Bluestem Prairie

Betcha Ellison won't ask Responsible Science Policy Coalition to "help state with your issues"

Back in February, the State of Minnesota and 3M reached a settlement ending $5 billion lawsuit over perfluorochemicals, or PFCs that had made their way into groundwater in the East Metro. Attorney General Lori Swanson's office brought the lawsuit on the part of the state.

Now other states are considering "their own lawsuits over the so-called forever chemicals, part of the PFAS class," Politico's Kelsey Tamborrino reports in Inside 3M's lobbying fight, and the corporation and other chemical manufacturers have created a front page to assist in that effort:

Facing potentially billions in financial liability for toxic pollution linked to two of its nonstick and water repellent chemicals, industrial giant 3M is putting its muscle into lobbying in Washington and supporting state attorneys generals in a strategy some say is reminiscent of tobacco industry tactics. At issue is contamination from two chemicals, called PFOA and PFOS, that's turned up in water sources in more than 1,500 U.S. communities, Pro's Annie Snider reports this morning.

For a sense of scale, 3M reached $850 million in a single settlement with the state of Minnesota to cover the damage the chemicals caused to the state's drinking water. But other states are now pursing their own lawsuits over the so-called forever chemicals, part of the PFAS class, that have been used for decades in products ranging from firefighting foam to 3M's signature Scotchgard.

Central to the company's effort to fend off further government action is the Responsible Science Policy Coalition, a new industry advocacy group backed by 3M that entered into the public debate this summer, arguing that the chemicals don't pose the health threat that multiple government agencies have warned about, Annie reports. Briefing materials from the coalition obtained by POLITICO cite findings from industry-backed studies in a manner that an independent expert called, "disingenuous," for instance, comparing levels of the chemicals in humans' blood with the levels where they were found to harm animals, without accounting for the differences in their bodies.

Michael Halpern, deputy director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called the strategy a classic industry approach. "The goal is to stave off regulation by questioning the science," Halpern said. He likened the new industry group to a similarly named organization, the Advancement of Sound Science Coalition, that the tobacco industry used in the early 1990s to attack EPA's findings on secondhand smoke. Read the story (if you have a subscriber).

Halpern scooped Politico with September's article, What is the Responsible Science Policy Coalition? Here Are Some Clues. The clues:

An interesting new group has popped up called the Responsible Science Policy Coalition (RSPC) that seems to have a significant interest in chemical safety policy. Are they legitimate? As Congress prepares for another hearing into the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, it’s worth digging into who these folks might be.

PFAS have been in the news quite a bit recently because the White House was caught censoring a report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) on the health effects of PFAS exposure. These chemicals are widely used in products ranging from nonstick cookware to water-repellant fabrics, and they are especially prevalent in the water at military bases due to their use in firefighting foam. Bipartisan outrage about the censorship was swift and sustained, and the report was released in June. A new UCS analysis shows that many military bases have potentially unsafe levels of PFAS in drinking water.

In July, the Responsible Science Policy Coalition surfaced at a meeting of the Council of Western Attorneys General where they expressed being “eager to help your state with your issues.” In their presentation to the attorneys general, the RSPC argued that there are “lots of problems with existing PFAS studies” and that these studies “don’t show the strength of association needed to support causation.”

The RSPC also submitted a comment on the ATSDR draft toxicology assessment that extensively detailed why, in their view, ATSDR’s scientific approach was sub-par.

Who is supporting the RSPC?

Where, then, did the Responsible Science Policy Coalition come from, and why do they care so much about PFAS? Here’s what we know. According to the PowerPoint presentation, RSPC is a new coalition made up of 3M, Johnson Controls, and unnamed other companies.

The inclusion of 3M is particularly notable because the company spent decades hiding the science about the dangers of PFAS. 3M used such chemicals in many highly-used products including Scotchgard and firefighting foam. According to the Intercept:

A lawsuit filed by Minnesota against 3M, the company that first developed and sold PFOS and PFOA, the two best-known PFAS compounds, has revealed that the company knew that these chemicals were accumulating in people’s blood for more than 40 years. …The company even had evidence back then of the compounds’ effects on the immune system…

The suit, which the Minnesota attorney general filed in 2010, charges that 3M polluted groundwater with PFAS compounds and “knew or should have known” that these chemicals harm human health and the environment, and “result in injury, destruction, and loss of natural resources of the State.” The complaint argues that 3M “acted with a deliberate disregard for the high risk of injury to the citizens and wildlife of Minnesota.” 3M settled the suit for $850 million in February, and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office released a large set of documents…detailing what 3M knew about the chemicals’ harms.

And you thought all they made was Post-its and tape!

RSPC seems to be led by Jonathan Glendill and James Votaw. Glenhill is the president of the Policy Navigation Group, whose list of past and present clients is dominated by industry groups. Votaw is a lawyer for Keller and Heckman; the address given for RSPC is the address of Keller and Heckman’s DC offices. Votaw has signed the three comments from RSPC on the ATSDR study (the first two were extension requests). Votaw’s practice concentrates on environmental and health and safety regulation, including chemicals and pesticides.

