Propane crisis stems from perfect storm of factors; feds order pipeline to change shipments

"Federal and state officials are pushing emergency measures to get propane to people who need the gas to heat their homes in the Midwest and other regions of the country beset by persistent frigid temperatures," Ana Campoy reports for The Wall Street Journal. "The measures, which include extending working hours for truckers and ordering a pipeline company to prioritize shipments to areas with tight supplies, are meant to alleviate a propane crunch that has sent prices for the fuel to record highs in some parts of the country." The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order to Enterprise TE Products Pipeline Co., "to give priority to shipments going from Texas to the Midwest and the Northeast," was "the first time the agency issued such an order," Campoy reports.

Mark Burger delivered propane near Clinton, Iowa.
(NYT photo by Scott Wilson, Getty Images)

The propane crisis was caused by a perfect storm of very cold weather, rising exports, pipeline problems and a wet corn crop, Alan Blinder and Clifford Krauss report for The New York Times, with the help of two other reporters; the four were in Texas, Alabama, Iowa and Nebraska.

"Five times as much propane was used to dry corn in recent months because of a bumper crop of wet corn last year, the result of heavy rains at the end of the growing season. Meanwhile, American propane exports exceeded 400,000 barrels a day for the first time in October, according to a recent report by the consultants RBN Energy."

The Times reports that 20 or more states "have declared emergencies or suspended certain transportation regulations, including limits on how long propane delivery drivers can remain on the road. Some states are opting for — or are at least weighing — more aggressive tactics," such as an Indiana plan to forgo sales taxes on bulk purchases at over $2.50 a gallon.

"There are also signs that the industry’s answer could soon become more forceful," the Times reports. "Oneok Inc., the pipeline giant, told federal regulators last week that it could reverse the flow of a propane pipeline to bolster supplies at a Kansas storage hub with supplies from Oklahoma. The company, however, did not say when it might act." Meanwhile, some hog and poultry farmers worry if they will be able to keep their stock warm or at least alive. (Wall Street Journal graphic)

Senate panel OKs bill to set trigger for ending Sat. mail delivery, perhaps in less than four years

A postal-reform bill with a trigger that would probably end Saturday delivery in about four years is on its way to the Senate floor. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the bill Thursday, as opponents said "the changes would hurt mail delivery to rural areas and threaten the Postal Service’s mission of universal service," reports Lisa Rein of The Washington Post.

USPS wants to end Saturday delivery except for packages, on which it makes money. The bill would allow it to reduce delivery to five days a week when the total volume of mail falls to 140 billion pieces, but not before October 2017. At current rates of decline, volume would fall below the trigger level at about that time or a few months later. A House postal-reform bill would allow the service to cut back delivery to five days without limitations.

The committee defeated an amendment by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to allow guns to be carried into post offices, but approved one by Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, to allow guns in post-office parking lots if allowed by the state. It remains to be seen whether Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will bring the bill to the floor with such a provision.

The bill should raise concerns not only for rural newspapers that need Saturday delivery. Most depend on the mail for delivery, and the bill would give USPS would have a freer hand to raise rates. Starting in 2017, the Postal Regulatory Commission would have to approve or disapprove as a whole any package of proposed rates, instead of picking and choosing as it does now.

The bill includes several other measures aimed at eliminating USPS's operating deficit, including making permanent a recent increase in postal rates. (Read more)

Obama introduces 'Made in Rural America' to promote farmers, other rural exports

As President Obama signed the Farm Bill into law Friday, he also introduced a new program that he said would help farmers and rural businesses. The program, "Made in Rural America," will "connect rural businesses with federal resources that can help sell their products and services abroad," Nedra Pickler reports for The Associated Press. "The program’s creation comes as U.S. farmers are sending more products overseas — a record $140.9 billion in the last fiscal year — but U.S. officials say additional opportunities exist overseas for farmers and other rural business owners."

A news release from The White House says "The President has instructed his Rural Council – in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, the Export-Import Bank, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and other agencies – to commit to connecting more rural businesses of all types to export information and assistance through a comprehensive strategy including the following specific commitments, to be provided over the next nine months." For a White House fact sheet, click here.

