In 2012, Grant Township became a target for fracking waste. Oil and gas producer Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) applied for a permit to pump toxic chemicals used in drilling operations into an injection well beneath the community. Residents were alarmed. Injections can induce earthquakes, and wells can leak, contaminating water supplies. The chemicals used in fracking have been linked to cancer, infertility and birth defects.  "We live in an area that doesn't have public water. We all live off springs and private wells," said Judy Wanchism, 74-year-old native of Grant Township. [node:read-more:link]

The Environmental Protection Agency has asked the Heartland Institute, a D.C.-based rightwing think tank that denies the human causes of climate change, to help identify scientists to join the agency’s so-called red team-blue team effort to “debate” the science of climate change. The move is part of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s efforts to undercut established climate science within the agency. [node:read-more:link]

A study issue by an energy watchdog group offers important new insights into the fossil fuel industry's extensive early understanding of climate change and the risks it poses.  This time, it's the electric utility sector that's under the microscope.The detailed study, backed up by reams of archival documents, was issued by the Energy and Policy Institute, an environmental advocacy and research group that favors the use of clean energy over fossil fuels.Forty years ago, the documents show, industry officials told Congress that the looming problem of climate change might require the world to [node:read-more:link]

DuPont Co. got a boost from U.S. farmers as it closes in on the historic $75 billion merger with Dow Chemical Co. next month.  Seed sales climbed in the second quarter as DuPont introduced new varieties of soybeans in North America,  while pesticide revenue jumped on demand for new fungicides and insecticides, the company said in a statement. DuPont is benefiting as North American farmers sow a record soybean crop after enduring years of low corn prices. U.S. growers are on course to increase soybean acreage 7 percent this year, according to the Department of Agriculture. [node:read-more:link]

Assuming you eat normally and aren't on a super-restrictive cleanse or elimination diet, you’re probably not at risk for any sodium or electrolyte shortages, Armstrong explains. The volume of liquid you consume is the important thing. “During exercise, the average person ought to be drinking about a half a quart of water every 30 minutes, or a full quart in an hour, to replace the fluids they’re losing,” he says. [node:read-more:link]

In the second quarter of 2017, there were a number of significant legal developments in the agricultural sector. Many of these issues will continue to play out over the next year and will impact agriculture throughout the country. Notably, there were important developments involving the WOTUS Rule, dicamba registration, and checkoff programs. In this light, the Agricultural and Food Law Consortium has compiled this review of some of these developments, with links for additional resources. [node:read-more:link]

The 85th Legislative Session brought an amendment to the law related to use of unmanned aircraft in Texas.  Importantly for agriculture, the amendment adds confined animal feeding operations (“CAFOs”) to the list of “critical infrastructure” facilities to which additional flight limitations apply for many drone operators.  The amendment will go into effect on September 1, 2017. This post will review, in detail, the current Use of Unmanned Aircraft statute and discuss the most recent amendment. [node:read-more:link]

The National Pork Producers Council Tuesday expressed support for the No Regulation Without Representation Act of 2017. The legislation, introduced in the U.S. House by Wisconsin Republican James Sensenbrenner, would stop states from adopting laws and regulations that ban the sale of out-of-state products that do not meet their criteria. NPPC says that means the bill would prohibit a state from imposing tax or regulatory burdens on businesses, including pork operations, that are not physically present in the state. [node:read-more:link]

Crackdowns by federal immigration agents have made communities more hostile towards minority farm workers, according to a new report. Farm owners, meanwhile, fear they'll soon be unable to fill labor-intensive farming jobs that  Americans no longer want. [node:read-more:link]

Citing economic, food and national security concerns, a coalition of more than 100 agricultural organizations and allied industries groups urged Congress to include in the next Farm Bill language establishing and funding a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank. FMD is an infectious viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals, including cattle, pigs and sheep; it is not a food safety or human health threat. [node:read-more:link]