AgClips
Recent AgClips
Michigan bill looks to clarify tax exemptions for distributed generation projects
Midwest Energy News | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA bipartisan group of Michigan lawmakers introduced a bill last week that aims to clear up confusion over tax collections for small-scale distributed generation projects. HB 5143 would reinstate a tax exemption for “alternative energy personal property” that was in place for 10 years under the Michigan Next Energy Authority Act of 2002. That law — signed by former Republican Gov. John Engler — granted the exemption to 13 different kinds of small-scale renewable energy systems meant to offset any portion of a property’s energy use. The latest bill was introduced by Republican Rep.
The Interior Department Scrubs Climate Change From Its Strategic Plan
The Nation | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Energy, Federal NewsA leaked draft of a five-year plan reveals how the DOI will prioritize “energy dominance” over conservation. In the next five years, millions of acres of America’s public lands and waters, including some national monuments and relatively pristine coastal regions, could be auctioned off for oil and gas development, with little thought for environmental consequences. The Department of the Interior’s strategic vision states that the DOI is committed to achieving “American energy dominance” through the exploitation of “vast amounts” of untapped energy reserves on public lands.
Canada bans Soylent meal replacement over nutrition claims
BBC | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in NewsThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency told the company the food does not meet their standards for "meal replacement". The powdered substance is advertised as providing all the nutrients a person needs, without the hassle of chewing.It was developed in 2013 for busy Silicon Valley-types who do not have the time for proper meals.
Tesla starts work on first Puerto Rico energy project to help rebuild island
CNBC | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Energy, Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsTesla has begun making good on its promise to help Puerto Ricorebuild its energy grid after a devastating hurricane caused massive damage on the island. On Tuesday, Tesla announced via Twitter that Hospital del Nino in Puerto Rico is "first of many" solar and storage projects going live.
SD State regulators say no to Crocker Wind Farm
The Public Opinion | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Energy NewsThe South Dakota Public Utilities Commission turned down an application Wednesday for a wind-energy complex proposed for Clark County.The regulatory panel voted 3-0 to reject Crocker Wind Farm. The project called for up to 200 turbines spread across more than 29,000 acres north of Clark.State law gave the commission six months to decide whether to grant a wind facility permit. The commission received the Crocker application July 25 and held a public input hearing Sept.
Coalition bands together to protect rural
Daily Yonder | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Rural NewsMore than 130 organizations representing ranchers, farmers, foresters, conservationists, sportsmen and women, and businesses have endorsed a set of unifying principles to achieve rural economic health, a productive agricultural sector, provide for human needs, and protect the landscapes in which we live and work. While people will always find differences, it is our innate ability to work together that enables us to survive, raise families and create prosperous communities.
Large rural manufacturers may score higher than urban ones on innovation
Daily Yonder | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Rural NewsLarge manufacturing firms in rural America are at least as likely as similar urban firms to use innovative methods that can contribute to job creation and increased earnings, a new report says. Though preliminary, the study may indicate that there are exceptions to the oft-repeated rule that economic innovation is the nearly exclusive purview of urban-based businesses.“The findings in this report regarding the prevalence of rural innovation challenge the conventional wisdom that rural nonfarm innovation is relatively rare and idiosyncratic,” the report says.
Rural hospital closures hit poor minority communities hardest
Daily Yonder | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Rural NewsOf the 122 hospitals that have closed since 2005, 60% have been in the South. The hospitals that have closed are more likely to serve people of color and lower-income communities.“To conclude, from this study, communities served by hospitals at high risk of financial distress had significantly higher percentages of residents who were black, who did not graduate high school, and are unemployed, again high-needs communities,” Dr. Pink reported.
Boulder County scraps research initiative for GMO crop transition
Daily Camera | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Agriculture NewsBoulder County commissioners have scrapped a plan for a sustainable agriculture research program that would help it transition away from the use of GMOs after the hunt to find someone to run the program became mired in controversy. County open space staff placed the blame for the failure squarely on area farmers who fiercely opposed the county's RFP process, alleging it was unethical and biased toward organic farming. Last year, the county decided it would begin phasing out GMO crops on its open space farms and issued a request for proposals to create a transition program.
Hispanic ranchers dealt blow in lengthy battle over grazing
Santa Fe New Mexican | Posted onOctober 26, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsA group of Hispanic ranchers has been dealt a blow in their yearslong feud with the federal government over grazing rights on land in New Mexico that has been used by their families for centuries.Attorneys for the ranchers argued that the U.S.