LOCAL FOOD LEGISLATION IN WORC’S REGION

This report summarizes state local food legislation related to local production, marketing, sales and consumption proposed and either passed or defeated between 2005 and 2016 in WORC states: Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and Idaho. This summary may not be comprehensive in all states as it does not include state appropriations bills in detail. State policy often change quickly; this summary reflects research conducted in July 2016.

GROWING THE 16%

Growing the 16% addresses the problem of beef market concentration and its impact on independent livestock producers, local meatpacking infrastructure, and rural communities. Instead of trying to break up the four packers who bought 84% of the cattle raised by America’s ranchers, we turned our attention to the ranchers and small packers and processors who buy the rest of the cattle – the 16% of the market that isn’t controlled by major meatpackers — to expand and enhance that market as a viable alternative for producers and consumers.

RECLAMATION BONDING REQUIREMENTS FOR OIL AND GAS WELLS

The Oil and Gas Reclamation Bonding Amounts matrix lists the bonding requirements for 11 states and the federal government. Reclamation bonds are intended to ensure that the companies, not taxpayers, pay for well recovery. Bond amounts, however, are often too low to cover the damages from drilling. This is especially true with blanket bonds. A blanket bond sets an amount to reclaim, theoretically, all of an operator’s wells within a state or across the country. RECLAMATION CRISIS Oil and gas bonding is problematic because of the boom and bust nature of the industry. States like Wyoming face a reclamation crisis…

THE FLARING BOOM

Surging oil production in shale hot spots, like the Bakken in North Dakota and Eagle Ford in Texas, has increased waste of natural gas through flaring, venting, and leaking. WORC’s report, The Flaring Boom, examines the causes and effects of flaring, venting, and leaking of natural gas by examining efforts to curtail these wasteful practices in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The report identifies three factors spurring the waste. Oil prices are not particularly high, but natural gas prices are much lower. Incentive is too low for companies to spend capital to capture and process gas. Companies…

NO TIME TO WASTE

No Time to Waste examines standards and disposal practices around radioactive oil and gas waste in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. It finds that state governments in each of these states fail to protect citizens and the environment from a hazardous and quickly growing waste stream. The report calls for federal rules for radioactive oil and gas waste and stronger state standards.