Coal producer Peabody Energy Corp plans to pay Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe — once a mentor to President Barack Obama — up to $75,000 per month to help fight the Clean Power Plan as the company works through a bankruptcy. Tribe said he will provide legal advice, research and analysis to Peabody for litigation against the U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan. Tribe estimates Peabody will disburse to him at least $435,000 in 2016: $25,000 in May; $17,500 in June; $17,500 in July and from August 2016 to December 2016, $75,000 per month. [node:read-more:link]

It was more of the same in May for U.S. retail sales of ag tractors and combines, with under 40HP tractors leading the way and sales of larger tractors and combines continuing to lag, according to data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.  U.S retail sales of farm tractors under 40HP were up 9.4 percent in May 2016 compared to the same time period last year, and up 15.5 percent January through May. [node:read-more:link]

The cost of renewables technology is set to keep falling into the next decade, boosting the economic case for clean energy, according to an industry group. The average cost of electricity from a photovoltaic system is forecast to plunge as much as 59 percent by 2025, according to a report Wednesday by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The technology last year produced energy that was already 58 percent cheaper than it was in 2010.  Government policy can also play a role in reducing borrowing costs for project developers. [node:read-more:link]

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed Healthy Soils Initiative, which is part of the cap-and-trade spending package, is a landmark program aimed at increasing the soil’s organic matter in California’s agricultural lands. This will help with water retention, soil stability and nutrient use efficiency – all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Healthy Soils is one component in the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which if adopted by the Legislature could invest nearly $3 billion to projects to advance the state’s path to a low-carbon future. [node:read-more:link]

Animal masseuses are hardly alone. Over the years, states across the country have added licensing requirements for a bewildering variety of jobs, requiring months or years of expensive education, along with assessing costly fees. [node:read-more:link]

The United States and Canada produced record amounts of maple syrup this year, thanks to the weather and more people getting into the business or expanding their operations.  U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics released this month show the U.S. produced 4.2 million gallons, the greatest amount since record-keeping began in 1916.  Vermont is by far the country’s largest producer of maple syrup. [node:read-more:link]

Public and private skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) should soon be able to provide more and better telemedical services after the Senate gave final congressional approval to the Rural Health Care Connectivity Act. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., amends the federal Communications Act to permit those facilities to apply for support from the FCC-managed Universal Service Fund (USF). A USF program, the Rural Health Care Program (RHCP), provides funding for telecommunications and broadband services used to provide health care in rural communities. [node:read-more:link]

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has extended the public comment period for a proposed rule that calls for changes in animal welfare practices for organic livestock and poultry production. Major provisions of the proposed rule include: Clarifying how producers and handlers must treat livestock and poultry to ensure their health and wellbeing throughout life, including transport and slaughter. Specifying which physical alterations are allowed and prohibited in organic livestock and poultry production. Establishing minimum indoor and outdoor space requirements for poultry. [node:read-more:link]

Texas on Thursday lost its fight against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state, ending a monthslong battle during which refugees from the war-torn country continued to arrive.  Dealing the final blow to Gov. Abbott's effort to keep Syrian refugees out of the state, a federal judge dismissed Texas’ lawsuit against the federal government and a refugee resettlement agency over the resettlement of the refugees. In an order dated Wednesday and released Thursday, Dallas-based U.S. [node:read-more:link]

ll six New England governors attending the conference said fighting the social stigma associated with addiction is the key to battling the opioid crisis raging across the region, claiming thousands of lives. [node:read-more:link]