Crazy Situation

A GAP-certified Richmond County farm cannot get carrots into a local school, 1/4 mile away, a school where the obesity rate is 42%.  Contact NC Dept. of Education, Richmond Co. school board or NC Ag. Extention if you can think of a solution.

Fracking in NC? Update

The DENR shale gas hearing in Chapel Hill had a large, feisty and well-informed turnout last night! Thank you for your presence, comments and solidarity against 'fracking' in North Carolina, which regional legislators got loud and clear. DENR acknowledges plenty of unknowns in the study and we'll have more to point out in written comments, due April 2. Many speakers pointed out that we haven’t seen evidence from any state that fracking can be done safely. Thanks to public pressure, a third and final hearing will take place in Chatham County next week!

EVENTS:

• March 30, 7-9:30 PM. Black Mountain, Fracking in NC? (details).
• April 2, 6:30-8:30 PM. Pittsboro (map/directions), Shale gas study hearing (details) and DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS! Email to shale_gas_comments@ncdenr.gov or mail to NCDENR, Attn: Trina Ozer, PO Box 1601, Raleigh, NC 27699

Public Comment on Fracking, two meetings

Legislative Watch: Fracking Report Released, Hearings Planned

The long-anticipated state report on fracking was released late last week, and contains conclusions guaranteed to dissatisfy all perspectives. In sum, the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) draft report concludes that 'fracking'--hydraulic fracturing to release natural gas contained in rock layers--and the horizontal drilling to conduct it can be done safely. However, it also says that additional legal and regulatory safeguards are needed first.

The report's recommendations for safety steps proceeding the authorization of fracking include the following:
--Further study of the potential impacts on groundwater in areas where exploration may take place.
--State-approved plans limiting the amounts of water that can be withdrawn during the process.
--Mandated disclosure of chemicals used in the fracking process, with public disclosure of any information not protected by 'trade secret' status.
--Development of an oil and gas waste management regulatory program.

The report's recommendations are not likely to please either those whose position is 'no fracking, no way', nor those whose mantra is 'drill now, drill everywhere, for everything'.

DENR's press release with more information is available at http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/journal/view_article_content?groupId=21953&articleId=6157644, and the full draft report can be found at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest/denr-study.

The two meetings to accept public comments on the draft report are scheduled for March 20 at the Wicker Center in Sanford, and March 27 at the East Chapel Hill High School auditorium in Chapel Hill. Both public meetings are scheduled to run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

DENR is required to make its final report to the N.C. General Assembly no later than May 1. The legislature's special Energy Policy Committee is set to meet April 21, and is likely to take up the report for discussion whether the final is ready or not.

Our Local Food Coop in the News!

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/supportdocuments/1033437_RuralCoop_JanFeb12.pdf  National news

Call the Gov. Today re Fracking/Offshore Drilling Bill

Last chance to have your voice heard on VETO of S709 — Deadline tomorrow!

As tomorrow's decision deadline approaches, we still need as many people as possible to make their voices heard on Senate Bill 709 (promoting offshore oil, fracking and bad energy policy), and S781 (makes new protective rules essentially impossible, gutting current rules by endless cost-benefit analyses)! Please call again or for the 1st time, and urge friends and family to do the same. The veto of these bills is truly vital to our environment and quality of life in NC.

Call 919-733-2391 or email governor.office@nc.gov today!

Lawmakers Seek Inquiry of Natural Gas Industry
Federal lawmakers are calling on agencies to investigate the natural gas industry and whether the picture that has been painted accurately reflects the reality of projections. State and Federal concerns about the financial and environmental impacts sparked the inquiry. Five companies have been subpenaed including Talisman and Chesapeake Energy. Supporters of natural gas sent a letter signed by a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers to President Obama calling on him for continued support of natural gas development.
EPA Fracking Study to Focus on Five States
The Environmental Protection Agency will focus its national study of hydraulic fracturing on seven areas in five states. Five of these research projects will take a forensic approach, retroactively investigating places where drilling has already occurred and where contamination has been alleged (including sites in North Dakota, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado). At two additional sites—in DeSoto Parish, La., in the Haynesville Shale and a separate site in Washington County, Pa.—the EPA will attempt to observe and measure the changes drilling brings to an area as it happens.

