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Here's How The Newly Approved Genetically Engineered Potatoes Will Be Different
Food and Wine | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Food NewsThree new varieties of genetically-engineered potatoes have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, meaning this latest round of GMO potatoes could hit store shelves as soon as this fall. The final federal stamps of approval acknowledging that these potatoes are safe to eat and safe for the environment will allow Idaho’s J.R. Simplot Company to begin planting the new varieties – dubbed Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and Atlantic – this spring.
Canadian Firm Opening West Virginia Natural Gas Equipment Shop
U.S. News & World Report | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Rural NewsA Canadian firm's subsidiary is taking over a former machine shop in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle to make and sell natural gas compression equipment that will create up to 130 jobs. Gov. Jim Justice says Bidell Gas Compression will operate out of a 100,000-square-foot facility in Weirton that was previously owned by ArcelorMittal Steel. The property had been recently purchased from ArcelorMittal by the Frontier Group, an industrial and commercial facility redeveloper. Bidell is a subsidiary of Calgary, Alberta-based Total Energy Services Inc.
Southwestern utilities back down from rooftop solar fight
High Country News | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Energy NewsNot long ago, major electric utilities in much of the Southwest seemed bent on chasing rooftop solar companies out of the region. They saw the booming industry as a threat to their profits and sought rate changes that would make solar panels less financially attractive to homeowners. The electric companies advocated slashing the compensation those customers get for sending their excess power to the grid and adding new fees to their electric bills.Because the electric companies are monopolies, state regulators have to approve such changes.
Oklahoma House Votes to Roll Back Tax Credit for Wind Energy
U.S. News & World Report | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Energy NewsThe Oklahoma House has approved legislation to roll back a state tax credit for the wind energy industry.The House passed the bill Thursday by a vote of 74-24 and sent it to the Senate for consideration.The bill modifies the tax credit for electricity generated by zero-emission facilities like wind turbines. It says facilities must be in operation by July 1 in order to qualify for the credit, instead of the current deadline of Jan. 1, 2021.Gov. Mary Fallin proposed eliminating the wind tax credit to increase revenue amid a projected $868 million budget shortfall next year.
Texas Ranchers Work to Secure Feed for 10,000 Cattle, Horses
U.S. News & World Report | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsState agriculture officials and ranchers are scrambling to secure feed and other supplies for approximately 10,000 cattle and horses that fled this week from wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension said Thursday about 4,200 large bales of hay are needed to feed displaced animals over the next two weeks.Trucks to shuttle animals from one location to another and fencing are among the needs as ranchers recover from the fires that killed four people and burned about 750 square miles in the state.
Scant demand for California cap-and-trade pollution permits
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Energy NewsCalifornia saw another three months of weak demand for pollution permits amid persistent uncertainty about the future of the state’s cap on carbon emissions, according to state data. California will take in only about $8 million from an auction that could have generated $592 million or more if all permits were sold. The program is a prime funding source for projects including high-speed rail and transit construction. For years, each quarterly auction consistently generated hundreds of millions of dollars.
His cattle are dead, but his family is alive, and he’s thankful
The Wichita Eagle | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Rural NewsGreg Gardiner is a cowboy. His wide-brimmed hat carries a band darkened by years of sweat and dust. Decades of 100-degree sun, 10-below cold and wicked winds from every direction have left his face as leathery as an old baseball glove. Below his lip is a small goatee and above it a wide trademark mustache. Several days after the biggest fire in the state’s history swept through Clark County, Gardiner slowly drove along some of his family’s 48,000 acres.
How Organic Produce Can Make America Less Healthy
Bloomberg | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Food NewsEveryone’s heard of the scary chemicals used by agribusiness to keep your apples worm-free—it’s what generates the fear that makes organic produce lucrative. In exchange for more money, consumers are told they can have pesticide-free peace of mind. On Wednesday, the Environmental Working Group (which calls itself a nonpartisan organization aimed at protecting human health and the environment) released its annual ranking of the best (“Clean Fifteen”) and the worst (“Dirty Dozen”) produce when it comes to pesticide content.
OHSU researchers unravel mysteries of Zika virus
Oregon Live | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Rural NewsOregon scientists have unlocked some of the mysteries of the Zika virus, tracking how it invades the body. The research by a team at Oregon Health & Science University is likely to help develop a vaccine against the virus, which has caused outbreaks in South America and Southeast Asia and also has turned up in Florida and Texas. The study was conducted on male and female rhesus macaque monkeys last year at OHSU's primate center in Beaverton. Scientists followed the virus as it spread from the bloodstream to other tissues.
How much of organic is U.S. grown?
Civil eats | Posted onMarch 15, 2017 in Food NewsAmericans are clamoring for organic food, but U.S. farmers are no longer growing a significant portion of what customers are buying. Despite close to $40 billion in organic food sales in 2015, less than 1 percent of U.S. farmland is certified organic, with the bulk of raw ingredients for organic processed foods and animal feed coming from places like Romania and Turkey.