Keller and Heckman’s chemicals practice is more circumspect, but their pesticides practice is described in part as “[helping] clients defend existing markets worldwide against governmental pressure and environmentalist activism.” They can help companies “defend against an EPA enforcement action” and “secure successful tolerance reassessments.”

A name like the Responsible Science Policy Coalition makes insinuations of course—that most people are pulling numbers out of thin air and pursuing haphazard or irresponsible science policy, and we really need some adults in the room. . . .

Less charitably, groups like RSPC are known as front groups. Disguised by innocuous-sounding names and with a veneer of independence, they principally exist to create doubt and confusion about the state of the science to avoid regulation of the products their members create. Plenty of industries have them. The American Council on Science and Health has long conducted purportedly independent science that was in fact funded by corporate interests. The Groundwater Protection Council fights federal regulation of fracking. The Western States Petroleum Association, the top lobbyist for the oil industry in the western United States, was found in 2014 to be running at least sixteen different front groups in order to undermine forward-looking policies like California’s proposal to place transportation fuels under the state’s carbon cap.

Could the Responsible Science Policy Coalition meet its stated goal to “accelerate research and promote best practices and best available science in policy decisions?” Perhaps. But those looking to RSPC for advice should be wary of the fact that so far, it seems to exist to encourage more relaxed regulation of PFAS chemicals – a decision that is worth a lot of money to the organization’s key members.

Minnesota isn't part of the Conference of Western Attorneys General. But if the Responsible Science Policy Coalition comes calling to Minnesota's new attorney general "eager to help your state with your issues," like 3M's pollution, Bluestem suspects that the People's Attorney may use caution instead.

We also suspect that Minnesota House committee heads--however those committees are structured and chaired--may also be a bit  skeptical with the front group.

Screengrab: From the PowerPoint presentation RSPC, a new coalition made up of 3M, Johnson Controls, and unnamed other companies, presented at a meeting of the Conference of Western Attorneys General. RSPC is here to help.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Pro-pollinator advocates respond to Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection report

On Friday, we reported in Informational, rather than directional: pollinator protection committee recommendations that the Minnesota Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection had issued its recommendation. The report is embedded in the post.

In a email in response to our post, Willa Childress of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) sent us the group's post about the report and recommendations, Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection Releases Groundbreaking Report:

Committee calls on Minnesota policymakers to set a national precedent  

For immediate release: Monday, November 19, 2018

St. Paul, Minnesota — On Friday, the Minnesota Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection released a landmark set of recommendations to reverse pollinator declines in Minnesota. The release coincides with the November 21st Environmental Quality Board meeting, where the report will be officially presented.

The report is the powerful culmination of two years of hard work and tough conversations by the members of the Governor’s Committee — a group of 15 representatives chosen by Governor Dayton in 2016. The committee includes Minnesota farmers, industry representatives, beekeepers, educators, researchers, and pollinator advocates.

While the committee doesn’t agree on everything, all committee members recognize that the current pollinator crisis threatens Minnesota’s agricultural economy, and that the state needs to do more to protect these critical species.

The 39 recommendations in the report include steps to increase habitat, protect pollinators from harmful pesticide exposure, and better educate Minnesotans on pollinator conservation strategies.

One innovative recommendation is to establish a state-funded program to provide farmers with a financial incentive to plant corn and soy seed not treated with neonicotinoids (supported by 12 committee members). On Saturday at the annual Minnesota Farmers Union convention, members voted unanimously to adopt a resolution to support creating such a program.

The report also outlines a new program focused on converting turf grass to flowering habitat (supported by 14 committee members). Habitat options include bee lawns, native flowering habitat, native shrub plantings, rain gardens, and other pollinator-friendly alternatives.

Other highly supported and top-priority recommendations are to:

• Expand funding and eligibility criteria for pollinator habitat and management practices on rural lands, beyond what is provided by existing pollinator habitat programs (supported unanimously)
• Include the importance of pollinators and their habitat in resources developed for teachers within the next version of MN science standards (supported by 14 members)
• Restrict the use and sale of neonicotinoid insecticides to licensed applicators (supported by 11 members)
• Adopt in statute a goal to reduce overall use of pesticides harmful to pollinators and designate an agency to create and implement a plan to meet the target (supported by 10 members)

The release of the report coincides with the election of incoming governor Tim Walz. The committee calls on the governor elect and other decision-makers to take timely and thoughtful action based on the recommendations proposed in this report.

Lex Horan, Pesticide Action Network stated:

“The committee’s report sets out a strong, practical game plan for protecting pollinators. The vast majority of proposals it contains were backed by a diverse cross-section of Minnesotans. Committee members encourage Governor Walz to make pollinators a top priority. The ongoing and unsolved pollinator crisis is one of the biggest agricultural, economic and environmental issues the incoming governor will need to face.”

Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation stated:

“We focused on ideas that are meaningful, achievable, and address some of the most important pollinator conservation gaps in our state. We tried to think from a pollinator's perspective — what do insect populations need most right now, and how can we come together to meet these needs? It was pretty clear to most of us from the beginning that we need to increase valuable habitat on the ground and make meaningful advances in protecting pollinators from pesticides.”

Commercial beekeeper Steve Ellis stated:

“As chemical exposures continue to increase, beekeepers are fighting a losing battle to keep their honey bees alive and healthy. The beekeeping industry in Minnesota is a canary in the coal mine, warning us that we must change our behavior or risk losing bees, native pollinators, monarch butterflies, songbirds, game birds, keystone aquatic species and even our own human health.”

Erin Rupp, Pollinate Minnesota stated:

“We, as Minnesotans, care about pollinator decline. Around the state, in our yards and our communities, we’re taking steps to help them. These precedent-setting recommendations build on our groundwork for Minnesota’s continued national leadership in pollinator protection, and, if policy-makers follow them, will help our struggling pollinators in the way Minnesotans are looking for.”

About Pesticide Action Network

At Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America, we work to create a just, thriving food system. PAN works alongside those on the frontlines of pesticide exposure — from farmworkers to rural communities to beekeepers. PAN links local and international consumer, labor, health, environment and agriculture groups into an international citizens’ action network. Together, we challenge the global proliferation of pesticides, defend basic rights to health and environmental quality, and work to ensure the transition to a just and viable food system.

About the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is a trusted source for science-based information and advice. We collaborate with people and institutions at all levels and our work to protect pollinators encompasses all landscapes. Our team draws together experts from the fields of habitat restoration, entomology, botany and conservation biology with a single passion: protecting the life that sustains us. To learn more about our work, please visit www.xerces.org or follow us @xercessociety on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Photo: Honeybees.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

 

 

CWD spreading in Southeast Minnesota from epicenter around infected captive deer farm

In New testing finds that CWD appears to be spreading, Minnesota Public Radio's John Enger reports:

Hunters in southeastern Minnesota have killed half a dozen chronic wasting disease infected deer this fall.

Until this hunting season, there were only 17 confirmed cases of CWD in Minnesota's wild deer herds. They were concentrated within a five-mile radius between Preston and Lanesboro.

Early testing confirmed four more cases this hunting season. And in just the last few days, two more deer tested positive in a preliminary screening.

Michelle Carstensen leads CWD management for the Minnesota DNR. She says, one of those animals was shot several miles outside the known infection area.

"We have solid evidence that this disease is persisting," she said. "And we appear to have some spread to the northwest. This disease is gaining traction."

The DNR established a CWD management zone two years ago. Now, Carstensen says, it will have to be enlarged.

"Our boundaries are going to change," she said. "We set up that first zone based on the information we had."

And she said, more cases are likely. Deer hunting season closes this weekend across much of the state, but hunters in southeastern Minnesota have nine more days of shooting.

More cases of CWD are never good news, she said, but she has been able to mine the testing data for insights into how the disease is spread. All the infected deer were strong, mature bucks, looking for mates.

The buck that was shot outside of the management zone, appeared to be traveling along the Root River.

What MPR doesn't tell listeners is the reason there's CWD to spread in that neck of the woods. From the DNR's Chronic wasting disease management page:

CWD sample submission is mandatory during the first two days of the Statewide (A) and Late Southeast (3B) seasons in select deer permit areas. . . .

Due to the increased risk in this area from a nearby CWD-positive deer farm, DNR will be conducting voluntary testing in Deer Permit Area 346 during the firearms season after mandatory sampling occurs on 3A and 3B opening weekends.

Voluntary head boxes will be located at:

• Houston, BP Gas Station, 801 MN-16, Houston

• Rushford, Pam’s Corner, 107 MN-16, Rushford

• Winona, Mills Fleet Farm, 920 E Highway 61, Winona

• Witoka Tavern, 27999 County Road 9, Winona

Let's hope that with changes in leadership on the Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee from do-nothing Dan Fabian, R-Roseau, to DFLers more willing to address the threat to Minnesota's wild deer herd, aggressive action will be mandated by the legislature.

Photo: A whitetail suffering from CWD disease.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

New Ulm Journal praises extremist woman artist

In the Sunday New Ulm Journal, Bluestem approvingly read this editorial, Wanda Gág honored:

Wanda Gág was born 125 years ago in New Ulm. She died in New Jersey in 1946 at the age of 53 after a prolific career as an artist and children’s book author. Today, 72 years after her death, she is still being recognized for her achievements as an author and artist.

Last week, the national Society of Illustrators presented her with their Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award. At the awards ceremony, the mention of her name drew warm and enthusiastic applause from the audience.

No doubt, most of them had grown up reading and re-reading Gág’s masterpiece, “Millions of Cats.” First published in 1928, it is the oldest children’s picture book still in print, and in print around the world. It is considered the first children’s picture book which incorporated art and text on the same page, making each page a work of visual joy. And the text, with its lilting cadence, “…Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats,” makes it a joy to read to children, too, and marks Gág as a talented storyteller as well as artist.