Worst Drought in More Than a Century Strikes Texas Oil Boom

The water crisis in Texas, the biggest oil- and gas- producing state in the U.S., highlights a continuing debate in North America and Europe over the impact on water supplies of an oil and gas production technique called hydraulic fracturing. The worst Texas drought since record-keeping began 116 years ago may crimp an oil and natural-gas drilling boom as government officials ration water supplies crucial to energy exploration. Environmental groups are concerned the so-called fracking method may pose a contamination threat, while farmers in arid regions like south Texas face growing competition for scarce water.

In Sustainable Montgomery County

http://www.sustainablesandhills.org/docs/EblastMontgomeryCountyarticlefinal.pdf

Food to Table in NC Completing Full Circle!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/magazine/25food-t.html?hpw

UNC-TV, Food, Inc, the movie, with discussion, Apr 21

UNC-TV Will Broadcast Views on Food, Inc. at 10:35 PM on April 21


On Wednesday, April 21 at 9:00 p.m. UNC-TV will broadcast Food, Inc., a provocative documentary film about the food industry in the United States. Food, Inc. is being offered as an episode of the PBS series P.O.V. Immediately following the documentary at 10:35 p.m. UNC-TV will broadcast Views on Food, Inc., a thoughtful conversation with representatives of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, the North Carolina Poultry Federation and the North Carolina Pork Council moderated by UNC-TV's Rob Holliday.

Food Safety Legislation Pending, Discussion Mar. 11

Fresh Produce Safety Farmer Listening Session
Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:30 pm
Agriculture Building Auditorium in Pittsboro, NC
Please RSVP for this event by calling Jane Tripp at 919-542-8202 just so we can get a headcount for refreshments.
Fruit and vegetable farmers: What do you think about on-farm fruit and vegetable food safety issues? We want to know.
Please join us for a farmer listening session in Pittsboro on Thursday March 11, 2010 at 7:30 pm. The listening session will be hosted by the Chatham County Center of NC Cooperative Extension in the Agriculture Building Auditorium.
For more than a year, food safety legislation has been pending in the U.S. Congress. This past summer, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation (HR 2749) and a bill awaits action in the U.S. Senate (S510).
In addition, the Food & Drug Administration and USDA have announced that they are working together to develop rules and regulations for on-farm production of fruits and vegetables in the area of food safety.
North Carolina Farm Bureau and the NC Fresh Produce Safety Task Force would like to hear what you think. Regulations will be coming. It is our understanding that the intent is to regulate all fruit and vegetable production on the farm. Based on the bills that have passed and been introduced, a number of areas that will be regulated have been identified:
Please join us to talk about potential on-farm food safety regulation and what will and will not work for you. Your comments will be presented to the FDA and USDA now, before regulations are written.
Who should attend? Fruit and vegetable producers. Small producers with production of less than 100 acres are especially welcome. Wholesale growers, retail/farm stand growers, growers with CSAs or who sell at farmers' markets. While we realize this topic may be of interest to non-producers, this meeting is for producers only.

Bring your ideas and we look forward to seeing you March 11 in Pittsboro. * Please RSVP for this event by calling Jane Tripp at 919-542-8202 just so we can get a headcount for refreshments.

Directions to the Agriculture Building in Pittsboro: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/workshopdirections.html

For those of you outside the Triangle, listening sessions are also scheduled in several other counties (details are still being worked out): March 8Stanley County BreakfastUnion County Dinner March 9Watauga County BreakfastLincoln County Lunch March 12Brunswick County Lunch March 16 Gaston/Cleveland/Rutherford Counties timing to be determined March 18Harnett County, Ag Center, Lillington lunch, 12:30 p.m. March 26Duplin County/Wayne County timing to be determined For more information on the specific details of the meetings outside Pittsboro, contact Debbie Hamrick: Debbie HamrickDirector Specialty CropsNC Farm Bureau FederationPO Box 27766Raleigh, NC 27611-7766(919) 334-2977Cell: (919) 302-9538debbie.hamrick@ncfb.org

Making the Family Farm Pay

http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/100124-making-family-farms-profitable.html

Aging Poet Farmer Speaks, April 22

We have excitement here in Pittsboro with the Pittsboro-CCCC library rising against the sky on the Pittsboro campus. You can see it from 87, heading north out of Pittsboro, and to my astonishment, the Friends of the Pittsboro Memorial Library asked me to speak to their April 22 meeting, Thurs, 7:30 PM, Senior Center, just off 87 N. A little past that library on your left.

