The states, which also include Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, will work together to identify opportunities for advancing sustainably produced hydrogen, which can be a carbon-free energy source, according to a non-binding agreement signed by the seven governors, including five Democrats and two Republicans.
This Weeks Articles for 9/26/2022 ...
- Farmers for Sustainable Food: Releases first progress report
- Wisconsin`s French Island faces stark choices as PFAS water crisis lingers
- Why Wisconsin has seen so little legislative action on climate change
- Wisconsin, neighbors to promote clean hydrogen economy
- OPINION: Overcoming Wisconsin’s toxic partisanship
- Opinion | Climate bill promotes clean energy, creates jobs in Wisconsin
- Fincanitieri Marinette Marine achieves Green Tier status
- Garbage or gold? Composting companies help people turn food scraps into natural fertilizer
- Dane Co. Airport sewer project to mitigate PFAS delayed again
- Renewable natural gas: Financial, sustainable and career opportunities abound
- Can goats help manage Wisconsin’s invasive species?
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Farmers for Sustainable Food, a collaborative, industry-supported effort to promote and support farmer-led solutions to environmental challenges, released its first annual progress report today.
The nonprofit organization of food system partners grew to 40 members in 2021, up 14 from 2020. Through partnerships with six farmer-led conservation groups across Wisconsin, FSF supported 231 farmers who represent 288,925 acres and 243,720 head of livestock. Through an annual member conservation practice survey, FSF was able to document practices these farmers are implementing and analyze the potential impact on the environment.
Key results:
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 49,830 tons. This equals the emissions from 10,737 cars driven for a year.
- Reduced sediment from leaving farm fields by 106,846 tons. One dump truck can carry about 10 tons of soil.
- Reduced 330,471 pounds of phosphorus from leaving farm fields. One pound of this nutrient that reaches a waterbody can feed 500 pounds of algae...
Notes:
A lifeline could disappear due to a pollution lawsuit that has implications for the 1.7 million Wisconsinites who rely on private wells.
They moved in 1979 to Wisconsin`s French Island, an unincorporated community of 4,300. Sandwiched between the Black and Mississippi rivers in the town of Campbell, it forms a picturesque piece of the Driftless Area where people toss tennis balls to their dogs at the beach and cordgrass rustles in the breeze. Visitors can catch water ski shows on Wednesday nights during the summer and grab battered haddock at Tom Sawyer`s Bar & Grill during lunch breaks...
...An industry group sued the Department of Natural Resources in 2021, arguing that the agency can`t force polluters to clean up hazardous PFAS spills without first creating rules. The agency currently oversees the remediation of PFAS from at least 84 sites statewide, including French Island. But environmental rulemaking can take more than two years in Wisconsin due to bureaucratic hurdles Republican lawmakers enacted a decade ago...
Ken Notes: I did suggest exactly this would happen. We must sit down with all the players and affected parties and come to an agreement that we can implement now. There are solutions, but without everyone at the table we are years away from implementation.
All this hour, we`ve been talking about issues where Americans seem to agree on something, say they want something done, but nothing happens. We`re hearing from scholars and journalists who report on these issues and from you. You`ve told us about your frustrations, about issues where you don`t see progress being made despite consensus, and you wonder why. In Wisconsin, we heard about one topic in particular that has many people worried...
Ken Notes:Worth listening...
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Wisconsin is banding together with six other Midwestern states to promote development of a “clean hydrogen” economy.According to a memorandum of understanding, the states view clean hydrogen as an opportunity to leverage existing industry and infrastructure to promote economic growth and energy independence while lowering greenhouse gas emissions...
The MOU is Here...
Ken Notes: Hydrogen is a clean fuel not on many radar screens. A distribution network will be a huge challenge but if we could develop this the potential is there. I have driven a hydrogen car and have seen hydrogen buses and am impressed...
What will it take to bring people together again?
As I watched the annual State of Education address last week I found myself wondering, is bipartisanship dead?
Pushing back on Republican culture war talking points, state schools superintendent Jill Underly used the word “racist” to describe recent Republican efforts to rewrite school curriculum purging so-called critical race theory. Likewise, high-profile campaigns against LGBTQ and transgender education are “harmful and dangerous to students’ emotional safety and mental health,” she said, adding, “pronouns save lives.” And she promised LGBTQ students, “I have your back” against school bullies. Some of those bullies presumably, reading between the lines of the speech, are the Republican legislators Underly was asking to approve $1 billion in new state funding for schools in the same address...
...Full Story HerePushing back on Republican culture war talking points, state schools superintendent Jill Underly used the word “racist” to describe recent Republican efforts to rewrite school curriculum purging so-called critical race theory. Likewise, high-profile campaigns against LGBTQ and transgender education are “harmful and dangerous to students’ emotional safety and mental health,” she said, adding, “pronouns save lives.” And she promised LGBTQ students, “I have your back” against school bullies. Some of those bullies presumably, reading between the lines of the speech, are the Republican legislators Underly was asking to approve $1 billion in new state funding for schools in the same address...