Wanda Gág’s work is a timeless classic, and she is deserving of honors and accolades as long as parents read to their kids.

Millions of Cats has always been our favorite children's book.

But there's more to Gág than just those charming children's books. The Minnesota Historical Society Borealis has reprinted Growing Pains, her diaries from her young womanhood, in which she tells the story of supporting her mother and siblings after her father died--with her art no less--while resisting small town pressure to have both herself and her sibling quit school and work, through her 22 or 23 year.

Later, the small town talent moved to New York City, where her opinions and art took a serve left. Her Wikipedia entry notes:

In 1927 her article These Modern Women: A Hotbed of Feminists was published in The Nation, drawing the attention of Alfred Stieglitz and prompting the publisher and designer Egmont Arens to write: "The way you solved that problem (her relationship with men) seems to me to be the most illuminating part of your career. You have done what all the other ‘modern women’ are still talking about."^[29][30] Gág illustrated covers of the leftist magazines The New Masses and The Liberator.^[31][32]

More about how that essay translated into her life here. And what was the New Masses? From Wikipedia:

The New Masses (1926–1948) was an American Marxist magazine closely associated with the Communist Party, USA. It succeeded The Masses (1912–1917) and later merged into Masses & Mainstream (1948–1963). With the coming of the Great Depression in 1929 America became more receptive to ideas from the political Left and The New Masses became highly influential in intellectual circles. The magazine has been called “the principal organ of the American cultural left from 1926 onwards."^[1] . . .

Many contributors are now considered distinguished, even canonical authors/writers, artists, and musical composers: William Carlos Williams, Theodore Dreiser, John Dos Passos, Upton Sinclair, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Day, John Breecher, Langston Hughes, Eugene O'Neill, Rex Stout and Ernest Hemingway. More importantly, it also circulated works by avowedly leftist, even “proletarian” (working-class) artists: Kenneth Fearing, H.H. Lewis, Jack Conroy, Grace Lumpkin, Jan Matulka, Ruth McKenney, Maxwell Bodenheim, Meridel LeSueur, Josephine Herbst, Jacob Burck, Tillie Olsen, Stanley Burnshaw, Louis Zukofsky, George Oppen, Crockett Johnson, Wanda Gág, and Albert Halper, and Aaron Copland.^[3]

The vast production of left-wing popular art of the 1930s and 1940s was an attempt to create a radical culture in conflict with mass culture. Infused with an oppositional mentality, this cultural front was a rich period in American history and is what Michael Denning calls a “Second American Renaissance” because it permanently transformed American modernism and mass culture. One of the foremost periodicals of this renaissance was the New Masses.^[4]

Perhaps Southern Minnesota's cultural heritage isn't as homogeneous as some on the right might have us believe. After all, rural Minnesota did give birth to the farmer part of the Farmer-Labor Association (and the related political party).

Image: Gág's artwork on the cover of the New Masses.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Like Branson for Islamophobes: Shahram Hadian brings shows back to central Minnesota

Reading the THEE Book Facebook page maintained by Heidi Jo Fagerlie-Ahmann and other self-described Christian patriots, we've learned that the Newest Minnesota anti-Muslim speaking circuit venue is hosting anti-Islam speaker Shahram Hadian from November 27 through November 30.

The material appears to be the canned lectures that the "Truth in Love Project Ministry: has been delivering for the past few years when the Washington state-based fellow visits Minnesota, while offering a new choice on the menu that's made from repurposing the same scary leftovers.

Bluestem's editor lived in Springfield, Missouri, for five years. This certainty of content not only reminds us of canned shows down the road at Branson, but of the ease of writing a quick post on Saturday morning by recycling our own material at Shahram Hadian & Bill French to appear on MN's anti-Muslim speaking circuit in Aug & Sept  from 2017 and Division lines pockets: Anti-interfaith speaker coming to Montevideo, Duluth, Bloomington from February 2018 wherein the content included the talk on the Trojan Horse of Interfaith Dialogue. Yawn: the material is a standard presentation on TIL's menu (see right hand column here).

The event in St. Cloud does seem to be his newest show, now frightening attendees from Nampa, ID to St. Cloud.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, it's "Sharing Christ with Muslims." One part of his pitch is that Christians don't need to worry about offending Muslims. Ironically enough, there's an interfaith meeting today in St. Cloud described in the St. Cloud Times article, 'Offend me' event is chance to ask everything you wanted to know about Islam:

Once again, people will have a chance to ask their questions about Islam directly to their Muslim neighbors. 

#UnitedCloud and Atonement Lutheran Church are hosting another installment of "I don't mean to offend you, but ..." 

The series features a panel of Muslim speakers, ready and willing to answer questions about Islam, and for some panelists, the Somali community. 

John Gabrielson, pastor at Atonement for the past few years, said he thinks the event is timely considering the atmosphere in St. Cloud in recent years. 

