AgClips
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California urges Trump administration to abandon fuel rule plan
Reuters | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Energy NewsCalifornia’s top air regulator urged the Trump administration on Sunday to abandon a plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards through 2026, as automakers urged state and federal regulators to reach agreement to extend nationwide rules. Mary Nichols, who chairs the state’s Air Resources Board, asked the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency to reverse course, saying the plan to freeze requirements at 2020 levels “turns its back on decades of progress in cleaning up cars and trucks.”
87 days of smog: Southern California just saw its longest streak of bad air in decades
The Los Angeles Times | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Energy NewsSouthern Californians might remember the summer of 2018 for its sweltering heat waves, record ocean temperatures and destructive wildfires. But it also claimed another distinction: the summer we went nearly three months without a day of clean air.The region violated federal smog standards for 87 consecutive days, the longest stretch of bad air in at least 20 years, state monitoring data show. The streak is the latest sign that Southern California’s battle against smog is faltering after decades of dramatic improvement.
EPA to abandon restrictions against use of hydrofluorocarbons as refrigerant in appliances
The Hill | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Trump administration is planning to do away with an Obama-era regulation that restricted a known greenhouse gas from being used as a refrigerant in household appliances. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) late Wednesday announced it's proposing a rule to rescind a 2016 regulation that would have phased out the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in appliances. The chemical is frequently used as a refrigerant substitute in air conditioners and refrigerators.
Costco Poultry Complex Could Redefine Farm-to-Fork
Ag Web | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Agriculture, Food NewsAs Costco is set to be the first U.S. retailer to integrate its meat supply to the farm level, a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division predicts that other food retailers and foodservice companies may be prompted to reevaluate their own supply chain integration opportunities.
Residents say Dannon Yogurt factory produces ‘foul smell,’ start petition
Fox News | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Agriculture, Rural NewsUtah residents in West Jordan are fed up with a foul odor they say is coming from the Dannon yogurt plant. Maurie Vance created a petition on change.org, urging city, county and state officials to work with residents and Dannon to find a solution to the smell.She describes the smell as being obnoxious and says it is at its worst during the fall and winter months.“It’s like a sour milk, dirty diaper — disgusting,” Vance said.The petition has received hundreds of signatures.“It gags you so much, you don’t go outside. You run back into your house,” said West Jordan resident Dana Grandy.
Investor warns McDonald's over chicken welfare
Crain's Chicago Business | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Agriculture NewsMcDonald's Corp. has long been on the receiving end of calls to take better care of its chickens. Earlier this month, actors and musicians including Kristen Bell, Joan Jett and Weird Al Yankovic have lent their names to demands for more humane treatment. Now there's a new name on that list, and it carries a lot more weight. In a letter dated Aug. 22, obtained by Bloomberg News, New York State Comptroller Thomas P.
Whole Foods Takes Legal Action Against Berkeley Animal Rights Group
CBS | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThe Whole Foods grocery store chain is trying to turn the tables on animal rights protesters. Fed up with store take-overs, they are taking one East Bay group to court. Animal rights activists from the Berkeley-based group Direct Action Everywhere or DxE have been targeting Whole Foods for several years now.
A2 milk CEO sells all their shares
edairynews | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Agriculture NewsJayne Hrdlicka sold 178,616 shares in a2 Milk last Tuesday, and an equal number of shares, for a total of around A$4 million ($4.3 million), according to a notice issued late on Friday to the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges.
China ad in Des Moines Register aimed at U.S. farmers
Minnesota Star Tribune | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Federal NewsChina reached into the U.S. heartland in its escalating trade war over President Donald Trump's tariffs, using an advertising supplement to highlight the impact on the state's soybean farmers as "the fruit of a president's folly." The four-page section in Sunday’s Des Moines Register, which carried the label “paid for and prepared solely by China Daily, an official publication of the People’s Republic of China,” featured such articles as one outlining how the trade dispute is forcing Chinese importers to turn to South America instead of the U.S.
China accuses US of ‘bullying’ on trade but calls for cooperation
South China Morning Post | Posted onSeptember 26, 2018 in Federal NewsBeijing has accused Washington of bullying tactics and economic intimidation, while restating its own stance that only cooperation on trade issues will produce results, in the government’s most comprehensive statement of its trade war stance to date. The white paper released by the official Xinhua New Agency came after Beijing declined on Saturday the US invitation to hold talks to try to resolve the ongoing trade dispute and only an hour after the latest round of US tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese imports kicked in.