomer farmers. "The ones that are successful are the ones that choose to do it as a lifestyle," Stufflebeam said. "The ones I see failing are the ones who have money, buy land, and hire help to do the work. I see those failing. The reason is you have to be deeply involved and its very management intensive." (Read more)
"One of the things that I believe in is the power of many small things," Morris told Tillman. "Stronger bonds are made between things with many parts — even though the power of each is not significant, it's the strongest bond you can create. It seems to me that in a large sense America has it all wrong: the American concept of bigger is better is not correct. You end up with things that are too big to fail." USDA says it has little data on the number of baby boomers supplementing retirement income with organic farming, and the movement can be tough to track since many farmers don't decide to be officially certified as organic operations.
John Cromartie, a geographer with the Resources and Rural Economics Division of USDA, recently wrote a report on baby boomer movement to rural areas but said he didn't look at the farming component of that migration. Brad Stufflebeam, former president of Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, told Tillman he has witnessed mixed results among baby-boomer farmers. "The ones that are successful are the ones that choose to do it as a lifestyle," Stufflebeam said. "The ones I see failing are the ones who have money, buy land, and hire help to do the work. I see those failing. The reason is you have to be deeply involved and its very management intensive." (Read more)
Rural teatment for drug abuse is lacking, but a new option has helped
"For years, medical treatment for addiction to opiates such as heroin and the prescription painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin was limited mostly to clinics offering methadone, a replacement drug that prevents withdrawal symptoms and reduces highs," Wahlberg writes. Methadone clinics are particularly hard for rural residents to use because they are maionly located in larger cities and require daily visits. In 2002, the government approved Suboxone as an alternative to methadone, which has greatly expanded treatment options as doctors can prescribe the drug in their offices and require only weekly visits.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports "Suboxone is considered less risky than methadone but also less powerful, so it can be less effective for addicts with high levels of opiate dependence," Wahlberg writes. Still, David Friedman, director of the addiction studies program at Wake Forest University, said Suboxone has been important for bring drug abuse treatment to rural areas. "The idea was to mainstream addiction treatment," he said. "Having an alternative to methadone is a real good thing." (Read more)
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Memorial to 9/11 victim turns refugees into farmers
The agriculture industry may not be the first place most think to look for the legacy of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but a Massachusetts farming program is hoping to carry on the work started by one of the victims. John Ogonowski, the pilot on American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into the World Trade Center during the attacks, had been a farmer as well. He had served as the first farming mentor in the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, launched to teach refugees farming skills.
The program "has quietly trained about 150 refugees of war, famine and genocide in modern farming to help them integrate into American life," Russell Contreras of The Associated Press reports. "On farms along the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, the refugees have slowly replaced aging farmers and put back into use land that has been idle for years, the program's organizers said." Project director Jennifer Hashley said of the refugees, "Some were farmers. Some come from a family of farmers. What we do is provide them with the means to return to agriculture by figuring out financial resources and developing a production plan."
Following the terrorist attacks, Ogonowski's widow Peggy helped create a farm trust as a memorial to her husband, and Tufts University secured $500,000 in grants to expand the program and train more farmers. Participants complete a six-week agriculture and commercial farming course at Tufts before entering a three-year transition program in which they farm small plots, typically earning $5,000 to $10,000 a year to help supplement their non-farm incomes, Contreras writes.
After three years, farmers lease a plot from the Ogonowski trust or the project helps them find other land. "You hear all sorts of languages when you're out here," said Tsimba, a refugee who said the program helped her learn the basics of farming. "We pick up new ideas from each other." The program has also developed a reputation for teaching local food skills, attracting an American clientele. In three years it has grown from 15 trainees a year to 30, over half of them Americans. (Read more)
The program "has quietly trained about 150 refugees of war, famine and genocide in modern farming to help them integrate into American life," Russell Contreras of The Associated Press reports. "On farms along the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, the refugees have slowly replaced aging farmers and put back into use land that has been idle for years, the program's organizers said." Project director Jennifer Hashley said of the refugees, "Some were farmers. Some come from a family of farmers. What we do is provide them with the means to return to agriculture by figuring out financial resources and developing a production plan."
Following the terrorist attacks, Ogonowski's widow Peggy helped create a farm trust as a memorial to her husband, and Tufts University secured $500,000 in grants to expand the program and train more farmers. Participants complete a six-week agriculture and commercial farming course at Tufts before entering a three-year transition program in which they farm small plots, typically earning $5,000 to $10,000 a year to help supplement their non-farm incomes, Contreras writes.
After three years, farmers lease a plot from the Ogonowski trust or the project helps them find other land. "You hear all sorts of languages when you're out here," said Tsimba, a refugee who said the program helped her learn the basics of farming. "We pick up new ideas from each other." The program has also developed a reputation for teaching local food skills, attracting an American clientele. In three years it has grown from 15 trainees a year to 30, over half of them Americans. (Read more)
Deputy education secretary for rural outreach cites rural upbringing in Education Week interview
Prior to joining the department, White was chief communications officer for Prince George's County Public Schools, which serves approximately 130,000 students in more than 200 schools in Maryland just outside of Washington. Thay may seem to be an odd stepping stone for a rural school position, but White said he brings a rural background to the table. "I grew up in Calvert County, Maryland, when the area had two high schools and many more farms and tobacco fields than schools," he told Schulken. "The experience of growing up in 'the country' was very different than my last job."
