Gold King Mine an EPA Superfund Site
On Tuesday, August 11, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an Emergency Response Statement to a massive pollutant spill in Colorado. According to the agency, EPA contractors caused...
View ArticleEPA and Regulatory Taking of Private Property
The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids the government from taking privately owned property without the due process of law, and without just compensation. However, what constitutes a...
View ArticleThe Golden-cheeked Warbler and Piecemeal Environmental Policy
A tiny, migratory songbird is causing a big ruckus in Texas. At issue is the Golden-cheeked warbler’s status according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The bird caused a related stir in...
View ArticleCalifornia’s Renewable Portfolio Standard
California’s 2002 Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS), Senate Bill No. 1078 mandated that electric providers procure renewable power from eligible sources at 17% of customer sales by 2017. The bill...
View ArticleThe Failure of U.S. Biofuels Program
Ending a relationship is never easy, even one with a proven history of broken promises, twisted logic, weak justifications and financial exploitation. Such is the bond between the American taxpayer and...
View ArticleCongressional Request leads to Scathing Review of the EPA
Businesses, landowners and farmers know the feeling of dread that comes with hearing the words “not in compliance” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has earned the reputation...
View ArticleOIG announces probe of EPA’s Reporting Practices on Biofuels Impact
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has announced a probe into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) adherence to reporting requirements regarding biofuel’s impact on air quality. Under the...
View ArticleUSDA and States to Spend $210 Million on Fuel Pumps
On May 29th, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $100 million in grants offered through their Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) program. According to Secretary of...
View ArticleOrganics: Another Fine Government Mess
The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), as part of the 1990 Farm Bill, established the National Organic Program (NOP). The program, as administered by the United States Department of Agriculture...
View ArticleTobacco: Top User of Agriculture Guest Worker (H-2A) Visa Program
With the run up to the 2016 presidential election, we have seen a growing debate on the need for border security versus the shortage of agriculture workers. Tales of apples rotting on trees and produce...
View ArticleBeneficiary of Billion Dollar Green Fuels Program Files for Creditor Protection
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final ruling on blend volumes of renewable fuels for the calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016. The challenge for the EPA is the lack of...
View ArticleRenewable Fuel Standard Mandates, or Not?
The Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) provisions of The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), mandates an increasing blend of renewable products into our domestic fuel supply. The law...
View ArticleNew EPA Employee Bonuses Spark OIG Investigation
Back in the day, if one needed to relocate for a new job, they could elicit the aid of a few strapping young men for little more than the cost of a pizza and a six-pack of beer. Add the cost of a...
View Article“Green” Energy: The Color of Money
In light of the recent legal filing for creditor protection by Spain-based, Abengoa, Inc., the viability of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is getting appropriate scrutiny and reconsideration....
View ArticleWTO Ruling Forces the Repeal of Popular U.S. Law
‘Twas the night before Christmas in 2002 when I received notice the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had confirmed America’s first case of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). At the...
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