SARL Members and Alumni News
Cap and trade: Oregon lawmakers work to adopt carbon pricing policy
Capital Press | Posted on February 14, 2019Oregon lawmakers are considering a new carbon pricing policy during this year’s legislative session aimed at regulating greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat the effects of climate change. The legislation, known as cap and trade, worries many of the state’s farmers and ranchers about higher fuel and energy prices at a time when profit margins are already thin, while others see it as a needed step toward climate resilience.Agricultural groups are lobbying to protect farmers and ranchers from projected hikes in fuel and energy prices. Jenny Dresler, of the Oregon Farm Bureau, said too few safeguards are built into the bill for growers who rely on diesel fuel, gasoline and inputs made from natural gas, or who ship their products long distances.“That’s a big point for us, that a lot of rural families and farm and ranch families are going to bear a disproportionate burden of these costs,” Dresler said.
Washington internet bill popular; costs, beneficiaries unclear
Capital Press | Posted on February 12, 2019Support was strong at a Senate hearing for spending public funds to spread the benefits of high-seed internet, but many questions remain such as how much money will be available and for whose benefit.The Inslee administration has put forward a bill to connect every home and business in Washington with internet fast-enough to meet the federal definition of broadband by 2024. A new office within the Commerce Department would oversee "central broadband planning."The bill does not appropriate a specific amount of money. As a start, Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed $25 million over the next two years for projects, plus $1.2 million for the office.
NC Agriculture Dept Seeks To Clarify CBD Rules
WFAE | Posted on February 12, 2019The North Carolina Agriculture Department is trying to educate manufacturers and sellers of products containing cannabidiol or CBD oil. The department is sending out letters next week explaining what is legal. Joe Reardon, assistant commissioner with the department’s consumer protection bureau, says the Food and Drug Administration considers CBD a drug. And since state laws mirror federal laws, CBD can’t be legally added to human or animal food for sale.
New York Governor Announces $18.4 Million Available to Support Water Quality Protection Projects on New York Livestock Farms
New York Government website | Posted on February 12, 2019Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $18.4 million in grant funding is available to help New York livestock farms implement water quality protection projects. The funding will be provided through the final round of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Waste Storage and Transfer System Program, a $50 million program launched in 2017. The program is part of the Governor's historic Clean Water Infrastructure Act, which would double under the 2019-2020 Executive Budget proposal to $5 billion. The application period is currently open and closes April 16, 2019.
Economic Benefits Of Cap And Trade Will Outweigh The Costs In Oregon
Oregon Public Broadcasting | Posted on February 12, 2019A new economic report finds Oregon’s proposed cap-and-trade planwould create thousands of jobs and boost household income while creating only modest increases in energy prices. Moreover, the report concludes, the more aggressive interim cap on greenhouse gas emissions proposed for 2035 would create even more economic benefits than a more gradual decline in emissions from 2021 and 2050.An analysis by Berkeley Economic Advising and Research finds capping greenhouse gas emissions as proposed in House Bill 2020would spur widespread adoption of energy-saving technology by the year 2050.That, in turn, will create significant economic growth, said the research company’s director, David Roland-Holst.
North Dakota Senate approves change to wind tax
Bismarck Tribune | Posted on February 12, 2019The North Dakota Senate voted Thursday to change how wind tax revenue is distributed, sending more future wind revenue to the state general fund rather than counties.Senate Bill 2331 directs one-third of wind tax revenue to the state and two-thirds to counties for wind projects constructed after Dec. 31, 2020.Currently, all of North Dakota’s wind energy tax revenue stays with counties that produce the energy, while the state shares in tax revenue from coal and oil.The goal of the bill is to create a level playing field with other energy-producing facilities, said Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger. It doesn’t raise the tax on wind, but redirects where it goes.
Pennsylvania halts permits for natural gas pipelines
Penn Live | Posted on February 12, 2019Pennsylvania is halting construction permits for natural gas pipelines operated by Texas-based Energy Transfer LP, as the governor on Friday said the company has failed to respect the state’s laws and communities.The state Department of Environmental Protection said Energy Transfer is not fixing problems related to an explosion last year, and piled yet another penalty onto a company project in the state.State agencies already have imposed millions of dollars in fines and several temporary shutdown orders on Energy Transfer projects, while a county prosecutor is demanding documents from the company.
Michigan House votes to reject Whitmer's environmental executive order
Detroit Free Press | Posted on February 10, 2019The state House voted 58-51 on Wednesday to reject a sweeping environmental executive order signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in a move Whitmer denounced as an irresponsible vote against clean drinking water. The party-line vote in the House followed an earlier 3-2 vote in the Government Operations Committee.The resolution now moves to the Senate, if the Senate also votes to reject the order, that would kill it. The action by the House is a sign that talk about a bipartisan working relationship between Michigan's new Democratic governor and the Republican Legislature is quickly evaporating. The executive order the House rejected was the first nonemergency order Whitmer issued. Her first executive order declared a state of emergency as a result of dangerously cold temperatures last week.
Oklahoma board to consider new poultry house location rules
San Francisco Chronicle | Posted on February 10, 2019The Oklahoma Board of Agriculture is set to consider measures Tuesday that would establish regulations for the location of poultry operations. Most important among the new proposals is one that requires poultry houses with more than 30,000 birds to be at least a quarter-mile (0.4-kilometers) from any home, The Tulsa World reported. Operations with 30,000 or fewer birds would have a 1,000-foot (300-meter) setback.
Montana pitches COOL bill
Meating Place (free registration required) | Posted on February 10, 2019A new bill seeking country-of-origin-labeling on meat products has been introduced in the Montana legislature. Senate Bill 206 generally would require COOL placarding on beef and pork at Montana supermarkets.Specifically, the bill would require retailers to differentiate between 1) meat that is born, raised and processed in the United States, 2) meat that is processed outside of the U.S., and 3) meat that is only processed in the U.S.