Page 4 - Eric Tegethoff News Today

Climate-change groups are calling attention to the environmental destruction linked to the wood pellet industry - even as California is considering a proposal to build two plants. The U.S. is the biggest wood pellet exporter in the world - mostly to Europe. ...

Thousands of lives are cut short every year because of air pollution from coal-fired power plants in Wyoming and across the United States, according to a new Sierra Club report. Rob Joyce, energy organizer for the Wyoming chapter of the Sierra Club, said harmful toxins released from burning coal have been linked to a number of health issues, including increased asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, and in severe cases can contribute to an increase in heart attacks and premature deaths over time....

Researchers with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine spent two years studying the nations supply of native seeds, and found significant shortfalls. A new report shows that in order to respond to climate disruptions and keep ecosystems intact, significant work is needed to bolster seed production and distribution. Vera Smith, senior federal lands policy analyst with Defenders of Wildlife, said native seeds are critical for post-wildfire rehabilitation and other recov...

By Ashira Morris for Reasons to be Cheerful.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washington News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration In science teacher Ali Coker’s sophomore biology class, students became farming activists attending a G7 summit. Coker wove in facts about food insecurity, and by the end of the week, her pupils were writing plans for local crops. The role play was all part of a lesson on food justice and the impact...

Lawmakers in Maine are considering ways to help farmers develop long-term solutions to drought, which has plagued the state for the past three years. The lack of steady rain has at times dwindled the size of Maines prized blueberry and potato crops, and left fields of hay too dry for livestock to consume. Sen. ...

The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill to maximize groundwater protection in the state. Senate File 311 would allow the state Department of Agriculture to shift money from urban water projects to agricultural projects, in whats known as the Water Quality Initiative - a strategy for protecting Iowas watersheds. Kate Hansen - senior attorney for the Center for Rural Affairs - said shifting money from urban to agricultural areas would allow more conservation practices to be put in place for...

A petition signed by more than 2,000 farmers, ranchers and consumers urging enforcement of antitrust laws has been sent to the White House by the Missouri Rural Crisis Center and the Western Organization of Resource Councils. Tim Gibbons, communications director for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, called President Joe Bidens 2021 "Executive Order On Promoting Competition in the American Economy" a "win" for independent farming and other industries. He noted...

By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Big Sky Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced a dozen grants for rural communities, and strategists within the Democratic Party say it’s one way the Biden-Harris Administration is getting out a message to rural voters.  The grants were announced in a press release just before Christmas. The release touted how...

Can a state have an official aroma? That topic will on attendees minds when the annual New Mexico Chile Conference is held in Las Cruces today. The one-day conference will feature nearly 20 different speakers and presentations. Stephanie Walker, New Mexico State University professor and conference chair said because the chile pepper is New Mexicos signature crop, it is near and dear to everyones heart. ...

By Lisa Held for Civil Eats. Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Big Sky Connection, reporting for Civil Eats/Solutions Journalism/Public News Service Collaboration. On the day the Tigercat carbonator - a machine that looks like a giant metal dumpster mounted on Snowcat-style treads - arrived in western Montana from Oregon, Michael Schaedel set to work navigating "a colossus" over narrow, rolling forest roads. ...