Plans are being made to "host five 'Made in Rural America' regional forums dedicated to promoting rural exports by providing rural leaders and businesses with information about federal and other resources available to help expand exports," the release says. Also, later this year, an "Investing in Rural America" conference will "connect major investors with rural business leaders, high-level government officials, economic development experts, and other partners."

Other plans include training sessions "to equip local USDA Rural Development staff in all 50 states plus territories with the tools they need to counsel businesses on export opportunities and resources," enhancing, "counseling for rural businesses to connect with foreign buyers," the promotion of  "rural-produced goods and services at trade events including trade missions, buyer programs, trade shows, and other promotion programs," the education of local leaders "on the importance of rural exports," and to "use the BusinessUSA online platform to better connect rural businesses with export and investment resources and coordinate support from across the federal government." (Read more)

Colorado weekly covers allegations of hostile workplace at hospital, explains why it did the story

Community newspapers have always prided themselves on publishing the stories that urban papers wouldn't find newsworthy. What makes really good community papers is the effort to report anything that concerns the community, good or bad. An excellent example is the recent reporting by the weekly Herald Democrat of Leadville, Colo., which uncovered startling claims about the local St. Vincent Hospital (website photo).

Several former employees told the newspaper that the work environment at the 25-bed, critical-access hospital was hostile, leading some of them to resign, Danny Ramsey reports: "Much of the criticism centers around supervision of the nursing staff. Several former employees said their ideas and concerns were being dismissed and that voicing them put 'a target on their backs.'”

Former operating manager Jim Yopp, who resigned Jan. 22, "said he felt his concerns regarding patient safety and the overall work environment were not being listened to. Among his safety concerns was obsolete operating room equipment that could possibly be dangerous to patients," Ramsey writes. "Yopp said he approached St. Vincent CEO Joyce Beck several times to express concern about the work environment and specific concerns about his supervision, but was chastised." Yopp said he was written up for voicing his concerns.

Kelly Doke, a former emergency nurse and electronic-health-records manager, said she experienced the same treatment, Ramsey reports. She said "She brought a patient-safety issue to her superior in August. When that issue hadn’t been addressed by January, Doke went directly to Beck to discuss her concerns. She was then written up for violating the chain of command, she said. She was also told to express safety concerns verbally and not through written means." Another employee "said she was not given any verbal or written warnings before she was asked to resign." Former employees also said they had received inadequate training.

Doke and Yopp estimated that 29 nursing staff members had quit the hospital since December 2012, a turnover rate of 100 percent. The hospital refused to provide the Herald Democrat with specific turnover numbers, and cited privacy matters when asked about specific instances. (Read more)

In an editorial published the same day as the story, Editor Marcia Martinek explains the reasons behind the story. "Hospital employees came to us with their concerns last week regarding this issue; however, we first heard of the issue this past summer," Martinek writes. "We were unable to deal with it then, as our two-person staff was tied up with other matters. It went on our 'to look into' list until the issue reared its head again. We have and are attempting to get both sides of this story."

When the paper began working on the story it had to fight instant resistance from the hospital. "One hospital official questioned why the Herald was even interested in this issue," Martinek writes. "She pointed out that the Denver Post would never run a story such as the one we are pursuing. Exactly. There’s community journalism, and then there’s the kind of journalism practiced by large metro daily newspapers. It’s unlikely your child will appear on the front page of the Denver Post. It’s far more likely that your child will appear on the front page of the Herald Democrat. We are focused on this community, providing news you’re not likely to obtain elsewhere. Good, bad and indifferent." (Read more)

86% of Americans say they worry about food safety

Recent salmonella outbreaks linked to Foster Farms chicken, and the release of a study that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has serious safety inspections issues, haven't instilled much trust in food safety in America. That is reflected by a Harris Poll that found that 28 percent of Americans are seriously concerned about food safety, and 58 percent are somewhat concerned, Lynne Terry reports for The Oregonian. Of the 2,256 surveyed, 73 percent said there should be more government oversight.

