9. NO TIME FOR
DELAY A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AGENDA
FOR THE 2007 FARM
BILL
Policy Options to Enhance Economic
Opportunity,Environmental Stewardship, and Rural Prosperity
Submitted by: SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE COALITION
October 2006
http://www.msawg.org/farmbill/NO%20TIME%20FOR%20DELAY%20-%20full%20text.pdf
Provided by Midwest Ag Sustainable
Working Group http://www.msawg.org/key-farmbill.html
Some Key Points
with reference to organic farmers.
10. State E85 Plans
OK Despite Approval Removal-Concern that Ethanol is corrosive
to metals
MIRS Capitol Capsule, Friday, October 20, 2006
The state will continue to promote and help build ethanol based fuel pumps
despite a decision by a national third-party that certifies ethanol based gas
pumps, to remove its approval of ethanol-based pumps because of safety
concerns.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a third-party agency that tests products for
public safety. By law, Michigan has to have a third party inspect gas pumps, so
it's been using UL to test gas pumps.
However, UL recently decided to nationally remove its approval of all ethanol
fuel pumps. UL removed certification because it's concerned about ethanol pump
safety.
UL is apparently concerned about E-85's ability to break down metals that are
used in the pumps, but there is no safety concern to those who use the pumps,
said Bob McCANN with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
"This is not an issue about the pumps being flammable," McCann said.
"The concern they're addressing is that E-85 is more corrosive to metals
and they want to do a test."
Nationally, there haven't been any reports about concerns that E-85 pumps are
flammable, McCann said.
"There's not any kind of eminent danger," McCann said.
Anyone who's paid any attention to state politics in the last couple of years
know that politicians have been pushing to increase the state's access to
ethanol based fuels. In April, Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM had a press
conference with GM to announce that the auto manufacturer, Meijer, the state
and environmentalists would be working together to create 20 new E-85 stations.
At that press conference, Lisa Webb SHARPE, the director of the Department of
Management and Budget (DMB) said the state would build an E-85 station at the
DMB's secondary complex by January 2007 so state fleet cars could use the fuel.
A $350 million investment to create a corn-to-ethanol based plant in Caro and
four additional plants were also announced. These announcements complemented a
commitment from the Legislature and the Governor to give gas stations
incentives for converting their pumps to E-85 pumps.
However, now that the third party the state needs to certify the E-85 pumps has
decided to stop certifying E-85 pumps, will the state's E-85 aspirations be put
on hold?
"No," said McCann said.
McCann said the department heard about UL's decision Thursday. McCann said the
announcement caught the department by surprise because UL never expressed any
concern about the safety of the pumps.
The department has been discussing the issue with the Department of Agriculture
and the Office of the Fire Marshall and all three entities agree that there's
no reason to stop using the ethanol pumps.
"We're all in agreement that there's really no danger to using these pumps
right now," McCann said. "We will continue to expand pumps in the
state over the course of the next year."
While the UL is conducting its investigation, the state will continue to build
new E-85 pumps. Those that have already been built are OK. It's understood that
those that will be built in the next year will be open to UL scrutiny once UL
has conducted its investigation, McCann said. Anyone building a new pump
understands that once UL starts certifying again, minor changes may need to be
made to the pumps.
The department does not want to use a different third party pump safety
certifier because it would take just as long to get that in place as it will
for UL to finish the investigation.
Bob CLEARY with the Michigan Petroleum Association said he's very concerned
that this will slow down the ability to get more E-85 pumps in the state.
"We're very concerned and it will probably slow it down a lot,"
Cleary said. "There's a lot of questions still out there about E-85. It's
a significant investment for a gas station to make."
Insurance companies look at third party certification when they're configuring
how to insure gas stations, Cleary said. So, a station that may have been
considering changing an existing regular fuel pump, which is third party
certified, to an E-85 pump may have second thoughts because it might increase the
station's liability.
"If you're a gas station owner you probably see this and take a step
back," Cleary said.
Clearly agreed that there isn't any reason for someone to be afraid to use the
pumps because they're not dangerous. What he is concerned about, is station
liability. If E-85 is corroding pumps, people who use E-85 might go back to the
station and try to sue it for corroded gas tanks.
"I think they're doing the best they can really do," Cleary said
about how the state's handling the situation. "It's just, how long is this
going to take? Sometimes it takes years but I don't think it will in this case
because of the pressure in the industry and political pressure.