Ken Notes: Ruth outlines the real problems with partisanship and I would agree it is the largest problem in America today! Using one senator to discuss the issue does not help even if the points were valid.
In the past the environment was an area where there was some agreement and bipartisan support but now it is among one of the more polarizing issues. We should create some realistic environmental goals that bring substantial majorities of voters to the table and then ask politicians to get on board.
My career has been about protecting our climate and water for over a decade. There have been few moments of optimism. In August, when President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, he enacted the biggest climate investment in history. This is a rare moment to celebrate and seize.The stakes — stability, safety, survival itself — could not be higher. This year, historic heat and droughts cover the West. Floods in Kentucky killed dozens of residents. Here in Wisconsin, we’ve seen record temperatures and rainfall this year, like many recent years. All the while, the cost of dirty fossil fuels keeps going up...
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: I agree, but we will not get the bipartisan support we need to move this plan forward long term. We need a plan that has some support on both sides of the isle.
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MARINETTE—Fincantieri Marinette Marine, a world-class shipbuilder, is making those ships in an environmentally friendly way.The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Thursday welcomed FMM as a Tier 1 participant of the state’s Green Tier program. The DNR’s Green Tier program recognizes organizations committed to going above and beyond compliance to improve their environmental performance and impact. Green Tier empowers organizations who are on the path to sustainability by requiring them to use a systematic approach to minimize environmental risk...
Landfill space is a precious and possibly finite commodity in an urban area.The Orchard Ridge Landfill in Menomonee Falls, the largest in the state, was close to capacity in 2019 with a pile of waste nearly 16 stories high. It expanded its footprint by 40 acres, and now has plans for more capacity.
Nationally, about 108 billion pounds of food — equaling 130 billion meals and more than $408 billion worth of food — are wasted each year in the United States, according to Feeding America...
A project aimed at mitigating the amount of toxic chemicals leaching into Madison’s waterways from the Dane County Regional Airport has been delayed yet again, according to an airport spokesperson...
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...Full Story Here
Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles: Everything You Need to Know
For China’s Auto Market, Electric Isn’t the Future. It’s the Present.
More electric cars will be sold in the country this year than in the rest of the world combined, as its domestic market accelerates ahead of the global competition.
Record amounts of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere according to the latest State of the Climate Report. Data from more than 530 scientists in over 60 countries indicates climate change shows no sign of slowing. Symbiont, a Mead & Hunt company, is addressing this by leveraging innovative renewable natural gas (RNG) technologies. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm develops facilities that convert organic waste into RNG, a carbon-neutral energy source, throughout the country......Full Story Here
Agronomy PhD student partners with American Family Insurance to study best invasive species management methods
They’re fuzzy, they’re furry, they’re funny and they eat everything. But are goats the best option to manage Wisconsin’s invasive species? Agronomy Ph.D. student Stefania Cartoni Casamitjana is trying to find out.
Casamitjana is a member of the Renz Weed Science lab and she is working on a multi-year study to determine the best invasive species management practices. The study includes two test sites — one in Prairie du Sac and another at the American Family Insurance national headquarters on Madison’s east side.
...Full Story HereCasamitjana is a member of the Renz Weed Science lab and she is working on a multi-year study to determine the best invasive species management practices. The study includes two test sites — one in Prairie du Sac and another at the American Family Insurance national headquarters on Madison’s east side.
Links we like supporting Wisconsin`s Environment and Business. More will follow each week...
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: Share this and if you want to be included:
Call us - 608.334.2174 or Editor [at] WDNGreen.com....
Call us - 608.334.2174 or Editor [at] WDNGreen.com....
Ten thousand environmentally minded business professionals, 500+ News outlets and reporters, and even a treehugger or two now read WDNGreen each week. Thank you!
Please share WDNGreen with a friend... WDNGreen Network of Links... or Search WDNGreen...Ken Harwood
Advocating for Wisconsin
Editor [at] KenHarwood.com
608.334.2174
An agenda for the new administration...
An overriding principal - Restore Wisconsin to the bipartisan national environmental leadership it once enjoyed...
Building and Design
- Work with developers, architects, communities, and business to ensure the highest and most cost effective Green building practices are used in new development.
- Expedite projects who guarantee the best environmental practices and make sure the systems are in place to ensure this. Trust but Verify.
- Avoid costly mandates and restrictions that will move businesses to other states or regions.
Mining
- Explore the restoration of the sulfide mining moratorium or...
- Work with counties to create and enforce new mining regulations, restrictions and enforcement.
- Delay approval of any new mines until counties have their regulation policies in place.
- Restore DNR environmental staff and expertise to levels that can review any requests in a timely manner.
- Require a site reclamation fund be established from the onset of any approved project with a plan in place for complete site reclamation.