"Looking at the atmosphere of the city and the greater St. Cloud area and ... the tensions that we've had here, it just seems like a timely thing to give people a chance to have questions asked and answered, and to get to meet their neighbors and share a meal and know each other," Gabrielson said. 

He said one conversation can make a difference. 

"I think that makes it a lot easier for us to function as a 'we' than an 'us' and a 'they.' " Gabrielson said. 

And his church has a place in continuing the conversation. 

"Looking at the neighborhood we serve ... there are a fair number of Muslim folks that are our neighbors now and that are living and working and raising their families right here," Gabrielson said. 

Gabrielson said he hopes the conversation brings some understanding. 

"I hope the folks who have questions have a chance to ask them, and the four panelists will have a chance to answer things directly, rather than having it just be rumor and innuendo," Gabrielson said. "And that's a beginning for folks, for some understanding and community building." 

He said the point is not to convert anyone to Christianity or Islam.  ...

Read the rest at the Times. The event doesn't seem to be created to react to the latest round of the anti-Muslim speaking circuit, simply some of fresh-content, interactive interfaith dialogue some find so threatening. Oh noes! That's certainly another sigh of the waning days of Babylon.

In Willmar, organizers have put together The Open Book of Interfaith Dialogue at the The Goodness Coffee House in Willmar on November 27, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.– 8:30 p.m.:

 Our community is stronger when we can come together, learn, and support one another. Join us as we hear about the many faith communities in the Willmar area and how they are supporting and uplifting one another while staying true to their tradition.

Bluestem suggests that those who don't share an addiction to Hadian's fright night anger and fear-mongering head out to the other events.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Informational, rather than directional: Pollinator protection committee recommendations

Back in August 2016, Bluestem reported Governor Mark Dayton issues executive order to reverse bee decline, restore MN pollinator health. The media event announcing the order took place at the Minnesota State Fair. Included in the news of the executive order:

A Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection also will be established to advise the Governor and state agencies on pollinator policies and programs. Up to 15 members will be appointed to ensure that Minnesota citizens have a seat at the table in shaping the solutions that will ensure a healthy pollinator population and the continued strength of our agriculture economy. Applications will be accepted through the Secretary of State’s open appointments process.

In a Friday, pre-Thanksgiving week news dump over two years later, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has sent out the following email:

November 21st Environmental Quality Board meeting.

The Governor's Committee report is attached . . .

That meeting is the day before Thanksgiving. From  the executive summary of the report (embedded below):

It is the intention of the Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection that decision makers in the Minnesota governor’s office, state agencies, and the legislature will use this document to help prioritize and enact meaningful policy and other positive changes for pollinators in our state. The committee hopes that many of the recommendations in this document will be selected, refined, and enacted to measurably benefit Minnesota’s pollinators.

It is important to note that this is largely an informational, rather than directional, document. The 39 recommendations presented in this document were contributed by committee members and represent a wide range of perspectives and approaches. Our committee decided to list the full array of ideas that were seriously discussed by our group, along with the results of a voting process (see the Recommendations for Pollinator Protection section and Appendices A and B).

We organized the recommendations under three goals, abbreviated here as: 1) Habitat, 2) Pesticides, and 3) Education. Committee members voted in two ways. Members individually registered their support, opposition, or neutral position for each recommendation. Additionally, committee members elevated, or prioritized, a set number of recommendations within each goal. We have highlighted high-priority recommendations with broad support under each goal, as we believe they are the most likely to gain traction in Minnesota and be highly beneficial to pollinators.

Here's the report:

Minnesota Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection Recommendations 2018-2 uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

We'll read and comment on the report as we get through it.

Photo: Honeybees.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Not so ready kilowatts? CURE's MN Local Energy Project releases Rural Electric Co-op Report Card

On Wednesday, CURE’s Minnesota Local Energy Project released the Rural Electric Co-op Report Card, details the shortcomings CURE found on the websites of Minnesota's 44 rural electric co-ops. Rural Electric Co-op website omissions make it difficult for co-op member-owners to govern their co-ops properly.

The Rural Electric Co-op Report Card is now available on the Minnesota Local Energy Project website.

In addition to the report card, the site includes an explainer about the project: Q&A: Duane Ninneman on the co-op report card project:

Duane Ninneman is Executive Director of CURE in Montevideo, Minnesota. He lives on a farm in Big Stone County.  

Q: What sparked this review and report on co-op websites? Why did you do it?

Ninneman: It all stems from the premise that a co-op is an amazing model in the energy sector, because it’s nonprofit and community-owned — and because empowering communities to be involved in energy locally gives people such a great tool for their economies, as well as for their homes and farms and other businesses.

But if there’s a big gap between co-op leadership decision-making and most co-op members — if it’s not easy for members to understand co-op policies and participate — then that can be a real problem. For example, that could lead to a perception of leadership speaking for a community when in fact much of the community isn’t informed or engaged. Or it could lead to widely shared values – such as around locally produced clean energy – just not being well-represented at a leadership level.

