Editorial: GOP must act on immigration [Los Angeles Times]
Before
President Obama headed to China this weekend, he sat down one more time with
congressional leaders to discuss potential areas of legislative agreement. Not
surprisingly, divisions quickly emerged with Republicans — and some of the
deepest divisions had to do with immigration reform….It's time to end this
disingenuous gamesmanship. House action on immigration reform in the looming
lame-duck session would offer Republicans the opportunity to show they are
competent — and, dare we say, mature enough? — to lead, and to govern. Despite
its flaws, the Senate bill approved last year — which includes a path to citizenship
for some immigrants in the country illegally, strengthens border security and
adopts employment verification, among other things — moves the nation toward a
more reasonable immigration system. As has often been said by Obama's critics,
a great leader finds a way to lead in the face of opposition. But the same must
be said of Boehner. If the speaker doesn't want Obama to act unilaterally on
immigration reform, his best move would be to bring the Senate measure up for a
vote in the House in the coming weeks.
Report:
California allowed growers to exceed pesticide limits [Monterey Herald]
The
state has allowed Salinas Valley growers to exceed pesticide limits for more
than a decade, according to a lengthy report released Monday.
The
report by the Oakland-based Center for Investigative Reporting said a decision
to allow some growers to skirt restrictions for 1,3-Dichloropropene, or 1,3-D —
a fumigant used mostly for strawberries — has put hundreds of communities at a
higher risk for cancer….Strawberries were the main focus of the CIR report
because of the high demand for cheap berries and difficulty in growing them
without fumigants. As of this summer, Monterey County strawberries are valued
at $869 million. The California Strawberry Commission said the industry does
plenty to protect communities, investing more than $13 million to find
alternatives to methyl bromide, which will be completely phased out in 2016.
Preserving
an accident, the Salton Sea in California, for the good of nature [New York Times]
Every
year, the north shore of the Salton Sea is a little farther from this Sonoran
Desert town, partly because of drought and partly because of the sale of
Colorado River water to coastal areas….Environmentalists say there is some
urgency to the problem….“This is a disaster waiting to happen, if it hasn’t
already started,” said Bruce Wilcox, who runs the environmental arm of the
Imperial Irrigation District. The district receives Colorado River water for
its farmers; the runoff and municipal waste feed the Salton Sea….Everyone
agrees things will get worse if at the expiration of a contract in 2018 the
Imperial Irrigation District stops supplying mitigation water, which now slows
the sea’s decline.
How
'Double Bucks' for food stamps conquered Capitol Hill [National Public Radio]
The
federal government is about to put $100 million behind a simple idea: doubling
the value of SNAP benefits — what used to be called food stamps — when people
use them to buy local fruits and vegetables. This idea did not start on Capitol
Hill. It began as a local innovation at a few farmers' markets. But it proved
remarkably popular and spread across the country….Earlier this year, the farm
bill passed, and it included $100 million, over the next five years, to boost
SNAP dollars when they're spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. Those taxpayer
dollars have to be matched by private funding, so the program could add up to
$200 million in total. That's a huge increase. According to some estimates, it
may be 10 times what these programs spend right now.
Corn
prices rise on smaller-than-expected crop [Wall Street Journal]
Corn
prices rose Monday as federal forecasters predicted the U.S. crop would be
slightly smaller than expected, though still the biggest in history.
Meanwhile,
soybeans fell while wheat gained. In a closely watched monthly report, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture estimated farmers will collect 14.407 billion bushels
of corn this autumn, down from last month’s forecast of 14.475 billion….The
USDA didn’t give a reason for its adjustments….Analysts said the government may
have trimmed its projections because of disappointing yields in some western
and northern regions of the Farm Belt like in Minnesota and Iowa, where
farmers’ production suffered somewhat from a wet, cool spring and a stretch of
hot and dry weather late in the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment