ILLINOIS WILL HAVE a new budget this week, Gov. Pat Quinn believes. But the state will have to borrow money to make its pension payments. ...........................................3
A N I N D I A NA W E B S I T E known as Driftwatch allows farmers and others to register approximate locations of sensitive crops to avoid drift damage. ..........................3
EK PETROLEUM, a Moultrie County business, has retooled an abandoned service station at Sullivan with Illinois’ first “blender pumps.” ............................................4
Monday, May 24, 2010
Two sections Volume 38, No. 21
State policymakers: Climate regs cost consumers BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek
Policymakers from across the U.S. argue federal greenhouse regulations would hinder energy development and leave low-income Americans paying a heavy toll. Minnesota state Sen. Mike Jungbauer warned FarmWeek his Upper Midwest state is “becoming an island unto itself,” where attempts to address greenhouse gas (GHG) and other environmental issues have generated a poor business/tax climate and increased consumer costs. Piled atop state climate controls, mercury regulations, and “a ton of (other) environmental mandates” targeting utilities and manufacturers, Minnesota
faces added economic costs from regional climate partnerships and, now, revised U.S. Senate climate proposals, Jungbauer related during a Chicago global climate conference last week. He pegs the annual public cost of Minnesota’s state greenhouse reduction plan (which, like the Senate measure, shoots for an 80 percent GHG reduction over the next 40 years) at $16 billion by 2050. Jungbauer suggested federal policy would be preferable to a patchwork of state laws, “if you believe a policy should be put into place, which I don’t.” Federal GHG emissions caps and credit trading would be subject to “political pander-
ing” and “create winners and losers” in the U.S. energy economy, penalizing Illinois and other states reliant on coal and other fossil energy sources, he said. North Dakota officials have threatened to sue over the constitutionality of Minnesota regulations that impose carbon fees on electricity from out-ofstate fossil fuel-powered plants. Some 800,000 Minnesotans receive power from North Dakota. Even a state renewable electricity standard, requiring 25 percent of energy generation from wind, solar, and other sources by 2025, boosted average power rates by 9.8 percent over an initial 34-month period, Jungbauer said. He said
emissions mandates would “hurt the lowest (economic) level of society.” “Businesses understand the basics: If you don’t have cheap energy and you have high taxes, that’s a pass-through to the consumer,” he related. “Our environmental initiatives have caused (state) permitting processes to triple over most other states’. An ironsmelting company wanted to go in in northern Minnesota. It would have taken three years to get a permit in Minnesota; it took 90 days in Indiana. The company’s in Indiana.” According to Jungbauer, the U.S. Senate’s “American Power Act” would impact costs for at least 7,500 manufacturers and power plants, place “tariffs”
similar to Minnesota’s carbon fees on goods from GHG “polluting” countries, and set new low-carbon fuel standards reflecting controversial California efforts. Arizona state Sen. Pam Gorman, who has retired to run for Congress, fought regulatory proposals in her state as well as a former governor’s push to join a regional climate compact. New climate regulation “would go further to centralize power at the helm of the federal government,” she maintained. Gorman argues U.S. energy development and distribution “cannot be left to the pundits,” emphasizing “every See Climate, page 4
U of I Extension unveils multi-county partner structure Office locations are next phase BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek
Periodicals: Time Valued
The local face of University of Illinois Extension will be represented by 26 multi-county groups and a single county office in Cook County. Those new groups next must determine the locations
of a main office and local prised of seven counties in Factors considered in the satellite offices, Bob Hoeft, Southeastern Illinois. mergers included partner ageninterim Extension cies, geographic director, told resources, and the potenFarmWeek. tial for Extension clients “We need to reduce to work together, accordrent costs. It (a satellite ing to Hoeft. office) will be a pretty In addition to deterconservative office,” mining the office locaHoeft said. tions within the multiLast week Extencounty groups, local sion released the reorExtension councils also ganized county strucwill propose the kind of ture (see accompanysatellite offices they will ing map). County host and the fields of Extension councils Extension educator earlier submitted expertise they want, merger proposals driHoeft said. ven in large part by $7 The university will million in budget cuts. have “some input” on Extension continues the distribution of eduto face major funding cator expertise among challenges because no the multi-county groups, state funding for the Hoeft said. For example, current fiscal year had a livestock specialist been received as of might be asked to work May 19. with a neighboring multiThe original reorcounty group so the uniganization plan called versity would not necesfor 30 multi-county sarily want two educators groups of three to five with the same expertise counties each. Howevlocated in adjacent er, the final structure Each color block represents a multi-county Extension groups, he added. group. There will be 26 such groups throughout the has 26 mergers. The After multi-county largest group is com- state and a single county office in Cook County. groups submit their FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com
information, the university will list all the positions for unit leaders and educators. Hoeft said all unit leaders and educators “resigned” when the university issued a notice that it was not renewing all contracts. That means all educator and unit leader positions across the state are open. “Those folks can apply” for those posts, Hoeft said. Although the application process has not been finalized, applicants probably will specify the type of position they want and where they want to be located, Hoeft said. Extension employees also would list their top job priorities along with their current location. Hoeft anticipated any interviews would not be lengthy: “These are all people we know.” Local Extension councils will continue to guide the educational programs, and interest in specific programs will vary across the state. The goal is to support relevant programs which have a measurable impact on residents’ quality of life, according to Hoeft.
Illinois Farm Bureau®on the web: www.ilfb.org