AgClips
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EPA Proposes Updated E16-E83 Blend Regs
DTN | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Energy NewsThe Environmental Protection Agency is proposing several enhancements to the Renewable Fuel Standard and related fuel regulations "to support market growth of ethanol and other renewable fuels in the U.S." One of the key actions proposed is an update to fuel regulations to expand the "availability of high ethanol fuel blends for use in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs)," said EPA in their proposal found on the agency's rulemaking website.
Western Dubuque to Pay $6M Settlement
DTN | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Federal NewsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice have filed a complaint against NGL Crude Logistics, LLC and Western Dubuque Biodiesel, LLC and a $6 million settlement with Western Dubuque to address alleged violations of the Renewable Fuel Standard. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, alleges that NGL entered into a series of transactions with Western Dubuque in 2011 that resulted in the generation of approximately 36 million invalid Renewable Identification Numbers.
Hurricane Matthew claims estimated 5 million birds
Watt Ag Net | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsFloods from Hurricane Matthew have taken a heavy toll on poultry in North Carolina, with as many as 5 million birds lost. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) confirmed with Reuters that 1.8 million head of poultry died, and most of those birds were broilers. However, Donald van der Vaart, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, said the number of losses could be around 5 million birds.
Nano-spike catalysts convert carbon dioxide directly into ethanol
Science Daily | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Energy NewsIn a new twist to waste-to-fuel technology, scientists have developed an electrochemical process that uses tiny spikes of carbon and copper to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol. The team used a catalyst made of carbon, copper and nitrogen and applied voltage to trigger a complicated chemical reaction that essentially reverses the combustion process. With the help of the nanotechnology-based catalyst which contains multiple reaction sites, the solution of carbon dioxide dissolved in water turned into ethanol with a yield of 63 percent.
Pangolins and parrots among winners at largest-ever meeting on wildlife trade
Nature | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Federal NewsElephants, pangolins and parrots are among the species that were given stronger trade protections at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which ran from 24 September to 5 October in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 17th meeting of the CITES convention was its largest ever, attended by more than 3,500 people, including representatives of 152 governments.
Government Food Programs Can Actually Help Poor Families Eat Healthier
Huffington Post | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Food NewsThe government’s nutrition assistance programs don’t tend to get a good rap.
America’s First Offshore Wind Farm Blows Up Controversy
The New American | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Energy NewsThe United States’ first offshore wind farm is going to cost about $17,600 per home it will power. Private investors will turn a profit, and government officials can pat themselves on the back for having done something to combat “climate change.” But the owners of those homes, some of whom are already paying among the highest power rates in the nation, will end up shelling out nearly twice as much as the average American for this “green” electricity. Deepwater Wind, a private energy firm, put the finishing touches on the Block Island Wind Farm in August.
Energy development gets a pass, kind of, for global methane rise
Agri-Pulse | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Energy NewsGlobal methane emissions from fossil fuel development are up to 60 percent greater than estimated by previous studies, according to a new report. But the analysis shows that fossil fuel facilities are not directly responsible for the increased rate of global atmospheric methane emissions measured between 2007 and 2013 - estimated at some 28 million tons per year.
USDA launches rural business investment company
Farm Futures | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Federal NewsUSDA launched a new private investment fund with the potential to inject $100 million into growth-oriented, small businesses across rural America. The McLarty Capital Partners (MCP) Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC) will be the fifth RBIC that USDA has helped to initiate since 2014. "Innovative small businesses throughout rural America need the same access to capital as their urban business counterparts," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
USDA moves forward with GIPSA rules
Meatingplace (registration required) | Posted onOctober 17, 2016 in Federal NewsThe USDA will move forward with rulemaking on the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA) rules proposed in 2010, despite that effort being defunded by Congress at the time. The National Cattleman’s Beef Association and North American Meat Institute were quick to note that Congress defunded the initial effort because it recognized they would limit producers’ marketing options, add layers of bureaucracy and facilitate litigation. The move also circumvents eight federal appeals court rulings, they said.