Environmental Protection Agency
Continuing the tradition of wearing the white hat of environmental stewardship
(August 5, 2011)-Mention the words “pollution” and the “Environmental Protection Agency” (EPA) in the same sentence and you will have the attention of most US farmers. But the issue of the role of farming practices in environmental pollution predates the creation of the EPA in 1970 by Richard Nixon.
In the years before the Great Depression and the images of the Dust Bowl, future Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace used the pages of Wallaces’ Farmer in Iowa to rail against farmers he characterized as soil miners. He was concerned about soil erosion, the creation of gullies in once productive fields, and the loss of fertile soil to the waterways of the Midwest.
Between Wallace’s time and our years as undergraduates in the early 60s, farmers had made great progress in reducing the loss of soil by wind and water. It seemed like every time we crossed a county line we were greeted by a welcome sign sponsored by the county Soil and Water Conservation District.
MFU President Doug Peterson headed to Chicago to testify about E15
On Tuesday, November 16, Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) President will be testifying in front of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA called a hearing to listen to the public concerns regarding ethanol pump labels and the recent E-15 waiver decision.
Details:
November 16, 2010
10:00am start -- will last until the final witness has had a chance to speak
Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel, Chicago, IL
President Peterson will be available before and after the hearing to discuss his testimony. He can be reached at 612.867.3427. Additional information on the pump label rulemaking in question can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/additive/e15/420f10054.htm
MN Farmers Union promotes agriculture’s role in combating climate change
St. Paul (April 17, 2009) - Farmers Union is advocating for the inclusion of a robust and voluntary agriculture offset program in climate change legislation, urging lawmakers to support legislation that addresses the unique role America's agriculture producers can play in combating global climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced that it plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions on the grounds that these pollutants pose a danger to the public's health and welfare.
"Because agriculture and forestry lands have the potential to sequester nearly 25 percent of all annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, it is critical that a flexible offset program, that ensures maximum voluntary participation by the agricultural and forestry communities, is developed," said Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union President.
Growth Energy Applauds Minnesota State University Study
Washington, D.C. - Today, Growth Energy's CEO, Tom Buis released the following statement regarding recent findings on the impacts of higher blends of ethanol on automotive fuel pumps and sending units released by the State of Minnesota on April 2, 2009:
"The study released by Minnesota State University yesterday adds to the sound body of science that overwhelmingly supports the use of higher blends of ethanol in vehicles on the road today. The study, which included a 4,000 hour endurance test, found that gasoline with a 20 percent blend of ethanol (E20) had no negative impacts on the endurance, wear and performance of automotive fuel pumps and sending units from a representative variety of vehicle manufacturers, models and part designs. Further, the study found a clear trend that the fuel pumps showed significantly less wear when tested with E20 blends than with gasoline.
"These results demonstrate what we've known for quite some time - increasing the blend of ethanol in our fuel supply from 10 percent to 15 percent will have no adverse impact on a car's performance, maintenance, or emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should act expeditiously to increase the arbitrary limit on ethanol blends to up to 15 percent as our waiver requests."
www.mda.state.mn.us/news/publications/renewable/ethanol/e20endurance.pdf