Illegal Driving License & Food vs. Fuel

Illegal Driving License & Food vs. Fuel

Illegal Driving License & Food vs. Fuel plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has spent a lot of time lately defending the federal government’s investment in the ethanol industry - most recently at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He’s also been getting a lot of questions from members of Congress and others as to whether America’s farmers can produce enough grain to meet the world’s needs.

VILSACK: I believe that our farmers are the most productive in the world. They’re going to continue to be the most productive in the world. They should not be short-changed. They can meet the food, the feed, the fiber and the fuel needs of this country and they can also commit themselves to a robust export market as we’re seeing.

Oregon lawmakers are wrestling with the idea of giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. It’s an issue charged with emotion and lawmakers heard from the public yesterday. Senate Bill 745, which would give a special driver's license to people who can't produce a birth certificate. The state-issued identification card would grant driving privileges but couldn't be used for other purposes such as obtaining a concealed handgun permit or registering to vote or betting at a race track.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Mostly the Endangered Species list in the U.S. consists of mammals belonging to the small to medium rodent family. There are however large predator species on the list which includes large cats and wolves; the latter of which is the center point of great political debate and turmoil right now. With the White House gearing up to accept a budget bill rider that would get around the Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves, and allow ranchers the ability to protect their livestock from frequent and vicious wolf attacks, protests from both sides of the table has reached a fevered pitch. Environmentalists fear this bill rider will lead to the demise of the Endangered Species Act. A handful of ranchers in the western states who would be most affected by this bill rider would prefer to see wolves removed entirely from their area, but the majority of ranchers here know that’s unrealistic in today’s world, and opt instead for the right to be able to protect their property and be compensated for livestock losses due to wolf predation. There has to be a way to reach a balance between environmentalist and rancher objectives, both which are equally important.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

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