So reviewing co-op websites is a starting point way to glimpse how co-ops are doing at this core idea of energy democracy, at helping people with easy access to information they need to have and exercise a say in the energy organizations they co-own.

Q: So what’s your overall takeaway from this project? What’s your message to Minnesotans?

Ninneman: Pretty simply, it’s that there is a huge need for improvement. The majority of Minnesota electric co-op websites don’t have information about topics like how member-owners can vote in co-op elections, or contact their board members, or attend a board meeting. Most don’t have basic explainers for people about how they’re charged on their bills or what sources of energy they’re bills are funding. This is pretty troubling. People need easy access to that kind basic information, to help ensure that a co-op really is the democracy it’s supposed to be.

Transparency and good communication is especially important at rural electric co-ops because they’re owned by the residents and businesses they serve. Co-op principles are all about democracy, accountability to members and helping members to participate. An electric co-op website isn’t the only way to communicate but it’s certainly a vital one in the digital age — the web is pretty much the first stop when you’re looking for any information. It’s a fundamental public-facing place to show commitment to transparency and engaging your community.

The fact that a handful of co-ops in the state are posting much of this basic information on their websites shows this is doable. The fact that the large majority aren’t posting most of this information shows the work to be done.

Read the rest of the interview on the site.

Why does this matter?

The project observes in its announcement of the project:

Rural Electric Co-ops (REC) were created as a part of the New Deal in the 1930s to bring electricity to rural communities across the country. In the beginning, all REC member-owners had a say in the operation and oversight of their electric utility and the information necessary to do so. This democratic control was central to how rural electric co-ops worked.

In recent years CURE has heard from many REC members-owners who have real concerns about how hard it is to be well-informed and connected to their co-ops. This difficulty in accessing important information and a perceived lack of transparency led the Minnesota Local Energy Project to look at what information co-op websites provide to their members. The result of this research is the Rural Electric Co-op Report Card.

One motivating change? A post on the website, State further restricts PUC oversight of electric co-ops, shares an excerpt fr a 2017 news item in the Star Tribune:

“The omnibus jobs and energy legislation signed by Gov. Mark Dayton will remove utility regulators’ authority to settle customer disputes with electric co-ops — a measure the governor earlier vetoed as a single-issue bill.

The new law will diminish the Minnesota Public Utility Commission’s oversight of the state’s 45 electric co-ops, which are mostly in rural areas. But it does allow the PUC to finish an inquiry into fees that the co-ops have been charging to customers with solar-panel arrays. The PUC is looking at whether the methodology behind the fees complies with state law….

Dayton had vetoed a similar measure in March after indicating he would quash bills that he perceived as weakening the PUC’s authority. The earlier stand-alone legislation had passed by large measures in both the House and Senate.”

The findings of the Rural Electric Co-op Report Card are important because without informed member-owners fully involved in decision-making, RECs don’t have the oversight of the community they serve. Also of interest on the new site's blog:Can co-op ideals thrive again? and What is “Energy Democracy?”

The press release announcing the report card notes:

Entrenched REC leadership have co-ops stuck in the old energy system reliant on dirty, expensive electricity—including being coerced into signing 60+ year coal-generated electricity contracts. Opportunities for energy efficiency, clean energy policy, and member-owned renewable energy are missed. This is especially troublesome in agricultural communities where farmers need ways to diversify income—and renewable energy production could be a solution.

However, in RECs around the country where member-owners have taken back governing power, these co-ops have shifted focus towards the future—clean energy, energy efficiency, local generation, member participation, and accessibility. Rural Electric Co-op member-owners know what’s best for their communities, and when empowered in their REC they can lead rural Minnesota into a promising future.

Here's hoping that the project reviews other communication tools used by the RECs, including newsletters.

CURE describes itself as

"a rural organization made up of people who care about the well-being of their neighbors, the health of the land and water, and the legacy we leave for future generations. As an organization long rooted in the movement for rural social justice CURE has expanded its work from only focusing on water to also include the areas of energy, climate, civic engagement, healthy rural communities, and rural democracy."

"The Minnesota Local Energy Project (MNLEP) of a project of CURE. MNLEP strives to transform the energy landscape across Minnesota by giving people the knowledge and power to advocate for their own energy future and to help build an equitable energy system that is clean, local, and democratic."

To learn more about all of CURE’s projects visit the organization's website.

Logo: Willie Wiredhands, electric co-ops' answer to Reddy Kilowatts, urging civic engagement by voting. Sadly, in most Minnesota electrical co-ops' own elections, a tiny percentage of members vote in a process that some researchers consider a bit less than democratic.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Bean counting: did farmers push Angie Craig into the win column in Minnesota's Second?

In Jeff Stein's article in the Washington Post, Trump’s trade war may have helped Democrats win the House, we find this:

Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, which stretches south of the Twin Cities, includes a large concentration of soybean producers. Republicans lost that district Tuesday after the Democratic candidate campaigned on the idea that the president’s trade policies were devastating its farmers.

