Author Archive

Fund the Farms! Crowdfunding’s Quiet Success

Agri Crowdfunding

The United States has seen a rise in small businesses since the beginnings of the internet. Fears of mom and pop stores going out of business to global dominators such as Walmart has curbed significantly in years past. Now, any person with a website and credit card account can receive payments and create virtual marketplaces. Recently crowd funding has become a new form of micro finance in that individuals are able to invest into companies and people that they believe in. The world is taking the power from big banks and investment firms to instead invest amongst one another.

Feb 17, 2014 | 5 comments | by

Death to Direct Payments

For years congress has tried to dismantle Direct Payments to farmers. These payments are subsidies that occur every year despite whether the farmers need them or not. This creates a void in case of disaster, and that’s where crop insurance will step in. From now on farmers will only be paid in case of a loss, at which point the government will help pay a percentage of that insurance. This means billions of dollars of savings for the taxpayers, and creates a system that is both different and intelligent.

Feb 10, 2014 | Leave a Comment | by

EPA vs Texas

A fight against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was won in Texas this past week as the EPA allowed Texas significantly more flexibility when dealing with state permits concerning pollution sources. Giving Texas more control over the environmental impacts that occur within the state. A hard fought win for Texas as they have been working for years to gain back the control that the EPA stripped away from them.

The compromise on Texas’s clean air plan can be used as an example for other states hoping to gain back some of their rights concerning environmental regulation. By allowing the states the ability to implement locally tailored plans and permits, plants will no longer fear being shut down due to overly strict federal regulation. Less regulation is for the better as Texas currently houses 832 drilling rigs, which accounts for 47% of all US oil rigs and 25% of the entire worlds!

number of rigs

This has boosted oil and gas severance tax revenue to an amazing $900 million dollars which has funded several projects. The projects would utilize the surplus to fund the State Water Plan which was create in 1997 but never received funding until now. The legislature in total created two funds that;

  • The State Water Implementation Fund (SWIFT) will contain $2.5 billion to fund projects in the State Water Plan.
  • The State Water Implementation Revenue Fund of Texas (SWIRFT) will contain $3.5 billion for road, port and rail infrastructure projects.

In a state that led national job growth in 2013, is a powerhouse in the energy industry, and increased environmental standards without EPA involvement; even less federal involvement can only be for the better.

Feb 05, 2014 | 4 comments | by
« Previous Page