White said his top concerns for rural schools are "access and opportunity for students to pursue and create new careers in their communities" and "the expectations of adults for rural students, and the students' expectations for building a career where they grow up. In extremely poor rural places, I have visited elementary and middle school classrooms where children can name the college they want to attend and the career they want to pursue. In some of these same places, school leaders say expectations change in high school because of factors outside of school."
What has the administration done for rural schools since his appointment? "So far, the administration has included priority points for proposals that would address the needs of rural schools in competitive grants," he said. "Technical assistance and outreach are being provided, and we plan to make changes to the department's 21 Comprehensive Technical Assistance Centers to provide expertise and capacity building for states and school districts throughout the country." You can read the entire interview, in which White talks about complaints from rural districts, the Title 1 funding formula and the rural role in the "Blueprint for Reform" among other topics, here.
Daily Yonder takes closer look at rural uninsured, finds wide ranges across counties, states, regions
How will health-care reform affect rural Americans without health insurance? While rural counties have a slightly lower rate of uninsured than urban counties, new data from the Census Bureau shows that statistic can be misleading for most areas, Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo report for the Daily Yonder. In all rural counties, 17.1 percent of people under 65 don't have insurance, compared to 17.2 percent in urban counties, but the rate of uninsured within rural America varies widely across states and regions, the Yonder reports.
Just under half of the nation's 2,038 rural counties have uninsured rates below the national average of 17.1 percent, but "In most states, the rural uninsured rate is higher than the urban rate," the Yonder reports. All but seven of the 50 counties with the highest rates of uninsured people are found in Texas, Bishop and Gallardo write. "Rural counties have lower rates of uninsured only in Arizona, California, Illinois, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Connecticut." (Read more) (Yonder map; click for larger version)
Just under half of the nation's 2,038 rural counties have uninsured rates below the national average of 17.1 percent, but "In most states, the rural uninsured rate is higher than the urban rate," the Yonder reports. All but seven of the 50 counties with the highest rates of uninsured people are found in Texas, Bishop and Gallardo write. "Rural counties have lower rates of uninsured only in Arizona, California, Illinois, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Connecticut." (Read more) (Yonder map; click for larger version)
Environmental group joins industry in challenging EPA's greenhouse gas regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency has failed to satisfy either side of the debate about its tailoring rule that would regulate greenhouse gases from only the largest industrial sources, like power plants. "The Center for Biological Diversity is joining a number of industry groups in challenging EPA's tailoring rule," Robin Bravender of Greenwire reports for The New York Times. "But while industry groups argue that EPA climate rules will hurt businesses, CBD says the agency is not going far enough." Tuesday marked the deadline for groups to file challenges to the rule with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
"We want to make sure that there are some lines in the sand that are drawn and that truly the large industrial sources of greenhouse gases are actually regulated," CBD senior counsel Bill Snape said. EPA says without the tailoring rule, "even small sources would need to get permits for their greenhouse gas emissions when the agency's emission limits for tailpipes will trigger Clean Air Act permitting rules for industrial facilities," Bravender writes. Snape echoed previous promises that CBD is not trying to force EPA into regulating greenhouse gas emissions from smaller sources, but said the agency can do better than the tailoring rule.
"Starting in January, only sources that already have to apply for permits for other pollutants and emit more than 75,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year would be affected," Bravender writes. "And starting next July, new and modified plants that emit more than 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year would be affected." EPA initially proposed to regulate emitters of over 25,000 tons, but air chief Gina McCarthy said in May agency officials realized that threshold would include sources it didn't intend to regulate. "You've already seen EPA pushed back so the final rule is significantly weaker," Snape said. "Our take was: That jump from the proposed rule from the final rule was pure fear politics." (Read more)
"We want to make sure that there are some lines in the sand that are drawn and that truly the large industrial sources of greenhouse gases are actually regulated," CBD senior counsel Bill Snape said. EPA says without the tailoring rule, "even small sources would need to get permits for their greenhouse gas emissions when the agency's emission limits for tailpipes will trigger Clean Air Act permitting rules for industrial facilities," Bravender writes. Snape echoed previous promises that CBD is not trying to force EPA into regulating greenhouse gas emissions from smaller sources, but said the agency can do better than the tailoring rule.
"Starting in January, only sources that already have to apply for permits for other pollutants and emit more than 75,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year would be affected," Bravender writes. "And starting next July, new and modified plants that emit more than 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year would be affected." EPA initially proposed to regulate emitters of over 25,000 tons, but air chief Gina McCarthy said in May agency officials realized that threshold would include sources it didn't intend to regulate. "You've already seen EPA pushed back so the final rule is significantly weaker," Snape said. "Our take was: That jump from the proposed rule from the final rule was pure fear politics." (Read more)
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