My topic is: "My Life and Economics as an Aging Poet-Farmer," with focus on how I have lived by relying more on the gift economy than on the market economy. My passion to write led to valuing time more than money. In the desperate circumstances that inevitably arose, learn how I became Sartre’s "genius," inventing solutions, which may seem outrageous, insane, and definitely high risk, but I enjoy good health, write regularly, and keep active and happy. I will read excerpts from my just completed book, Pushkin and Chickens: The Story of My Farm. http://judyhogan.home.mindspring.com

Also, remember that the CCCC Creative Writing Courses for the spring semester are about to begin--all genres being offered both in courses meeting weekly and in Saturday workshops. Don't miss this opportunity. I'll be teaching "The Tradition Helps Find the Poetic Voice." Mondays, 7-9 PM, March 1-April 26. www.cccc.edu/creativewriting

Call 542-6495, x223 to enroll now! Judy Hogan

Conservation Insider Bulletin, Aug. 7

Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org

August 7, 2009

More complete legislative updates will be provided in future editions, but here's where some major environmental items stand as of today's CIB press time.

Budget Approved: More than a month late and pleasing no one, the General Assembly finally approved a budget. The combination of major program cuts and significant tax increases, in response to plummeting revenues caused by the deep recession, left a sour mood in all camps. In the process, critical environmental programs took their share of hard knocks. Within the context of these very rough times, Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources, reports what has to be taken as the good news. The Office of Environmental Education was not eliminated, despite a Senate recommendation to do so. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund received a $50 million appropriation—not enough to make up for what was raided by the governor to cover last year's shortfalls, but much better than nothing. Finally, the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund got $2 million. Overall, spending in the categories of "natural and economic resources" took $61.2 million in cuts compared to last year's budget.

An Ill Wind: The Senate this week approved a version of SB 106 "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains. This unfortunate turn has pitted scenic preservationists against advocates of renewable energy development. Clean energy advocates point out that the two perspectives don't have to be taken as in fundamental conflict, and that a reasonable accommodation can both preserve scenic mountain vistas and make use of a clean, reliable energy source. The Senate-passed version of the bill fails to meet that test. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee. This seems to indicate that the measure will be reviewed with deliberation, and improvements will be sought. Final action will likely come in 2010.

Positive Energy: Not all the energy-related news was bad. Two important energy-related items have received late legislative approval. The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.

Judicial Watch: Roadless Rule Restored

There's good news for our national forests from the federal courts this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (out in California) has reinstated the 2001 "roadless rule" enacted by the Clinton administration just before he left office. The court's ruling tosses out a 2005 decision by the U.S. Forest Service under the Bush administration, which had reversed the Clinton rule.

The restored Roadless Rule blocks most commercial logging, mining, and other development from 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in the national forests. These roadless areas are de facto wilderness, often including areas of our remaining old growth forest, including areas in North Carolina.

The court's decision should provide regular rule underpinning to secure the Obama administration's temporary moratorium on further development in these important wilderness areas. U.S. Interior Secretary Tom Vilsack had taken personal review of all development proposals in these areas under a directive to the Forest Service on May 28 of this year.

The Other Side: Big Coal Pays for Fake Lobbying Letters

Sometimes the machinations of the forces opposing action on climate change impress even the hardened cynics. One such case was revealed this week with news that the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy" was bankrolling a PR firm which sent blatantly fabricated letters opposing climate change legislation to members of Congress.

The "Clean Coal Energy" group, of course, is just a front group for the coal industry itself. Nothing new there. The PR firm it hired, Bonner & Associates, was generating "astroturf" (artificial 'grassroots' lobbying) letters to swing voters in Congress. Ho-hum, old story.

But here's the kicker. These letters weren't just goosed up by Bonner; they were made up. The letterheads of real groups, like a Hispanic network group and a Virginia NAACP chapter, were used to fake letters purportedly coming from those groups, in opposition to climate change action.

According to news reports, the newspaper Charlottesville(Va.) Daily Progress "broke" news of the scandal in the case of the fake letters sent to first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA5). Since then, other similar fakes have been found to representatives from Pennsylvania. The PR firm apparently sought to target recently elected Democrats from swing districts in states where the coal industry has political clout.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has had a field day reporting on the scandal this week, including an interview with Perriello. Among her points, she noted that the "shocked, shocked" reaction from the "Clean Coal Energy" group ignored a previous history of similar scams involving the Bonner firm. According to Maddow's research, the "Clean Coal" group even knew about the fake letters before the House voted on ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act) in late June, but failed to reveal the scam.

Debate in Congress over recent weeks has focused primarily on health care reform efforts—but some scandals are just too juicy to be entirely suppressed. Lettergate may prove to be one of these.

