skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Lookin' Out for the Locals: WA Reps on US Farm Bill

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 6, 2007   


Congressional leaders believe they can deliver a new Farm Bill before the August recess and Washington farmers are hoping they're right. This year, 7 of Washington's 8 Congressional reps are asking for higher renewable energy funding in the bill to grow crops for making biofuels and boosting the rural economy. Read Smith, an Eastern Washington farmer and spokesman for the renewable energy coalition "25 by 25," says it will require some in Congress to think - and vote - differently.

"It doesn't seem to be very hard for Congress to find $100 billion to protect our interests in the Middle East, yet they seem so stingy with a few billion that could ultimately lead us to not depending on those foreign sources of oil."

Smith explains that Washington needs the federal help primarily to fund research, because the state's biggest crops are not the ones used to make biofuels.

"That means we need to do some variety selection. We need to discover which varieties of which crops are most suited for our conditions to produce these biofuels."

Smith notes there are advantages to adding biofuel crops in Washington: They can be planted on marginal land, and don't need as much water as other crops. He believes there's a lot of local interest and hopes that with gas prices at record highs, this might be the year Congress moves faster.

Seven of Washington's eight Congressional Representatives have signed a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson recommending "significant increases" for funding of biofuel programs in rural communities. (Only Rep. Dave Reichert, 8th District, did not sign.)



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021