In response to food recalls, 36 percent of those surveyed who earn less than $36,000 a year said they were seriously concerned, while 21 percent earning between $35,000 to $50,000 responded in kind, and 26 percent of households earning more than $50,000 said they were seriously concerned, Terry writes. (Read more) (Centers for Disease Control map: The agency says the official number of people infected with salmonella is 430, in 23 states and Puerto Rico)

Virginia's Natural Bridge will become a state park

A commercial tourist attraction, The Natural Bridge of Virginia, is on the fast track to becoming a state park. On Thursday, owner Angelo Puglisi "donated the 215-foot limestone arch, valued at $21 million, to the newly formed Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund and received conservation tax credits estimated to be worth about $7 million along with $8.6 million in cash for the balance of his Natural Bridge holdings that encompass more than 1,500 mostly forested acres," Luanne Rife reports for The Roanoke Times. Puglisi told Rife, “It is something that needs to be preserved as Mount Vernon and Monticello. I’m afraid we are losing the history of our country.” Thomas Jefferson owned the bridge. (Roanoke Times file photo)

The bridge is expected to become a park by the end of 2015. "The transaction is complicated," Rife writes. "The holdings had been divided into 35 tracts of land. The 188-acre parcel that includes the bridge is valued at $21 million and was donated to (the Conservation Legacy Fund). The deed was recorded with a conservation easement, which allows Puglisi to exercise a state tax credit. The terms require the bridge to be turned over to the state once VCLF retires the $9.1 million loan used to secure the balance of Puglisi’s Natural Bridge holdings." (Read more)

The bridge, in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Interstate 81 south of Lexington, is 20 stories tall, 100 feet wide, and 40 feet thick. The surrounding area has nature trails and caverns that descend 34 stories, and include an indoor tropical-butterfly garden, according to attraction's website.

Illegal day-care centers plague rural Missouri; bill would let rural counties opt out of state rules

Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick

Illegal day-care centers, run by people without a state license, have been a persistent problem in rural Missouri. Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob) has a solution: let the state's 93 rural counties "to opt out of all state child-care licensing requirements and, if they choose, create their own rules instead," Nancy Cambria and Marie French report for the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Fitzpatrick said at a hearing Thursday that the illegal day-cares "lack the staff to meet state standards for adult-to-child ratios," Cambria and French write. "He said they can’t survive under the state’s enrollment limits, which cap their number of paying clients. He worries the state will soon begin shuttering these facilities, leaving hundreds of low-income parents in the lurch." One of the problems is that's it's too difficult to get a license, he said, saying, “If they can bring that (licensing) bar down a little bit, they may be able to get some of those unlicensed folks to seek licensing. . . .  I’m not trying to kill babies or make kids unsafe. I’m trying to give counties the option to come up with their own licensing plan.” 

But safety remains an issue. According to an investigation by the Post-Dispatch, 50 out of 56 child care deaths in the state from 2007 through July 2011 occurred in unlicensed day cares, Cambria and French write. Even worse, they write, "Prosecutors often declined to take action against providers accused of caring for more children than allowed by law."

Rep. Sheila Solon (R-Blue Springs) "said getting rid of these regulations would eliminate the ability for the state to shut down dangerous facilities and keep information about complaints against providers from parents," Cambria and French write. “That information is important for parents to have when they’re trying to find a place to put their most precious commodity, their children. If children are in immediate danger, we want that ability for them to be able to come in and shut them down.”

Rep. Bill Lant (R-Pineville) said Thursday "he plans to file a bill as early as next week that would largely close a loophole to a law that limits how many children a provider can care for without a license. That number is currently set at four, but an exemption allows providers to care for an unlimited number of children who are related to them," Cambria and French write. Rep. Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City) "also has filed a bill for the second year to license almost all providers in the state — a move that would bring thousands of unregulated facilities under state regulation. LaFaver said Thursday his bill is intended to be a starting point for conversation about creating stricter standards. He said he has reached out to Fitzpatrick to find another solution." (Read more)

Interactive map shows all counties' oil and gas yield

The oil and gas boom continues to migrate west, but where has production seen the most change? "Rural counties increased their oil production by more than half since 2000, while metro counties pumped 15 percent less oil in 2011 than in 2000," Bill Bishop reports for the Daily Yonder after crunching data from the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture. "Natural gas production increased 62 percent in rural counties since 2000, 19 percent in counties with small cities (between 10,000 and 50,000) and 57 percent in metro counties."

