Friday, November 20, 2009
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Growth and Development

BioFuels and Energy | Growth and Development
Letter from Langdon: Wind Energy...and More?
03/19/2009

A wind Turbine Near Rock Port, Missouri

It's one thing to get the turbines whirling away, producing electricity. Now's the time for states to get the jobs, too.

Growth and Development
There's Opportunity for Rural in 'Reglobalization'
03/14/2009

The global economy is changing (and that's putting it lightly). The new world will have a place for rural places that plan, work and cooperate.

Growth and Development | Politics and Government
Indian Issues: All Aboard the Federal Train
03/13/2009

proposed mass casinoWith Native Americans in some key federal roles, casino laws may change and new funding may stream to education and health programs in Indian Country.

Growth and Development | Politics and Government
Speak Your Piece: Time for a New CCC
03/07/2009

"You will never hear of a CCC veteran – and there are still a few of them among us – who didn’t consider his experience in 'the C’s' to have been life-changing."

Cool Places | Growth and Development
Speak Your Piece: Let's Get Disaster-Wise
03/03/2009

Greensburg Kansas celebrates 1st anniversarySmall towns that have survived natural disasters have learned something -- something critical to surviving "ordinary" times.

Growth and Development | Main Street Economics
Job Losses Explode in Rural America
02/25/2009

Rural Job Losses in December 2008

In the last 13 months, the number of unemployed people living in rural America has increased by 297,000. All but 15,000 of those jobs were lost in one month, December 2008.

Ag and Trade | Food | Growth and Development
Letter from Langdon: With Choices of Food, It's All OK
02/19/2009

Sappington Farmers' Market

Making a living off "food farms" instead of USDA commodity farms isn't easy. But it's OK!

Growth and Development | Politics and Government
Native American Leaders and Salazar Agree on Priorities
02/16/2009

Native Americans backed Barack Obama and now ask that his administration deliver on economic development, public safety, and other major issues. Sec. of Interior Ken Salazar says that the new president will follow through.

Growth and Development
Sen. Harkin Says Greatest Demand Is For Water Projects
02/10/2009

When asked what feedback he’s getting from rural areas on the proposed federal stimulus package, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, didn’t hesitate. Rural water means something to his constituents, said the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee on a conference call with the Daily Yonder and other media. “As I talk to people in rural Iowa, rural communities, they see the need for rural water,” Harkin said.

The Senate compromise version of the stimulus package passed today retains the proposed $1.375 billion for rural water and waste disposal that would be administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A House-passed version provided for $1.5 billion in rural water and waste disposal through the stimulus. More money could flow to rural projects through Environmental Protection Agency programs Harkin said could get a boost from the stimulus.

Harkin said “there’s an immense backlog” of rural water projects. “A lot of these are ready,” Harkin said. “Those are jobs right now.” In 2008 there were $2.4 billion in requests for water and waste loans and almost $1 billion for grants that went unfunded, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Douglas Burns

Broadband and Tech | Growth and Development
Wausau Paper Finds Jobs in Broadband Plan
02/06/2009

Wausau

The Senate has nipped some of the spending for rural broadband out of the stimulus bill. The argument has been that this provision won't create jobs fast enough. The Wausau (Wisconsin, in picture above) Daily Herald takes on this argument in an editorial today:

"(W)e'll leave the debate about the economic theory behind the bill for another day. Because the substance matters, too. This bill also represents a serious long-term investment in the nation's infrastructure, and it is equally reasonable and right for citizens to scrutinize its substance. That's why it's important to remember that for the 21st century, infrastructure does not mean only old-school stuff like roads, bridges and railroad tracks.

"It also ought to mean expansion of high-speed Internet cables into rural areas. The House bill included $6 billion in broadband grants and the Senate bill includes $9 billion. The number in the final bill may be somewhere in between, or it may change altogether. But this represents an important investment, and one that can help especially Northwoods Wisconsin to thrive economically in years to come. The legislation's broadband grants will work as economic stimulus in the sense that some jobs will be created for producers, shippers and installers of the cable lines themselves. But the long-term economic benefits are even greater. Broadband availability will allow Northwoods tourism to thrive."

Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural
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