- Allow municipalities to enact special utilities in lieu of or in addition to regular taxes for issues like impact on roads, utilities, infrastructure, and public safety.
Renewable Energy and Fuels
- Work with the utilities, business and communities to encourage the use of renewables, reduced carbon output, and better reporting and measurement.
- Establish a PSC willing to work with business and power companies while progressing to a lower carbon renewable future.
- Do not impose legislative mandates on renewables but rather incentivize use of new technologies while maintaining an open dialogue among all parties involved.
Our Watersheds and the Great Lakes
- Become a strong partner in Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.
- If water is removed from the watershed, require that it be returned cleaner that it was taken. Again make sure DNR has the resources to monitor and ensure this policy.
Land Use and Transmission / Pipe Lines
- Require the need and or profit for new systems to Wisconsin citizens. If a system like tar sand or electricity is for other states or regions, require that the land uses benefits all citizens in our state in lower utility costs, additions public facilities and reduced air and water pollution.
- Require that any new system create an environmental offset equal to or greater than the land they take. This can be done in two ways: One additional Parks, Public Lands, Trails, Access to Waterways, Etc. OR Two reduced carbon emissions through the elimination or older less efficient production facilities or the conversion to renewable or exponentially lower emission fuels.
CAFO`s and Agricultural Issues
- Address and regulate CAFO`s like the "cities" that they are.
- Develop regulations and controls to address the scale of effluent that these facilities produce.
- Consider using CAFO`s as a model for new waste treatment like digestion and pasteurization.
- Preserve the small farm in Wisconsin by encouraging sound environmental practices in a cost effective way.
- Work with all farms, businesses, and communities to improve watersheds, runoff and source point pollution focusing on results rather that penalties or mandates.
Transit and Mass Transit
- Improve our transit and shipping corridors like rail and interstate access to encourage Wisconsin to become an efficient distribution hub for the Midwest.
- Encourage communities to adopt new and more efficient mass transit systems.
- Encourage the use of more efficient buses, trucks and vehicles in the state.
ECO Tourism
- Explore ECO Tourism as an option to preserve our vast agricultural heritage and natural waterways and woodlands.
- Allow ECO TIF financing to pair tourism development with land and watershed preservation.
Ken Notes: Just a few ideas, please feel free to pick and choose then share with those on both sides of the isle that will be making decisions.
We now have an opportunity to grab the pendulum in the middle and make a real long term difference in how we manage our resources and what kind of Wisconsin we leave to our grandchildren!
These are personal viewpoints shaped by your feedback. They are not the positions of my sponsors or partners.
Hot off the “press,” AgSTAR’s updated handbook is a comprehensive compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry on best practices for anaerobic digestion and biogas systems.
For 26 years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) AgSTAR Program has been helping farmers and communities across the United States develop and implement anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas systems. These systems are critical to reduce methane emissions from manure management operations, while also providing other environmental and economic benefits. As a trusted partnership program, AgSTAR helps educate the public on best practices for designing, implementing and maintaining digester projects and brings together leading experts to discuss opportunities and challenges for advancing the biogas industry.
AgSTAR’s newest resource, the Anaerobic Digester Project Development Handbook,
is a comprehensive compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry
on best practices for AD/ biogas systems. The goal of the Handbook is to
ensure long-term project success for AD biogas systems by providing
background and a framework for AD project development.
...Full Story HereKen Notes:I would love to see Wisconsin become the leader in this technology! Every farmer and elected official in the state should download this.
Coverage of local and national eco news for commercial development,
home, transportation, food and community. We search for environmentally
friendly news that makes economic sense for Wisconsin. ONLINE HERE. Please share with a friend. To receive WDNews GREEN on Monday of each week as an email you must subscribe - secure link to subscribe is here.Want to comment, or have an idea: Ideas[at]WisconsinDevelopment.com
We may now need to build a coalition that is willing to lobby from a "greener" yet pro business perspective. Lots of HUGE issues: Sand Mining, CNG, LEED Alternatives, Focus On Energy, LED Lighting R&D, Cleaner Power Generation, Recycling, Power Lines, Electric Cars, Wind, Solar, Bio Fuels, Digestors, Green AG, Business Incentives...And of course the Greenest and Happiest of Holidays to you!
Please consider sponsoring WDNGreen!
WDNews GREEN will be emailed on Mondays, included in WDNews on Thursdays, and online all the time at: WDNGreen.com Each week we will find 10 to 20 articles from Wisconsin and across the Nation dealing with environmental issues. Our goal is to promote environmental excellence from a sound business perspective.
Our resource guide at the bottom of this publication will continue to grow, and you may add links, suggest articles, include your press releases, or comment by eMailing Me. As always thanks for reading, and if you would like to sponsor or get involved call 608.334.2174... ...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: Please forward this to friends and colleagues who have an interest in our economy and environment. You may eMail Me Here.