Ag Headlines October 23, 2015

Clock Ticking Towards Positive Train Control

The deadline is fast approaching for implementation of Positive Train Control safety systems and some say the economy will start to feel the effects next month. The Association of American Railroads says while the deadline nears at the end of this year, it will not be met. That’s bad news for agriculture as rail cars used for shipping inputs like fertilizer and grain could be pulled off the tracks starting sometime next month. A House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee bill calls to extend the deadline to the end of 2018. The National Farmers Union this week urged Congress to pass the bill, as President Roger Johnson said “family farmers are already experiencing low commodity prices, and delays in rail service would only pile on additional economic strain.” Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ed Hamberger said that the freight rail sector is committed to getting the job completed, noting that freight railroads have invested $6 billion to date. But the railroad industry won’t make the deadline to have 40 percent of the plan implemented by the end of the year. Despite the calls for an extension, the White House plans to enforce the current PTC deadline.

USDA Awards Nearly $2.3 Billion in Loans for Rural Electric Infrastructure Projects

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday announced nearly $2.3 billion in loans to build and improve rural electric infrastructure in 31 states. USDA is awarding loans to 77 utilities and cooperatives in 31 states. The funding includes more than $108 million for smart grid technology, $41 million for renewable energy improvements and $9 million for storm damage repairs. The loans will help build or improve 12,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines, according to USDA. Vilsack said the funding will help provide reliable and affordable electricity to rural customers and that through the funding, “USDA helps increase efficiencies, reduce carbon emissions and improve the quality of life in rural areas." The funding is being provided through USDA Rural Development's Electric Program.

Federal Probe Says Colorado Mine Spill Could Have Been Avoided

A federal investigation released Thursday blamed the Environmental Protection Agency for the three million gallon wastewater spill from a Colorado gold mine, saying an EPA cleanup crew rushed its work. The report said EPA workers failed to consider the complex engineering involved, triggering the very blowout it hoped to avoid, according to ABC News. The federal investigation says the EPA team could have avoided the spill if they checked on water levels inside the Gold King Mine before digging into its entrance. The report says the problem started decades earlier when mining companies diverted ground water in the Upper Animas River watershed. EPA documents described the blowout as "likely inevitable" because so much water had built up inside the mine. However, the investigation says the cleanup team could have used a drill rig to bore into the mine from above to gauge the danger of a blowout. The accident fouled rivers in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, temporarily shutting down drinking water supplies and cropland irrigation.

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