“Family farmers in our district saw reliable markets disrupted by impulsive and unpredictable trade decisions,” said Democrat Angie Craig, who unseated Rep. Jason Lewis (R). “I heard a lot of the same things: They want a representative who will listen to the concerns they have about instability stemming from the trade war.” . . .

But in other races, several analysts, candidates and campaign aides said, frustrations over the trade war may have helped push Democratic candidates over the top. They pointed in particular to races along the Upper Mississippi Valley, which encompasses northwest Illinois, northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. . . .

“I think it helped her immensely with her agriculture support,” Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, said of Craig’s victory over Lewis. “I heard from members, ‘I like that she understands and supports trade.’ ”

Are there a large concentration of soybean producers in Minnesota's Second Congressional District? And more importantly, did those soybean farmers put her over the top?

The 2012 Census of Agriculture profile for the district ranks it third in Minnesota for bean product: Soybeans for beans, $246,558,000 or 56th in the country (the 2017 census of agriculture will be released early next year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service). Number 1 in the state? Minnesota's Seventh, with $4,368,361,000 worth of beans; the second ranked First Congressional District--narrowly flipped by Republican Jim Hagedorn--produced $1,966,088,000 worth of soybeans that year..

Obviously, there's a bit of drop off in the more suburban Second--a fact reflected in another dataset: the number of farms. In the Seventh in 2012: 33,431 farms; in the First, 19,041; and, in the Second, 4,642. By way of contrast, the other rural/suburban congressional districts clock in with 10,586 farms in the Eighth (number 5 in the state for beans; $173,640,000) and 5,739 farms in the Sixth (number 4 for beans; $222,288,000 value).

If Stein's hypothesis is correct--that soybeans pulled the Second into the Democratic column, those beans farmers in the Eighth didn't pull off a win for Joe Radinovich as Pete Stauber flipped it from blue to red, nor did the productive soybean farmers in the Sixth budge the Republican district away from incumbent Tom Emmer.

 Did farmers flip to Craig in 2018?

Angie Craig lost to Jason Lewis in a three-way race in 2016. Here's the map of the results:

Those who know the district know that the deep red, deep Lewis precincts are largely rural, while the blue Craig wins are in a scattering of cities in the southern reaches of the district and the suburban areas south of the river.

And here's the map of the 2018 contest, by Aaron Booth:

The maps aren't exact equivalents, but Craig's victory is driven by the suburbs, not farm country.

Here are the 2018 v. 2016 returns via county; the 2016 include Paula Overby, a transgender woman who ran as the Independence Party's candidate. 

Dakota County (suburban)

2016

Republican	Jason Lewis	100780	44.84%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	106560	47.41%
Independence	Paula Overby	17167	7.64%

2018

Republican	Jason Lewis	91633	44.51%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	113783	55.27%

Goodhue County

2016

Republican	Jason Lewis	13083	51.92%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	9946	39.47%
Independence	Paula Overby	2152	8.54%

2018

Republican	Jason Lewis	12505	54.40%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	10452	45.47%

Rice County (partial, includes Northfield)

2016

Republican	Jason Lewis	4510	33.44%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	8114	60.16%
Independence	Paula Overby	856	6.35%

2018

Republican	Jason Lewis	4298	32.99%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	8716	66.90%

Scott County (exurban)

2016

Republican	Jason Lewis	39455	54.09%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	27788	38.10%
Independence	Paula Overby	5633	7.72%

2018

Republican	Jason Lewis	35770	54.39%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	29872	45.43%

Wabasha County

2016

Republican	Jason Lewis	6066	52.77%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	4445	38.67%
Independence	Paula Overby	974	8.47%

2018

Republican	Jason Lewis	5730	57.69%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	4186	42.15%

Washington County (suburban)

2016

Republican	Jason Lewis	10076	44.48%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	10462	46.19%
Independence	Paula Overby	2087	9.21%

2018

Republican	Jason Lewis	9407	46.11%
Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Angie Craig	10945	53.64%

 Save for Rice County (largely Northfield), Overby's absence didn't cause Craig to gain that share of Independence share in more rural counties; rather the votes split between Lewis and Craig without Craig gaining a clear majority. That happened in the suburbs. Were those shifts from soybean farmers?  Recall that there were but 4,642 farmers of all sorts in the district in 2012.

Decide for yourself. We'll be looking at ag interest spending the district to see if that prompted the post-election feel-good remarks about Craig from Papp and MN07 ag policy maven Collin Peterson.

Perhaps there's reluctance on soon-to-be House Ag Committee Chair Peterson's part to have Minnesota's other new Democratic representative on the ag committee, as we have heard through the grapevine. Pity: Minnesota Fifth Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar served as a Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education and Community Nutrition Educator at University of Minnesota. Given that the largest part of the Farm Bill is devoted to nutrition spending, it might be prudent to have someone on the committee with experience in that area.

Indeed: if we're not mistaken, in a past session Peterson, MN01 Congressman (now governor-elect) Tim Walz and Emmer all served on the House Ag Committee, so it's not as if there's a limit for Minnesotans on the committee. How unfortunate that two metro area women can't serve together next year.