The Yonder map shows changes in oil and gas production. To read more and view an interactive version of the map click here.

Here's an example of the map's interactivity:

Federal funds helping states and localities make rural railroad crossings safer

A chronic problem in remote rural areas is a lack of warning lights or arm gates at railroad crossings. With only a sign marking many crossings, it's not uncommon to see stories about a driver being killed after failing to see an oncoming train. The problem could be significantly reduced, thanks to a $220 million fund from the U.S. Department of Transportation designed to improve safety precautions. (Forum News Service photo by David Samson: A driver was killed Sunday at this Sabin, Minn., railroad crossing) 

Funds "are eligible for projects at all public crossings including roadways, bike trails and pedestrian paths," according to the Transportation Department website. "Fifty percent of a state's apportionment is dedicated for the installation of protective devices at crossings. The remainder of the funds apportionment can be used for any hazard elimination project, including protective devices." Funds can also be used "as incentive payments for local agencies to close public crossings provided there are matching funds from the railroad," and "for local agencies to provide matching funds for state-funded projects." Federal funds will cover 90 percent of the costs, and in some cases, 100 percent. (Read more)

That's good news for states like Minnesota, where about two-thirds of public railroad crossings "don’t have advanced signals for motorists and pedestrians such as crossing gates, lights and bells," Cali Ownings reports for  The Forum of Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn. Minnesota will receive $6 million from the program; local agencies will have to come up with 10 percent of the costs, estimated at $50,000 to $250,000 per project. (Read more)

National Newspaper Assn. sets D.C. lobbying meeting March 13; Bob Schieffer set to speak

Leaders of the National Newspaper Association, the main lobby for rural weeklies, are reminding publishers of the group's annual meeting in Washington next month. "Governments can work for or against us. But when our voices are not heard, it can usually be predicted to go against us. That is why an industry facing the challenges we face in community newspapers cannot afford to be silent." NNA President Robert M. Williams Jr. of Georgia told members in an email today. "That is why we need YOU in Washington on March 12-13 for the We Believe in Newspapers Leadership Summit."

Williams, publisher of The Blackshear Times ("Like by many, cussed by some, read by them all") points out the issues in play: "We do not want to wake up this time next year and find advertising taxes facing us. Or even higher postal rates. Or more cuts in service. Or yet another U.S. Postal Service contract aimed directly at taking our advertising away. No one can do this work for us. Once upon a time, newspapers could count on speaking truth to power on their editorial pages alone. That is no longer enough."

The meeting will be based at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington. It will begin with a policy briefing on the morning of March 13, followed by individual visits to congressional offices. CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer will speak at dinner that night. Registration information is at www.nnaweb.org. The deadline for hotel registration is Feb. 22.

Rural women often shy of seeking mental health care, so physicians must step into the breach

Penn State researchers' study of 19 rural primary-care physicians in central Pennsylvania found that "Women living in rural communities are less likely than urban-dwelling women to receive sufficient mental-health care, in large part due to limited access to services and societal stigma," Victoria Indivero reports for the university. Because of stigma, some rural primary-care physicians are being asked to treat conditions that a specialist would be better qualified to treat, she reports.

"Rural women may not want to be seen walking into the office of a mental health care provider due to fear of judgment by family and friends," said the researchers, who focused their study on screening and diagnosis of mental-health conditions, barriers to treatment among rural women, management of mental illnesses in rural women and ideas to improve care for this population. One physician told researchers, "I do a lot of psychiatry in my practice that I really wish I didn't have to do, but I do it because someone's got to do it."

That raises concerns. "About one-third of the physicians reported that they routinely screened for depression, while others stated that time constraints and competing priorities would not allow them to regularly screen patients," Indivero writes. "Identification of post-traumatic stress disorder among rural women may be particularly challenging because some of the rural doctors did not feel that PTSD was likely to affect rural women. Most of the physicians noted that many of their patients were underinsured and did not have mental health coverage."

