Twenty-eight
rural organizations sign letter urging President Obama to remember
rural America tomorrow in his State of the Union Address

Lyons, NE -
Today the Center for Rural Affairs urged President Obama, in his State
of the Union address, to speak to the challenges facing America's rural
communities by publicly
committing to work with Congress to reauthorize the Farm Bill in a way
that revitalizes the rural communities that form the backbone of our
heartland.

"We
urge the President to remember the nearly 50 million people who live in
Rural America, not just today but throughout the Farm Bill debate.
America's rural communities need a robust Rural Development Title, not
just a return to the failed farm and rural policies of the past," said John Crabtree with the Center for Rural Affairs.

Last
week, a coalition of 28 rural organizations including the Center for
Rural Affairs, sent a letter to the President urging him to address
these issues in the State of the Union (http://files.cfra.org/pdf/Rural-State-of-the-Union.pdf).

The organizations to sign the letter included:
Rural Community Assistance Partnership  
American Public Works Association
Center for Rural Affairs
Coastal Enterprises Maine
Corporation for Economic Development
Forest Guild
HomeCorps
Homestead Affordable Housing
HomeStretch Nonprofit Housing Corporation
Housing Assistance Council
Illinois Rural Partners
League of Rural Voters
National Association of Counties
National Association of Development Organizations
National Association of Towns and Townships
National League of Cities
National Network of Forest Practitioners
National Rural Development Partnership
National Rural Health Association
National Telecommunications Cooperative Association
NeighborWorks Umpqua
PathStone New York
South Delta Regional Housing Authority
Stand Up for Rural America
The Support Center North Carolina
Watershed Research and Training Center
Wyoming Rural Development Council
YouthBuild USA

For a copy of the letter and complete list of signatories visit: http://files.cfra.org/pdf/Rural-State-of-the-Union.pdf

Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline route rejected

Lyons, NE - Americans concerned about the proposed route of the Keystone XL Pipeline received welcome news Wednesday when the Obama administration announced the rejection of a special U.S. State Department permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

"We applaud President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton for making a common sense decision that protects both Nebraska and the entire nation," said Johnathon Hladik, Energy Policy Advocate at the Center for Rural Affairs.

Approving the Keystone XL pipeline without an established route through Nebraska would amount to a failure on the part of our federal government to consider the best interests of the American people," Hladik concluded.

According to a  U.S. State Department news release, the Department has been conducting a transparent, thorough, and rigorous review of TransCanada's permit application for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project since 2008. As a result of this process, particularly given the concentration of concerns regarding the proposed route through the Sand Hills area of Nebraska, on November 10, 2011, the Department announced that it could not make a national interest determination regarding the permit application without additional information.

Specifically, the Department called for an assessment of alternative pipeline routes that avoided the uniquely sensitive terrain of the Sand Hills in Nebraska. The Department estimated, in consultation with the State of Nebraska and TransCanada and based on prior projects of similar length and scope, that it could complete the necessary review to make a decision by the first quarter of 2013.

Congress passed the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 on December 23, 2011. The Act provides 60 days for the President to determine whether the Keystone XL pipeline is in the national interest - which, according to the State Department release, the Administration considers insufficient for such a determination. The denial of the permit does not, however, preclude any subsequent permit application or applications for similar projects.

The Center for Rural Affairs rallied along with thousands of other Nebraskans during the past year building opposition to the proposed line, attending hearings across the state and expressing concern about the proposed route of the pipeline.  Many Center supporters and staff members testified in opposition to the pipeline's projected route, which would travel through 300 miles of Nebraska, including 92 miles across the Sandhills, bringing oil from tar sands in northern Canada to refineries in the southern United States. A determined set of individuals and organizations representing varied interests and communities throughout Nebraska played a pivotal role in the final decision.

"This decision is a win for the innumerable citizens, activists and advocates who made their voice heard," said Hladik. "While there is still work to be done, we can now be proud that we did our part to protect our air, land and water for this generation and the next."

Center for Rural Affairs Offers Farm Bill Help Line to Assist Producers

Lyons, NE - USDA's National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced  that the deadline for producer applications for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has been extended to January 27, 2012.