Photo: Soybeans.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

MNGOP party chair shrugs off loss of MN House

While the Minnesota Unique crowd is stressing the fact that the North Star state is now home to the only divided state legislature in the nation, it's probably more important for policy making that the Minnesota House has flipped, shifting the balance to the DFL.

And the Senate Republican caucus still clings to a one-vote majority, the sort of thing that can prompt delays, as happened last May when state senator Carla Nelson was called away from St. Paul to tend to her gravely ill father.

In short, while the legislature is more divided than that rest of the country by a razor-thin margin, state government is more united since 2014. 

All of this leaves us a bit puzzled by remarks in an interview with Republican Party of Minnesota state chair Jennifer Carnahan with the Brainerd Dispatch. Gabriel LeGarde reports in Midterm aftermath: State GOP chair talks 2018 election, eyes 2020 races:

In summation, a draw, Carnahan told the Dispatch during a phone interview Friday, Nov. 9.

"Where we stood before the election and where we stood after the election, we stayed exactly even. We didn't lose anything, but we didn't gain anything," Carnahan said. "Now, obviously, we were hopeful and optimistic to have more of a red wave in our state and be able to win a couple state offices and add to our congressional delegation. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen due the urban, metropolitan areas in the Twin Cities."

How losing 18 seats in the Minnesota House, and with them control of the House, is staying "exactly even" eludes us. For a contrasting report on the DFL effort, we highly recommend Peter Callaghan fine reporting at MinnPost: It wasn’t just Trump: How the DFL harnessed a massive get-out-the-vote effort to win the ’burbs.

However, Carnahan's assessment is less Bizarro World than suggestions by 8th District and local International Falls GOP activist Terry Stone, reported in the International Falls Journal article, GOP's Stone: Focused on 2020 elections. As a cost saving measure, Stone's suggests eliminating statewide constitutional officers save governor and the secretary of state:

State spending could be cut by closing some state offices, such as treasurer, auditor and the attorney general. He also said Minnesota could save money if it were to follow Nebraska's lead in having a unicameral government, meaning one legislative body instead of two. And money could be saved by having a biannual legislative session, like Texas, he said.

Minnesotan did vote to eliminate the office of treasurer years ago, but eliminating the auditor and attorney general--especially the latter--is fairly baffling.

Image: The cover image  from the Redwood County Republican Party. That aged well.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Tim Miller gracious in minority leader bid defeat; vows to work toward reopening private prison

While Minnesota's media reports on Kurt Daudt's descent from Speaker to Minority Leader, conservative sources note that state representative Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, also sought the Republican House leadership position. On his campaign Facebook page, Miller posted on Saturday morning:

Following a difficult defeat this week in the general election and falling into the minority, I offered a new direction by running for Minority Leader that would unify the MNGOP base for the hard work ahead. Unfortunately I fell short, but I am looking forward to working with Minority Leader (elect) Kurt Daudt toward this goal. Congratulations to Kurt. Congratulations to the Democrats in taking the House. However, I cannot accept any extreme liberal measures. All conservatives will need to work together to challenge that.

At Alpha News, Action 4 Liberty president Jake Duesenberg was not as kind as Miller in Why Republicans Lost Control Of The Minnesota House:

On Friday, the remaining survivors of the massive blue wave in the Minnesota House pulled a Nancy Pelosi maneuver and elected Daudt as the Minority Leader despite him losing the Majority under his watch. There was a two-way race between him and Rep Tim Miller, but the vast majority of Republican legislators showed in their voting that they’ve learned very little from Tuesday’s election, and opted to keep the toxic leadership of Daudt in firm control of the Minnesota House Republican Caucus.

The conservative group was critical of Daudt'd leadership prior to the debacle.

What will Miller's agenda be?

In the comments on Miller's Facebook page, followers mostly remain skeptical about bipartisanship, though a few get specific about policy areas.

One comment objects to Walz's proposed gas tax increase, while another raises the reopening of the CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) Prairie Correctional Facility, a private prison in Appleton:

Rick Hansen [editor's note: not the DFL legislator] Tim Miller where does the new governor stand on the Appleton Prison?

 

Tim Miller I don’t know, but I will be reaching out to his office in the beginning of session.

 

Rick Hansen Tim Miller thanks

Dan Henry Tim Miller Yes,please do, the surrounding communities are very much for reopening... thank you

During the DFL gubernatorial primary, Walz was clear about where he stood on private prisons. In DFL governor candidates not 3 peas in a pod, Forum Communications' Don Davis reported:

"I am strongly opposed to private prisons," Walz said, referring to a proposal from the Appleton area to reopen a private prison there to help ease overcrowding in state prisons.

Now in the minority in Minnesota's House, with the Republicans enjoying a one-vote majority in the state senate, Miller will have his work cut on for him on this one.

Photo: Not the new Minnesota House Minority Leader, Tim Miller was surrounded by opponents of his plan to reopen the private prison during an earlier session.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.