Environment

Land, air, water, and the ability to grow food is essential for all communities. Rural communities, however, have an especially intimate connection and are disproportionately impacted when the environment is harmed. Farm and community leaders need a voice in discussions about the best ways to foster a healthy environment.

Conservation, practical on-farm efforts, agricultural innovation, a clean energy economy, energy efficiency, and strong regulations on carbon pollution are among common-sense solutions. These efforts also set a conscious course to ensure clean air and water, resilient and sustainable food production, and health for future generations.

We are called on to be good stewards. It’s time to protect the places we call home, the resources we depend upon, and the way of life we cherish.

Environment Notes

 

Take the Next Step NPPD!

The coal-fired power plant north of Hallam, Nebraska, Sheldon Station, will undergo a partial transition from coal to an exciting and innovative power generation technology. Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), which owns and operates the plant, plans to replace one of the existing coal-fired boilers at Sheldon Station plant with one that uses hydrogen fuel. This is great but it’s a ‘job half-done.’

Rural communities in the face of climate change

By Katie Rock on February 12, 2019 - 4:50pm

Climate change can be difficult to fully wrap your mind around. My fear is that more people will engage only after facing a crisis themselves—losing a home due to flooding, markets upended by multi-year droughts, or water shortages.

We know warming trends can accelerate or decelerate quickly depending on emissions and policies. We do not know when we will cross a threshold from which we cannot return. Carbon emissions increased in 2018 to nearly twice the rate seen in 2017 after three years of little to no increases.

A dire opportunity: rural communities in the face of climate change

By Katie Rock on January 30, 2019 - 4:25pm

Climate change can be difficult to fully wrap your mind around. My fear is that more people will engage only after facing a crisis themselves—losing a home due to flooding, markets upended by multi-year droughts, water shortages, etc. We know that warming trends can accelerate or decelerate quickly depending on emissions and policies. Some analysts consider the last few years to be an accelerating period. What we do not know is when we will have crossed a threshold from which we cannot return.

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