"Despite the barriers to optimal healthcare, we found that many of the physicians are seeking creative solutions and developing informal networks with mental health care professionals for consultation," Jennifer S. McCall-Hosenfeld, one of the study's authors, told Indivero. "This study reinforced the fact that there are problems with access to health care in rural communities but also provided some examples of potential solutions to those access issues, such as formalizing and expanding existing consulting networks." (Read more) The study, which appears in Mental Health in Family Medicine, is behind a pay wall, and can be accessed by clicking here.

Heroin problem keeps growing in rural America

As some states crack down on prescription drug abuse and pill pipelines, heroin use is rising, the drug has become easily accessible in rural America and officials are scrambling to keep the drug out of their towns. In a story for The Tennessean, Tom Wilemon looks at the growing problem in rural Tennessee.

The drug is widely used in Nashville and surrounding towns, said Dr. Chapman Sledge, chief medical officer of the Cumberland Heights treatment center in Nashville. Sledge told Wilemon: "I worked this weekend and I saw more heroin-addicted patients this weekend than I saw in the 10 years prior to moving up here. Seriously, I would see one or two a year. I probably had six or eight this weekend whose drug of choice is heroin. It is rampant.”

Patients addicted to opiates increased 10 percent in Tennessee from 2012 to 2013, said Ben Middleton, chief operating officer for clinic services at Centerstone, a nonprofit that runs outpatient treatment clinics, Wilemon writes. The agency does not keep specific data on heroin use. In the small town of Corinth, Miss., just across the border from Tennessee and Alabama, two heroin-related deaths were reported within 10 days of each other in January.

Heroin users come in all forms, Sledge said. He told Wilemon, “The stereotypical heroin addict, you can forget about it. These are people it would never cross your mind. It’s good kids using a drug that has an extremely high potential for addiction and also a really high potential for overdose.” (Read more)

Publication names 50 rural hospital CEOs to watch

While rural hospitals often make the news for closures or cutbacks, plenty of rural hospitals are providing excellent service. Not to let those folks go unnoticed, Becker's Hospital Review announced its list of 50 rural hospital CEOs to know. The selected presidents and CEOs "have shown commitment to providing high-quality, accessible care to their patient populations and have approached the challenge of rural healthcare with great aplomb," Heather Punke writes for the publication.

For this list, 'rural' was defined as being located outside a major metropolitan area or healthcare hub," Punke writes. "Leaders were selected based on a number of factors, including awards received; local, regional and national leadership positions held and their organization's recent performance. Nominations were also considered." To see the full list of presidents and CEOs click here.

Encrypted police radios can cut newsrooms out of the loop, but some are working around it

Shelby County, Illinois, Sheriff Mike Miller with
his encrypted radios (Shelby County News photo)

By Tim Mandell
The Rural Blog

A staple of work at a community newspaper is the police scanner. Typically, one is set up in the middle of the newsroom where the entire editorial staff can keep tabs on what's happening. Many photographers have one with them at all times, ensuring that even when the newspaper is closed and reporters are unavailable, the paper can at the very least get a photograph.

But those days of rushing out of the office or being awakened in the middle of the night to cover a murder, a fire or any other breaking news event could be coming to an end in many places. More and more police departments are using encrypted scanners, leaving journalists in the dark about emergency events, and raising safety concerns.

Some newspapers have found ways to continue to get emergency updates—although it's not always successful—and can cost a hefty sum. Some police agencies have offered to lease radios to news outlets.

This week in Indiana, "as part of the $17 million upgrade, most of the channels used by Fort Wayne police and fire departments, the Allen County Police Department and New Haven Police Department will become encrypted," Rebecca Green reports for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. "The reason for the move to encrypted channels, according to Fort Wayne Public Safety Director Rusty York, is that the current 800-megahertz channels are readily available to 'bad guys' who monitored the radio traffic." York said the new system is impossible to monitor.

Last week, Columbia, Tenn., police switched to encrypted radio, and "Those who listen to emergency radio scanners might have noticed only static emanating from the Columbia police channel," Chris Moorman reports for The Daily Herald. "Chief Tim Potts said the encryption key the department is using is unbreakable." He told Moorman, There’s not a scanner on the market that would pick up what we were transmitting."

