ST. PAUL, Minn. – As world leaders continue to discuss this week at the Paris climate talks how to limit greenhouse gas emissions, rural groups back home in the U.S. are laying out their environmental concerns.

Members of the Rural Climate Network have compiled a list of issues on which they want to see the U.S. climate policy focus.

Tara Ritter, climate and rural communities program associate with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), says the report, called Rural Climate Policy Priorities: Solutions from the Ground, covers a wide range of issues.

"Rural areas have different concerns,” she points out. “They generally have longer travel distances between destinations, different energy use, different building stock, different industries that their economies are based upon. We weren't seeing those concerns reflected in climate policy."

The report lists recommendations for 10 areas that members agree are important to the diverse rural communities.

These include suggestions such as how to keep the U.S. agriculture industry resilient to extreme weather conditions and how federal agencies can do more to help conserve local ecosystems.

One of the biggest issues at the Paris talks is figuring out how to curb the pollution that fuels extreme weather events and puts our health at risk.

Ritter says one of the key ways the U.S. can help rural communities do that is by incentivizing clean energy infrastructure projects or making renewable energy production a priority.

"There are already so many incentives for fossil fuels that, in order to level the playing field, we need to see some clean energy incentives to get that industry up and running and going even stronger than it already is," Ritter states.

Many rural communities across the country already are moving away form extraction-based energy, including Becker, Minnesota, where the Sherco coal-fired power plant soon may be closed.

Ritter says those communities will need assistance to make those changes.

You can find the full report at Ruralclimatenetwork.org.





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As people head to the polls tomorrow, groups are working to ensure Georgia's Black and brown communities understand the energy saving benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Payback Campaign is a public awareness initiative led by creative firm AB and supported by Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. It is helping educate congregations and communities on Inflation Reduction Act incentives, including solar energy tax credits to lower utility costs, reduce carbon emissions and build resilience.

Jay Horton, communications manager for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, explained access to resources is especially meaningful for congregations in underserved areas.

"One of the main advantages of the Inflation Reduction Act was that congregations and faith communities, houses of worship, can now benefit from the tax credits available for solar and battery storage," Horton explained. "Especially low wealth communities."

The group helps congregations with low-cost solar assessments, connections to vetted installers, and a zero-interest loan through its Solar Wise program. To date, the initiative has completed 23 installations in Georgia, totaling 540 kilowatts and offsetting more than 3,200 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

Horton pointed out Georgia power bills will increase by an average of $44 over two years and solar installations can help mitigate rising energy costs. Beyond saving money, he noted solar power also reduces reliance on fossil fuels, leading to cleaner air and a smaller carbon footprint. He added congregations would be able to redirect the savings into community services, all while making a positive environmental impact.

"For example, Trinity Episcopal Church in Statesboro, they had a 30-kilowatt system through the Georgia Bright program but their utility bill savings over next 20 years, $196,000, net savings of $60,000," Horton outlined. "That's equivalent to 705 tons of CO2 offset. "

He emphasized the offset is equivalent to 1.5 million miles driven in a car, or 10,000 trees planted. The Payback Campaign also highlighted how environmental and economic benefits can inform voter choices, encouraging support for leaders who prioritize clean energy initiatives.


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On this year's California ballot, Proposition 4 has not received much attention but it could have a huge effect on the Golden State.

The $10 billion bond measure would be the largest conservation investment in state history. Opponents argued the state cannot afford to take on billions more dollars in debt.

Pamela Flick, California program director for the nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife, said the measure would be an effective way to address some of California's biggest problems.

"California faces devastating wildfires, vulnerable drinking water supplies, extreme summer heat and other major threats from a changing climate," Flick pointed out. "Proposition 4 tackles our most urgent climate needs today, before the damage becomes too costly and unimaginable."

Prop 4 would dedicate $3.8 billion for ensuring drinking water and increasing water supplies. It earmarks $1.5 billion for wildfire prevention, $1.2 billion to protect important wildlife habitat, and $1.2 billion to protect the coastline and prepare for rising sea levels. The rest of the money would go toward energy infrastructure, parks and programs to help farmers combat extreme heat.

Flick acknowledged California's ecosystems have evolved with fire for millennia but a series of megafires over the past decade have devastated some forest ecosystems.

"Severe fires pose the biggest impact to wildlife and its habitat," Flick asserted. "Because it's so much harder for those areas that were burned severely to bounce back and provide important habitat for species."

The heightened wildfire risk in California has already led some insurance companies to raise rates steeply or stop insuring homes altogether in certain areas. Backers said Prop 4 is an important step to protect the value of people's homes.

A proposed project to build a refinery on an estuary along the Columbia River is getting pushback from the public.

NEXT Renewable Fuels is proposing a diesel refinery in Clatskanie, Oregon, with a capacity of up to 50,000 barrels of fuel a day. The Texas-based company said the fuel comes from renewable sources such as organic waste materials.

Dan Serres, advocacy director for the nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper, said the energy source is not as clean as the company claims and would in fact be a major source of pollution for the river and nearby homes and farms.

"What they heard from the community during public comment was a sharp rebuke and they heard tough questions that they failed to answer," Serres asserted. "That's why DEQ needs to move forward and deny this project."

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality was accepting public comments on water quality permits for the project. In addition to opposition submitted to the agency, 23 organizations sent a letter to Gov. Tina Kotek urging her to oppose the refinery. NEXT Renewable Fuels said the project supports the state's clean energy goals.

Serres countered the company's assertion the project will be good for the environment are dubious as well.

"It's a tremendous negative carbon impact in terms of undermining the state of Oregon's greenhouse gas reduction goals," Serres contended. "It would be one of Oregon's largest polluters on day one, producing over one million tons of greenhouse gas pollution each year."

Serres also noted NEXT's own assessment of the project said it will likely affect fish and fish habitat. He stressed the area near the project is important for the endangered salmon of the region.

"Most of the salmon that folks see swimming all the way up the Columbia River come right by Port Westward," Serres pointed out. "That fact is not lost on the people who are now weighing in with the project and pointing out that there's a major threat here."

Serres argued the state should wait for an environmental impact statement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before moving forward.