Education & Resources: eRulemaking Site Upgrades Public Access

The EPA announced this week that its eRulemaking Program has launched a "significant upgrade" to www.regulations.gov, the site which provides "one-stop, public access to information related to current and forthcoming regulations issued by the federal government." The 8/3/09 EPA news release specifically touted "improved search capabilities, new navigation tools, and easier access to areas for the public to provide comments on proposed regulations." The EPA acts as managing agency partner for the inter-agency eRulemaking Program.

This is no doubt news eagerly awaited by the burgeoning Green Cybergeek Community, of which there may be more members than I might have thought a couple of years ago. It will probably even be useful for the rest of us who periodically need to check the content or status of a federal rulemaking proposal.

And the odds are, you heard it here first. Another scoop for CIB. Eat out your hearts, mainstream media.

Learn About Solar Hot Water

http://greenhomesamerica.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/solar-hot-water-video/

Help NC Go Solar

http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/action/energy/grow-solar?id4=ES

SS Membership Drive--Important

http://www.sustainablesandhills.org/index-5.html

NC Farm Goes Great!

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1571568.html

Illegal in NC

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A155882

Local Honey for NC State Fair

North Carolina State Fair 2009 Honey Sales

Last year the NCSBA (NC State Beekeepers Association) honey sales booth at the state fair was a resounding success thanks in no small part to the efforts of Don Hopkins, Danny Jaynes and their group of dedicated volunteers. Approximately 3,300 pounds of honey were sold, generating over $22,000 and yielding a profit in excess of $8,000.

This year there have been a few suggestions to make the booth even more interesting for our state members and hopefully generate even higher sales volume and awareness of beekeeping in North Carolina. A current recommendation is to purchase up to two sixty-pound pails of honey from any NCSBA member at a price of $200 per pail.

The plan is to promote regional - local - honey for sale on specific days by having NCSBA members from that region man the fair booth on the days a specific local honey is featured. Last year several people asked for honey from their home region and were disappointed that the products couldn't be identified by region. Members representing their regions may find new sales opportunities in their area, as well as increasing the public's awareness of the NCSBA.

NC Local Food Council Bill

http://www.indyweek.com/pdf/040109/SB1067.pdf

e-Blast from Sustainable Sandhills

Volume Three | April 10, 2009

Alma Easom Primary School Goes Green

Alma Easom, a K-1 primary school in Cumberland County, is going green with the help of the PTA and Sustainable Sandhills. Alma Easom's efforts started in 2006 when Connie Graham, Alma Easom Principal, encouraged staff to conserve by turning off lights in unoccupied rooms. Alma Easom won the Cumberland County Schools Energy Incentive Program and was awarded a voucher for $5,569. Read more!

What Would We Do Without Oil?

The next free film in our Sustainable Film Series is the inspiring and award-winning documentary, The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. The film documents the struggle of the Cuban people after they became the first country to face the peak oil crisis. When you realize how much of our lifestyle relies on oil, you begin to understand the massive changes that took place, almost overnight, in Cuba. In addition to transportation and power outages, the most immediate problem became food scarcity. As hunger spread, people were left with no other choice than to grow food wherever they could, leading to widespread urban farming. Read more!

Operation Inasmuch "Operates" on Fayetteville

Sustainable Sandhills partnered with Operation Inasmuch and more than 1200 volunteers on Saturday, April 4 to transform 30 homes in a daylong home improvement "blitz" in Fayetteville. Over a year's time, the energy and water-saving measures provided on April 4 will conserve thousands of gallons of water and kilowatt-hours, saving these homeowners a significant amount of their hard-earned income. Read more!

Upcoming Calendar of Events

April 11: Sustainable Sandhills Urban Farm Tour - Find out more!

April 14: Moore County Sustainable Film Series, The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Sandhills Community College, Dempsey Student Center, Clement Dining Room. 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. Read more!

April 18: Earth Day Celebration at The Apple Crate (Sustainable Sandhills Certified Green Business) 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Fayetteville. Find out more!

April 21 & 22: The Green Summit, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. Visit sandhills.edu for more information.

April 22: EARTH DAY

April 23: Lee County Community Action Team KICKOFF, 6:30-8:00 p.m., McSwain Cooperative Extension Service Center, 2420 Tramway Road, Sanford.

April 25: "Win With Air Quality - Recycling and Alternative Transportation' Poster Contest Awards at the Partnership for Children's KidStuff Stage at the Dogwood Festival, Fayetteville.

Support Sustainable Sandhills

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