Some agencies are using other means to ensure that newspapers can keep up to date on emergencies. Mike Buffington, of Mainstreet Newspapers in Jefferson, Ga., said he listens to the scanner through a website called Radio Reference. "The 5-0 Radio iPhone app uses the same feeds, so I can listen to my feed from anywhere, regardless of whether I'm in radio range," Buffington said. In addition they "discovered that most E911 systems also dispatch data via text messages on major calls." They asked to be included, and now all the group's editors get texts when there's an emergency. 

Buffington wrote on the members-only Hotline of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. David Pugh of the Archbold Buckeye in northwestern Ohio wrote that his local police switched to digital P-25, a system that some scanners are capable of receiving. But it's not cheap, said Pugh—each scanner costs the paper $525.

Still, if a department goes for encrypted radios, some newspapers, as well as neighboring emergency responders, will be left out in the cold. "The problem that has arisen, at least locally, is that only the North Little Rock police and fire have gone to the encrypted," Arkansas Press Association Executive Director Tom Larimer told The Rural Blog. "That just means that their big brothers across the river can't hear them in the event they need assistance. Encrypted radios would seem practical only if all police, fire and other emergency units adopt them at once, and apparently some don't see the benefit of going encrypted at all."

That issue cost a man his life on Feb. 7, 2013, when a Riverside, Calif., officer was gunned down at a stop light, and his partner was injured by a suspect being sought by visiting Los Angeles police, John Asbury reports for The Press-Enterprise. The two departments were on different systems, and L.A. officials were unable to warn local police in time that a dangerous suspect was in the area. Eleven months and $172 million later, Riverside has an encrypted system that will cost $16 million a year to run, but it's on the same wavelength as neighboring agencies, Brian Rokos reports for The Press-Enterprise. Most communities lack that kind of money, leaving some areas hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

As farm lobbies push for immigration reform, technology to replace workers advances

In an attempt to push immigration reform to get passed this year, more than 70 of the biggest agricultural lobbies have formed Partnership for a New American Economy, which the group describes as bringing "together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reform as a way of creating jobs for Americans today," according to the group's website.

"The campaign, called #IFarmImmigration, will kick off on Wednesday on Capitol Hill where farmers and ranchers will brief congressional staff about the need for changes in immigration law," reports Agri-Pulse, a Washington newsletter. "Throughout February, participants will be releasing new research on labor shortages while telling their stories through farm tours, social and traditional media, videos and community events for members of Congress in their districts."

While the immigration bill remains in limbo, the agricultural industry continues to move forward with technology that could replace human workers with robotic equipment, Agri-Pulse reports. Qin Zhang, senior scientist at Washington State University's Center for Precision & Automated Agriculture Systems, told Agri-Pulse, “When you see a robotic tractor, it looks like a regular tractor. You tell the tractor where to go; it finds the field and plows, pulls back in and shuts down.” Most of the robotics have been used in harvesting grain crops, but scientists are exploring ways to use the technology for picking apples and other produce, and with fully-automated milking machines. So far, robots aren't able to pick apples fast enough to replace humans. (WSU photo: Fruit picking robotic hand)

Farm workers shouldn't start worrying about losing their jobs, said Erik Nicholson, national vice president of the United Farm Workers. He told Agri-Pulse that agricultural businesses “will need people to drive the machines, fix the machines.” He also said humans can better differentiate between quality crops and rotten or immature crops, saying “A machine can’t tell the difference. A machine can’t tell between a good and bad green bean.”

The technology is still in its infancy, and liability issues remain a concern, said Nick Tindall, director of government affairs at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. He told Agri-Pulse, "You don’t want a software hiccup, and it hits something. We're at the dawn of this." Agri-Pulse is subscription only, but a free trial is available by clicking here.

W.Va. senator blasts 'soft regulations' of state and region in wake of chemical spill that tainted water

Sen. Jay Rockefeller

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) was upset Tuesday when results of a hearing by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s water subcommittee found that "Patchwork federal regulations are inadequate to protect the public from chemical spills such as the one last month that contaminated drinking water for 300,000 West Virginia residents," Ben Nuckols reports for The Associated Press. Rockefeller responded by saying, "Regulation is soft in West Virginia. It's always been soft. I'm here, angry, upset, shocked, embarrassed that this would happen to 300,000 absolutely wonderful people."

