AgClips
Recent AgClips
FERC denies rehearing on Northern Pass pipeline, overruling New York decision
Utility Dive | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Energy NewsThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday rejected requests to review its decision allowing construction of the 99-mile Northern Access Pipeline, overruling a New York decision to deny water quality permits to the project. New York waived its authority to award permits to the pipeline by not issuing a decision within one year, FERC ruled, denying an appeal from the state and environmental groups. Commissioner Richard Glick dissented on the 4-1 decision.
Court tosses construction permits for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Utility Dive | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Energy NewsA federal appeals court on Monday threw out construction certificates for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, likely halting work on the $6 billion project planned by major Southeastern utilities. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the project last year, but the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that certification was based on a faulty right-of-way permit awarded by the National Park Service for where the pipeline would cross the Blue Ridge Parkway, a road in Virginia that is part of the National Park system.
Germany launches earliest grape harvest yet amid heat wave
Trib Live | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsGermany’s grape harvest is officially under way on its earliest date yet after a scorching summer that has many other farmers groaning but — so far — is promising to be good for vintners. At a vineyard in Loerzweiler, south of Mainz in southwestern Germany near the Rhine River, workers started plucking white grapes off rows of vines Monday.The first grapes go to make Federweisser, a young wine that gives the first clues about the potential quality of a vintage. The main harvest is expected to start in late August or early September.
The Dangerous New Trend of Anti-animal Research Legislation
Laboratory Equipment | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA new animal rights group is urging lawmakers to pass a series of bills targeting the use of laboratory animals in biomedical research. Just last week, a group of lawmakers, at the urging of animal rights group White Coast Waste, sent a letter calling for the release of information on retired research animals.The letter was mailed to the Department of Interior, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S.
Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Bill that Opens New Prospects for Microgrids
Microgrid Knowledge | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Energy NewsEnergy insiders see the emergence of new microgrid opportunities in Massachusetts from clean energy legislation passed last week and now awaiting the signature of Gov. Charlie Baker.An Act to Advance Clean Energy (H.4857) won unanimous Senate support and near-unanimous House support, with only one nay vote.
Senate minibus spending bill addresses ag needs
Feedstuffs | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Federal NewsOn Wednesday, the Senate passed the minibus appropriations bill, which contains several important amendments addressing issues pertinent to agriculture. Besides funding for agriculture, the minibus also offers interior, financial and transportation funding. It also prohibits the closure of the U.S.
Farmer says trade relief package not sustainable
Brownfield Ag News | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA west central Indiana farmer and a member of Farmers for Free Trade says the $12 billion trade relief package is not a sustainable solution. Brent Bible grows corn, soybeans, and popcorn in Tippecanoe and Montgomery counties.“$12 billion is not going to bail out the financial inequities that have been created in the past 2-3 months,” he says.
Farmland values starting to soften
Brownfield Ag News | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsFarmland values have been resilient to low commodity prices, but an official with Farm Credit Services of America says the market is softening. Angie Treptow says Iowa farmland values increased slightly in 2017, and that momentum continued into this year.“The first six months of 2018 (farmland values) have slightly increased or stayed the same. But I will say in the last 30 days we’ve seen some sales that have taken place at auctions that have shown that maybe it’s going to soften a little bit.”
How to make the gene-editing tool CRISPR work even better
Science Daily | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsScientists have found conclusive evidence that Cas9, the most popular enzyme currently used in CRISPR gene editing, is less effective and precise than one of the lesser-used CRISPR proteins, Cas12a. Because Cas9 is more likely to edit the wrong part of a plant's or animal's genome, disrupting healthy functions, the scientists make the case that switching to Cas12a would lead to safer and more effective gene editing.
Dead fish, birds, manatees, even a whale shark. Toll from worst red tide in decade grows.
Miami Herald | Posted onAugust 8, 2018 in Rural NewsFlorida’s southwest coast, a ribbon of inlets and barrier islands normally brimming with wildlife, has become a red tide slaughterhouse this summer. Dead fish by the thousands have clogged inlets and canals. Since Sunday, 10 dead Goliath grouper, the massive reef fish that can live four decades or more, have floated to the surface. At least 90 sea turtles have been found stranded as the tide stretches well into nesting season.