Billboards Coming Down & Frankenstein Flu

Billboards Coming Down & Frankenstein Flu. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

It appears those two billboards in Washington State advocating for clean water have come down. The billboards were directing people to a website for more information but the issue was the billboards were paid for by the EPA. Washington Dairy Federation's, Jay Gordon says that's a misuse of funds and at one point EPA's own Inspector General's office cautioned against misuse.

GORDON: "Insure sub-awards to 501C4 organizations do not involve lobbying activities." And so in 2014 EPA's own office of Inspector General seemed to be saying, hey guys, you've got some grants out there and it specifically names this among some of the other grants EPA Office of Inspector General said you need to go back and look at these things and make sure you're not funding lobbying activities.

Last year was a bad year for Avian influenza here in the northwest and in other locations around the U.S. Now, new research suggests Alaska could be a breeding ground for mutant strains of avian influenza. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey recently tested 1,000 wild birds in the western part of the state and found genetic mixing of Asian and North American flu strains. While they only found low pathogenic viruses - the kind that can't spread to poultry - it's still a foreboding sign for egg and meat producers. Experts warn that dangerous strains of avian flu, such as H5N1 and H5N2 from Asia, could mix with North American strains to create a new, Frankenstein flu.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.