Appeals court tosses lower biofuel levels set in 2015 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal appeals court says the EPA cannot limit the targets in the national Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) based on factors such as demand.
The Des Moines Register reported that renewable fuel advocates praised the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s July 28 ruling, which could prompt a revision of the Trump administration’s proposals earlier this year to mostly maintain current requirements for biofuel production.
The ruling dealt with targets set by the EPA during the Obama administration. The court dismissed several challenges to those targets, but upheld an argument by the advocacy group Americans for Clean Energy that the EPA overstepped its authority under the laws requiring it to set numbers for renewable fuel use.
“By setting annual renewable fuel volume requirements that increase progressively each year, Congress adopted a ‘market forcing policy’ intended to ‘overcome constraints in the market’ by creating ‘demand pressure to increase consumption’ of renewable fuels,” the judges ruled.
Pickup and farm equipment collide, Indiana teen killed WILKINSON, Ind. — A teenager died on July 26 when the pickup he was riding in collided with farm equipment in eastern Hancock County.
The Greenfield Daily Reporter reported the accident happened about 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of county roads 900N and 750E. A pickup truck driven by Eastern Hancock High School student R.W. Locker was headed westbound on 900N when it struck a large crop sprayer that had pulled into the intersection.
The impact crushed the truck’s right passenger area, where fellow student Riley Settergren, 17, was riding.
Emergency responders at the scene initially called for a medical helicopter in hopes Settergren, a senior at Eastern Hancock, could be transported to an Indianapolis hospital; they called off the request, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Locker and another student in the truck, Landon Stanley, were taken to an Indianapolis hospital to be treated for minor injuries, police said. They were expected to make full recoveries, officials said.
The driver of the crop sprayer, local farmer Joe Mohr, was not injured. Investigators said they believe he pulled out in front of the truck, according to Hancock County sheriff’s deputies at the scene of the crash. The accident remains under investigation by the Hancock County Fatal Accident Crash team.
Corn detasslers sprayed with crop poisons in Iowa field COLLINS, Iowa (AP) — Officials said several workers were sickened after being sprayed with fungicide and insecticide from a crop duster while they were detasseling corn in a central Iowa field.
The Des Moines Register reported none of the approximately two dozen workers were severely sickened Friday in the field near Collins. The Iowa Department of Agriculture (IDA) and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
Maxwell Fire Chief Tony Ness said the workers complained mostly of nausea and headaches. It took about three hours for all the affected workers to go through a decontamination trailer. Iowa Department of Public Health toxicologist Stuart Schmitz said short-term exposure to the chemicals usually leave no long-term effects.
White House to Senate: Pass health bill now or else
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The White House stepped up demands Sunday for revived Congressional efforts on health care. Aides said President Trump is prepared in the coming days to end required payments to insurers under the Affordable Care Act as part of a bid to let “Obamacare implode” and force the Senate to act.
Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate, where no Democrats voted for the GOP bill and three Republicans defected in the final vote Friday.
Trump warned over the weekend he would end federal subsidies for health care insurance for Congress and the rest of the country if the Senate didn’t act soon. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of the three Republicans who voted against the health bill Friday, said the cost-sharing reduction payments were critical to make insurance more affordable for low-income people.
Illinois livestock exhibitors asked to monitor animal health
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — As the 2017 Illinois State Fair approaches the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) reminds livestock exhibitors to keep a close eye on the health of their animals. IDOA advises before any animals are taken to county fairs or the state fair, observe the health of not only the exhibition animals, but your entire herd. If any animal shows signs or symptoms of an illness, contact your veterinarian immediately before transporting them to a fair.
Two proactive measures that can be taken are having strict biosecurity measures and washing hands frequently before and after working with animals. For more details, go to the IDOA’s Bureau of Animal Welfare webpage at www.agr.state.il.us/alerts |