While CSP is a continuous sign-up program and producers can apply to enroll at any time of the year, NRCS applies a cut-off date for applications to be considered during a particular fiscal year.  Once the cut-off date is past, producers may continue to apply for the program, but they will not be considered for entry until the spring of the following year, in this case spring of 2013. In order to enroll in 2012 applications must filed by January 27.

The Conservation Stewardship Program is a voluntary stewardship incentives program, administered by USDA's NRCS, designed to reward farmers, ranchers, and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation on working lands, as well as for the adoption of additional conservation measures that provide multiple environmental benefits that run beyond the farm or ranch. This program pays producers for clean water, better soil management, improved habitat, energy efficiency, and other natural resource benefits.

"We hope more farmers and ranchers will take advantage of this extension for the CSP application deadline. To meet this deadline, they just need to submit the basic application form to their local NRCS office," said Traci Bruckner, Assistant Director of Rural Policy at the Center for Rural Affairs.

CSP is one of the most popular conservation programs. In 2010 alone, nearly 21,000 applicants enrolled in CSP, putting additional conservation on 25.2 million acres, about the size of the state of Kentucky. Farmers and ranchers interested in applying should contact their local NRCS office as soon as possible to meet the deadline.

To sign up, producers should visit their NRCS local service center (http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs).

Bruckner is encouraging farmers, ranchers and others to call the Center for Rural Affairs' Farm Bill Helpline with questions about the application process and to share their experiences, both positive and negative. "We know the previous sign-ups have yielded some great success stories for farmers and ranchers, but also some disappointments and frustrations."

"We want this program to work for all farmers and ranchers employing conservation-based farming systems, and firmly believe the CSP is a step in the right direction for policy to financially reward historical commitments to conservation, as well as encourage further adoption," Bruckner continued. "This is a far better approach than paying to clean-up problems."

Bruckner commented that it would be most useful for producers to have specific information available when they call, including a complete copy of their application materials, and more specifically the Conservation Measurement Tool responses and ranking information for their state or ranking area. The NRCS office will provide only a summary, unless specifically asked for a complete print out that includes their ranking information, the highest scores in their state or area, and how far down the ranking list NRCS was able to provide contracts before the money ran out for the last sign-up period.

"One of the main goals for our Farm Bill Helpline is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of programs such as the CSP," said Bruckner. "It is only with that information that we are able to push for any needed changes and improvements."

Producers can also receive guidance for applying for other conservation programs. "Through our helpline you will speak to someone who is knowledgeable about the program rules to help you understand how to participate in the program," Bruckner added. Producers can call (402) 687-2100 and ask for the Farm Bill Helpline or send an email to tracib@cfra.org.

By Tom Means, tommeans@cfra.org, Center for Rural Affairs

Wind power is the future. It's the most cost-effective source of renewable energy, and is starting to undercut fossil fuels. Power from conventional coal costs $68 per megawatt-hour, while wind power in high resource areas cost $65 per megawatt-hour.

Supplies of coal and oil dwindle each day, but there will always be wind. And since wind will always be there, it isn't subject to the type of supply-side market fluctuations that exist for fossil fuels.

Moreover, coal has serious underlying environmental implications. The combustion of coal is required for it to be used for energy, and this combustion releases multiple tons of carbon dioxide and other gases, which contribute to respiratory diseases and climate change.

Combustion of coal exceeds both natural gas and crude oil in its emissions.  Although some of these emissions can be reduced through technology, they are proven to create serious health problems in areas where they are emitted excessively.

The only environmentally unfriendly thing about wind is its effect on birds and their migration. Cars, glass, cats, and pesticides all make far greater contributions to bird mortality than windmills. Wind companies are working to further minimize this impact.

Global energy consumption is on the rise, wind power even more so. Thirty-five percent of all new U.S. generating capacity added in the last 4 years was wind. The energy, jobs and environmental benefits of wind hold great promise, not just for the rural Midwest and Great Plains, but for all of America, rural and urban alike.