EPA opens comment period of Texas biofuels waiver request
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday took its first step to respond to a request by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lower the volume of renewable fuels that must be used
in motor vehicles. more
Sen. Hutchison files ethanol legislation
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Chairman of the Republican Policy
Committee, today filed legislation to freeze the corn-based ethanol mandate at this year's level. Sen. Hutchison's legislation allows for necessary adjustments in the Renewable Fuel Standard to transition to a more realistic and sustainable source which does not use food for fuel. more
Texas producers ponder what impact legislation would have on state, nation
In a year when lawmakers are "trying to cut everything," the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is satisfied that the new farm bill provides for conservation programs, especially EQIP, said Dave Scott, a Texas rancher and first vice president for TSCRA. Brooks Hodges with Swenson Land & Cattle Co. said the expanded EQIP funding would really help with brush control. more
Critics see Big Brother in employment verification plan
For critics, the idea is an Orwellian nightmare: The federal government would begin signing off on every hiring decision made in the United States. It's the latest plan to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. The nation's 7.4 million employers would be required to provide the government with Social Security numbers for all new employees -- more than 55 million a year -- and federal employees would then use a huge electronic database to do cross-checks. The new system would aim to detect any workers who got
their jobs by using fraudulent Social Security numbers. more
