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April 20, 2018
GOP House Farm Bill Passes out of Committee – Heads to House Floor
On April 18, the House Agriculture Committee passed the House Farm Bill (H.R. 2) out of committee along party lines, in a 26 to 20 vote. During the five-hour plus markup, Democrats railed against the bill’s stricter work requirements for SNAP (previously known as food stamps), which make up 80 percent of the bill overall.
Additionally, a handful of Democrats drew attention to the elimination of the Energy Title in the Bill, as well as the minority’s issues with changes to the Conservation title and other areas. Ranking member Peterson (D-MN) stated, “Even if we could miraculously fix the nutrition title, members still have other issues with the bill.” So as not to promote the potential success of a partisan bill, Democrats offered no amendments. Republicans attached 18 amendments to the legislation en bloc.
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Transportation 2050: More EVs, but Conventional Vehicles Will Still Dominate
Imagine the future of transportation: after leaving your home in the morning, you hop on a driverless car that stops in front of your home. It will drive you directly to wherever you tell it to go. Traffic jam? No worries: cars are controlled by a smart traffic management system. Running out of fuel? Never: they have an advanced battery sufficient to absorb and store energy from sunlight. This may come true someday, but according to experts from the government, national labs, and think tanks, the transportation sector will largely look the same as it does today in the next 10 years — yet growing emissions from the sector demand action and new solutions today.
Headlines:
1. Thirteen Senators Demand EPA Stop Issuing RFS “Hardship” Waivers
2. Senate Fast-Tracks Bill Legalizing Hemp as Agriculture Product
3. Carrot vs. Stick: How Should Minnesota Get to Cleaner Water?
4. Timber Is the New Concrete. It's Time to Get Over Our Fear of Building With It
5. Can Dirt Save the Earth?
To Contact the Editor: Jessie Stolark at bioenergy@eesi.org
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