#EPA seems #surrounded on all side by #opinions. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/23/does-the-epas-new-wotus-rule-too-far-or-not-far-enough-255/

Industries across the nation are in an uproar over the new WOTUS rule, claiming the EPA is overreaching their power by making the coverage provided by it too widespread.

Industries and farmers across the nation, as well as 29 of the 50 states filed lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their work in publishing the “Waters of the United States,” or WOTUS rule On June 29. Lawsuits against the EPA were on the grounds that the EPA went too far in implementing new rules that would be potentially crippling for the nation’s industry and agriculture.

Ironically, the EPA is now under fire for just the opposite–a coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit against the agency yesterday, this time for not going far enough.

THE WOTUS RULE

The EPA’s new WOTUS rule adds much more range to the kinds of bodies of water protected by the Clean Water Act. Whereas the Clean Water Act already covered lakes, rivers, and year-round wetlands, it was not clear as to whether bodies of water that only appear during certain seasons, such as streams that dry up during select parts of the year. By adding coverage and protection to these seasonal bodies of water, the newly-defined WOTUS rule would allow the EPA to regulate any industry and farming taking place in or around these waters, under the authority of the Clean Water Act.

TOO FAR

Industries across the nation are in an uproar over the new WOTUS rule, claiming the EPA is overreaching their power by making the coverage provided by it too widespread. House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R- Texas) was quick to criticize the vague language used by the EPA in order to grant more coverage, pointing to the word “drizzle” as a word used in the WOTUS rule in a section dealing with protection coverage.

The more the Clean Water Act covers, the more eligible the EPA is to perform inspections on industries built on or near these bodies of water, potentially complicating business across the nation. Heartland Institute’s H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D , commented, “Farmers, ranchers, developers, industry, and individual property owners would now be subject to the EPA’s arbitrary, unsound, and often incomprehensible regulatory system. It cannot be trusted.”

Farmers have also taken up issue with the new rule, as the Clean Water Act requires permits for developing into covered waters–an issue many would have to face with the implementation of the WOTUS rule–which covers many small and seasonal bodies of water that farmers commonly use for agricultural purposes.

NOT FAR ENOUGH

A coalition of conservatory groups including the Waterkeeper Alliance, the Center for Food Safety, the Turtle Island Restoration Network, and the Center for Biological Diversity as well as others sued the EPA yesterday in a lawsuit filed for exactly opposite reasons. While farmers, industries, and state officials complain that the restrictions set by the WOTUS rule are too strong, the coalition claims them to be too weak, as they believe the exemptions included cater to the needs of industries too much, placing hundreds of endangered species at risk.

The coalition expressed their views in a recent statement: “Endangered salmon and sturgeon on both coasts, California red-legged frogs, and bog turtles are among the many species that depend on clean, unpolluted water and will be harmed by the exemptions created by this rule.” They have also expressed how the exemptions included by the EPA for industry and agriculture regulation will undoubtedly lead to increased pollution in bodies of water across the US.

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Does the EPA"s New WOTUS Rule Go Too Far or Not Far Enough?

First Solar Desalination Plant in Cali - http://clapway.com/2015/07/15/first-solar-desalination-plant-in-cali789/

When you hear about desalination, you think about maybe if you are stranded and there is no other source of drinking water available, you make do with desalinizing the salt water. But in places where water is hard to come by, or there isn’t much rainfall year round, desalinizing salt water into drinkable water is an alternative.

Which is why California is planning on building a solar desalination plant in order to bring more freshwater for people in the Central Valley. This would be the first solar desalination facility California has.

Who is building the facility?

The announcement came from a project called Hydro Revolution which is being run by a Water FX plant company that is operating in the Panoche Water and Drainage District treating irrigation drainage water. They plan on treating around 1.6 billion gallons in one year on the west side of the San Joaquin River.

What’s the game plan with the solar desalination plant?

The area the plant will be operating on is where the water will be fed to, the Panoche Water and Drainage District. By doing this, it is hoped that this will solve the drainage problems and boost crop longevity by feeding it fresh water.

What the project is hoping to do is to help start up a new way for California to use water in the state.

future plans for the solar desalination plant

What distills the drainage is the mirrors from the solar which will help to make it into the freshwater that you get at the end. The minerals that come out will be processed and the sold to other revenues to use. The proposed plant will be built on thirty-five acres to accommodate the facility.

At the moment, the water supply in the region is varies so much that it’s not a reliable water source. With this plant station in the region, hopefully it will be a reliable water source and an efficient one for agriculture.