Jean Doss
J. Doss Consulting, LLC
216 N. Chestnut Street
Lansing, MI 48933-1021
Ph: 517/999-3165
Cell: 517/202-2302
Fax: 517/484-3332
email: [log in to unmask]
11. California Lawmakers Make Plans To Get
Spinach Back On Track
Representative Sam Farr, D-Carmel, and State Sen. Jeff
Denham, R-Merced, are working to get to the bottom of the spinach situation.
Farr is said to be planning a private
meeting Oct. 27 with growers from California's Salinas Valley as well as
researchers and state and federal officials to discuss what needs to be done to
prevent E. coli from
making its way into bags of fresh produce.
Chairman of the state Senate Agriculture
Committee, Denham has announced that a joint hearing of the state Legislature's
agricultural committees on the E.
coli outbreak will be held in about six to eight weeks. Denham
scheduled the hearings nearly two months down the road to give officials more
time to investigate how the contamination occurred.
The committees reportedly will collaborate
with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Center for Disease
Control, and the Department of Health Services. The joint hearing will review
the investigation and discuss ways to prevent future problems with fresh
produce. Whether new legislation is necessary to prevent a future outbreak also
will be discussed.
In other news,
California lettuce is still not welcome in Mexico. The ban stems from a
voluntary recall of lettuce from a California grower, The Nunes Co. Test
results later indicated that the lettuce from Nunes Co. was not contaminated
with the deadly strain of E.
coli bacteria. According to one report, Mexico may lift the ban
after it receives FDA results, which may come later this week.
12. Pollinators
crash
Researchers wonder where all the
pollinators have gone. Losses imperil plants, and maybe, the food supply
By John Donnelly, Globe Staff |
October 19, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Pity the honeybee,
hummingbird, and bat.
And possibly us.
What struck me this year is that all
wasps (V. germanica)nests for miles around here died off in mid summer. I heard
that this seems to have started last year in other areas.
Larvae at different stages of
developement were present with adults to feed them and then in a short time the
whole nest died out adults and larvae together. I checked on some twenty paper
nests and found all extinct with insects dead inside. Cause unknown.I would
like to find out if anyone as seen something similar.
John in Ireland
At Michigan State University Dr
Rufus Isaacs studies pollinators in agriculture systems and so I asked him if
he was aware of such a problem in Michigan. He is not and replied that he has
seen plenty of wasps in his area (home garden and research)>and offered this
web site for your reference about pollinators.
I heard the story last night on
Living On Earth on NPR:
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00042&segmentID=7
This discusses the role of
pollinators in our environment and their fate or survivability.
Also all you farmers have you every
considered enhancing your buffer strips with flowering native plants to
encourage beneficial insects, including parasitic wasps? Well MSU has a project
studying which native plants offer the best habitat for beneficial insects.
Here is their web site that includes lists of the top candidates. Even if you
can’t plant your buffer zones with natives perhaps you could incorporate
them on the boarder rows of your field? Here is a web site with info on many
native plants and the work that has been done using native plants to attract
beneficial insects. http://ipm.msu.edu/plants/home.htm
13. DON'T MISS THIS
FILM SERIES (and FARMERS MARKET) SPONSORED
BY AGRICULTURE & HEALTH ALIVE:
"Food, Farming, Health, Education and Native Culture"
Wednesdays, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Wealthy Theater, 1130 Wealthy SE,
Grand Rapids
*Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Light
dinner and snacks available before films and during intermission. Shop at the
farmers market in the theater lobby, too!
Nov. 1 -- Juliette of the Herbs,
75 min., and Homeopathy, 60 min.
Nov. 22 -- Animal Health, 25
min.; and A Minnesota Organic Dairy Farm
Operation, 25 min.; and Small
Ruminants: Sheep and Goats, 47 minutes
Dec. 6 -- 3 films followed by a panel discussion: Impact of Fresh, Healthy Foods on Learning and Behavior, 18
min.; Creating a School Garden: The
Hollywood Elementary Story, 22 min.; Mixed Greens: Growing Kids who Grow Gardens, 8 min.
Dec. 20 -- Wrath of Grapes, 16
min. and Covering New Ground: Wisconsin's
Sustainable Agriculture, 60 min. This film series continues through
April 2007. For details, contact [log in to unmask] or call 616-677-6176.
Tom Cary
Sustainable Agriculture and Local Food Systems Program
West Michigan Environmental Action Council
1007 Lake Dr. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
(616) 451-3051/-3054 (fax)
[log in to unmask]