Rockefeller chided people living outside of Appalachia for not understanding the region and said corporations never have to take responsibility for their actions, Erica Martinson reports for Politico. Rockefeller said, “Industry does everything they can and gets away with it almost all the time, whether it’s the coal industry, not the subject of this hearing, or water or whatever. They will cut corners, and they will get away with it."

"I came from outside of Appalachia, so sometimes I see Appalachia in ways that are different than others,” said Rockefeller, a scion of the Standard Oil fortune who came to West Virginia as an anti-poverty worker and was elected governor and senator. He said the regional myth is “the idea that somehow God has it in his plan to make sure that industry is going to make life safe for them.”

Rockefeller isn't running for re-election, but the two candidates who are vying for his seat, West Virginia’s Democratic secretary of state, Natalie Tennant, and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), were in attendance, Martinson notes. "Tennant, who was a scheduled witness at the hearing, asked the subcommittee to support a 10-year study to monitor the health of people exposed to chemicals from the spill. Capito, who made an unscheduled appearance before the panel, bemoaned a pattern of poor and incorrect information that both government agencies and private industry gave to people in West Virginia." (Read more)

N.H. senator, FCC commissioner say solving rural broadband problem begins with fixing E-Rate

UPDATE, Feb. 6: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the agency "will consider increasing the tax paid by consumers or phone companies to finance the effort," reports Edward Wyatt of The New York Times. "Wheeler said that any increase in the tax would be preceded by a restructuring" of how the revenue is spent. "Only about half of the program, known as E-rate, currently pays for broadband connections; some of it pays for outdated technologies like pagers and dial-up connections."

Sen. Kelly Ayotte

As technology advances, some rural areas are still being left in the dust, lacking access to high-speed Internet service, which is being defined by faster and faster speeds. The problems of getting and keeping rural America connected can be solved by fixing the complicated E-rate program, which was created to help all schools and libraries, but which has been used more widely in urban areas, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Ajit Pai, a member of the Federal Communications Commission, write in an opinion piece in the Concord Monitor.

Managed by the FCC, the E‑Rate program "allows schools and libraries to buy technology services (such as internet access) at a discount from communications providers. E-Rate then compensates those providers for the amount of the discount," Ayotte and Pai write. "Lower-income schools and a few rural schools receive larger discounts than their wealthier counterparts. And federal rules prioritize who gets how much for what service. A core component of E‑Rate’s mission is to give rural students the same tech-driven tools as urban and suburban students. Congress had the right idea in the 1990s, but E‑Rate today isn’t achieving its intended goals. And it’s not a matter of how much we spend but how we spend it."

Ajit Pai

But it doesn't always work that way, Ayotte and Pai write. For example, New Hampshire receives less money than any other state in the E-Rate program, getting 25 cents back for every dollar, while a more urban state like New Jersey receives three times more funding than New Hampshire. Vermont, Montana and South Dakota are also at the bottom of the list of getting back money from the program.

The problem, Ayotte and Pai write, is the lengthy and confusing process of filling out E-Rate applications: "It can take hours of paperwork, months of waiting and an understanding of E‑Rate’s convoluted and antiquated rules to even have a chance of successfully obtaining federal funding. The most successful schools tend to hire outside consultants to navigate the process for them—an option that many schools, especially small and rural ones, can’t afford. More important, they shouldn’t have to."

The solution is a student‑centered E‑Rate program, Ayotte and Pai write. "That starts with simplifying the process by reducing the paperwork needed to apply for funding and distributing aid to schools on a more equitable per-student basis (rather than the complex discount formula that the program now uses). And that means giving schools the flexibility to spend E-Rate money on technology that directly benefit students."