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First Solar Desalination Plant in Cali

Urban farming could be a game changer in the agricultural industry, providing ways for seasonal fruits and veggies to be farmed year round, and granting the consumer access to cleaner and fresher fruits that will last longer in their homes. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/15/how-underground-urban-farming-is-aiding-the-healthy-eating-movement/

As a person who cares about where my food comes from, I’ve been interested in the idea of urban farming and growing my own garden for quite some time. I think it would be so fulfilling to grow my own produce, and satisfying, knowing what type of pesticides are used and what happens to my produce from birth to my plate.

What is Urban Farming AKA Urban Agriculture?

Urban farming is the practice of cultivating produce and distributing it for local areas, typically businesses such as local restaurants. Many cities use this practice because it can tend to be cheaper for some businesses than large-scale distribution (usually if the urban farm is yours), and the food quality is much better. The Community Food Security Coalition defines Urban Agriculture as, “culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate food through local, non-emergency sources at all times.”

How Does Urban Farming Affect a City?

Urban farming has grown incredibly in larger cities in the last few years, but it is far from a new concept. However, the Clean Eating campaign is growing and more people want to be sure the produce they buy isn’t full of pesticides or growth hormones that could damage their health in the long term.

People are starting to realize that food benefits them so much more than just by keeping their stomach from growling at awkward times during the day. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to urban farming.

I’ve seen it in my own city, where cost of living skyrockets in the areas where these urban farms are being built. Gentrification is happening all over, as is typical in numerous large cities, but especially in top-rated technology cities like Austin and San Francisco. Low-income areas are becoming littered with young startups and green-living Millennials who are buying the superior land plots for their farms, forcing the lower income community out of the area.

Underground Urban Farming

Last week, London announced that’s it’s underground urban farm, Growing Underground, will begin distribution. The masterminds behind this publicly funded project, Steven Dring, Richard Ballard, and chef Michel Roux Jr., are excited to begin this process of their farming endeavor.

Their farm is located underground (hence the name) in a sealed room where a hydroponic system allows the produce to grow without soil. It sounds almost like something out of a Blake Crouch novel, maybe something they’d have in Wayward Pines.

Growing Underground boasts that their crops can be grown year round due to the advantage of having total control over their growth environment, meaning that these plants are unaffected by negative weather conditions and seasonal changes, and are pesticide-free. Their main goals are to become carbon neutral, to reduce the need to import crops, and to reduce the mileage from food retailers to consumers.

According to their website, they promise “farm to fork in under 4 hours.” Their plan is to begin their distribution for restaurants and work their way into your kitchen at home. It would be a great accomplishment if other large cities could implement this type of underground urban farming system.

These types of farms could be a game changer in the agricultural industry, providing ways for seasonal fruits and veggies to be farmed year round, and granting the consumer access to cleaner and fresher fruits that will last longer in their homes. I think it’s a great idea, and while it might be a little unrealistic to think that every large city could have such an underground sustainable farm, we can definitely take notes on their practices and technologies. Maybe they have just opened the door for other cities to start production on a similar farming system that they could benefit from.

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How Underground Urban Farming is Aiding the Healthy Eating Movement

Presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone Has Science Panel Convening - http://clapway.com/2015/07/03/presence-of-brucellosis-at-yellowstone-has-science-panel-convening987/

Why in the world is there brucellosis at yellowstone?

Lately, there has been a presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone in livestock, especially bison and elk populations. This disconcerting presence has officials talking and now have a team of people to convene in a panel to talk about the aforementioned problem. The team of people was assembled by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It is also a concern with Brucellosis because there is a risk of people getting infected with it although the bacteria usually infects livestock such as sheep, cattle, pigs, dogs, and other animals. The CDC has said that people who come in contact with the infected animals or animals products made from them can contract the bacteria, thereby spreading it in the human community as a result.

Sincerity in Managing Efforts for Brucellosis at yellowstone

Ryan Clarke of APHIS told the National Academy of Sciences group, “We want you to . . . help us see a future path for actions we might take to address brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area.“ Clarke later went on, saying that although they reached a dead end, they are looking at other options and are open to advice as to what to do next.

Complications

However not everyone is as hopeful in finding a solution to managing the presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone. “Reducing the prevalence of brucellosis in bison in the park would take decades and decades of work and would still not change how the animals are managed and would still leave many bison carrying the disease,” said P.J. White, Yellowstone’s chief of wildlife resources on the finding of the earlier scientific results.

Complications such as one mentioned above make decisions on how to handle the situation and the next step forward difficult and no easy feat to manage.

What can you look out for?

Some of the symptoms that accompany this infection are: having a fever, headache, lack of appetite, malaise, fatigue, possible depression, and other concerning symptoms. All in all, at first it seems very innocuous and can be mistaken for a regular cold perhaps.

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Presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone Has Science Panel Convening