"We also need to end the subsidies that result in citizens from rural states like New Hampshire paying for technology services in higher population states like New Jersey. Preparing our children to succeed in the digital world of tomorrow requires us to connect them today," Ayotte and Pai write. "E-Rate must reflect the needs of today’s students, regardless of which school they attend. A student‑centered E‑Rate program would give smaller schools in rural areas a better chance to compete with their urban and suburban counterparts. It would help deliver a brighter future for children in New Hampshire and throughout rural America—and we stand ready to work with the president to ensure that E-Rate lives up to its promise." (Read more)

FCC opens door for rural groups to gain access to money for broadband service

Federal Communications Commission money for rural broadband could be in the works, if rural providers can prove why they should be awarded the funds. "Last week the FCC voted to launch an experimental program to allow surplus from the Connect America Fund to go to rural broadband providers that hadn’t previously been eligible for the support," Tim Marema reports for the Daily Yonder. "The money will pay for pilot projects to help the FCC learn what approaches work best for expanding broadband service in rural areas."

"The new FCC experiment is looking for 'diverse' rural organizations to tell the commission how they would invest Connect America Fund money in rural broadband projects," Marema writes. "That opens potential applicants up to nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, municipal or tribal governments and private businesses, for starters." Edyael Casaperalta, coordinator of the Rural Broadband Policy Group, told the Yonder, “This is a chance to show the FCC that there’s a lot of interest among rural providers for this funding."

The problem, though, is convincing the FCC that there's a demand for funding. Jonathan Chambers, the chief of the FCC’s Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, told the Yonder, “I think if we see a big expression of interest, we’ll set a bigger budget. We’ve got to hear from folks first, and I think we will. . . . But if we don't hear anything, we'll learn something.”

"In 2010, the FCC restructured the Universal Service Fund and established the Connect America Fund as part of the National Broadband Plan," Marema writes. "The fund is supposed to help telecommunications companies make the transition to new technology like broadband, especially in harder-to-reach areas like rural communities. But the funding has been available only to large 'incumbent' telecommunications providers like AT&T and Verizon." When some companies turned down the money, because of issues with rules, money was left in the funds. But some groups that wanted the money for rural broadband weren't eligible for it. Now they could be. (Read more)

Feds to establish seven regional climate hubs to assist and inform farmers during disasters

The Obama administration has announced the creation of seven climate hubs and two sub-hubs spread out regionally across the U.S. and one in Puerto Rico to help farmers during disasters. "The hubs will provide information about ways producers can prepare for potential threats to their crops and livestock as parts of the country are experiencing increasing severe weather events and pest invasions, which scientists have tied to the effects of climate change," David Nakamura reports for The Washington Post. "And they will coordinate resources through federal and state governments, universities and non-governmental agencies."

"The announcement is part of President Obama's post-State of the Union push to build public support for his initiatives, including a series of executive actions aimed at advancing his agenda in areas where he has not gotten much cooperation from Congress," Nakamura writes. Climate hubs and sub-hubs will be located in Ames, Iowa; Houghton, Mich.; Durham, N.H.; Raleigh, N.C.; Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico; Fort Collins, Colo.; El Reno, Okla.; Corvallis, Ore.; and Las Cruces, N.M. (Read more)

Immigration reform may stumble on citizenship issue

Rep. Paul Ryan

The prospect of immigration reform, which improved in recent weeks to the delight of agricultural interests, has faded again with comments by lawmakers. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) "said distrust of President Barack Obama runs so deep in the Republican caucus that he’s skeptical the GOP-led House would pass any immigration measure," Phillip Elliott reports for The Associated Press. "He said a plan that puts security first could pass only if lawmakers believe the administration would enforce it — an unlikely prospect given Republicans’ deep opposition to Obama." Ryan told Elliott, "This isn’t a trust-but-verify, this is a verify-then-trust approach.”

House Republicans oppose a measure that would create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living here illegally, but also fear that failing to act could lead voters to turn to Democratic candidates in the next election, Elliott writes. Instead, they are blaming the White House for the legislation's failure, and "are pushing a piecemeal approach to immigration that puts a priority on security before considering a pathway for those here illegally to earn citizenship."

"That strategy runs counter to a comprehensive bill, passed through the Senate seven months ago with bipartisan support, that includes a long and difficult pathway to citizenship," Elliott writes. "The White House, meanwhile, returned to its position that any legislation must include a way for those living here illegally to earn citizenship and that the system cannot divide Americans into two classes — citizens and non-citizens." (Read more)