IOWA

Proposed 350-mile carbon capture pipeline would go through Johnson County. Here's what you need to know.

IT'S BUILDING A PIPELINE CAUSES DAMAGE, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT TRANSPORTS

George Shillcock, Iowa City Press-Citizen
Thu, July 7, 2022 

A sliver of northeastern Johnson County is included in the latest proposal for a carbon capture pipeline in Iowa after two much larger projects completely avoided the area.

A map of a proposed pipeline filed with the Iowa Utilities Board shows the main artery of the 350-mile project would extend from an Archer Daniels Midland Co. location in Cedar Rapids, cutting southeast through Johnson, Linn, Cedar, Clinton and Scott counties. A second lateral line would run north from Davenport to another ADM location in Clinton.

Wolf Carbon Solutions, based in Denver, is partnering with ADM on the proposed pipeline. The company announced in January that it intended to build a pipeline in Iowa. A news release from the companies said the pipeline will transport carbon dioxide from ADM’s ethanol and cogeneration facilities in Clinton and Cedar Rapids to be stored permanently underground at ADM’s already-operational sequestration site in Decatur, Illinois.

While the main line wouldn't go directly through Johnson County, the proposed route's 2-mile corridor does include the northeastern part of the county. Other pipeline proposals in Iowa have avoided running through Johnson County, where opposition is expected.

"This is an exciting opportunity for ADM to connect some of our largest processing facilities with our carbon capture capabilities, advancing our work to significantly reduce our CO2 emissions while delivering sustainable solutions for our customers," ADM president of carbohydrate solutions Chris Cuddy said in the release. "These efforts are core to our purpose, our culture and our growth, and we look forward to working with Wolf Carbon Solutions to finalize this agreement and further decarbonize our operations and our industry.”

Nick Noppinger at Wolf Carbon Solutions told the Press-Citizen in an email statement that the company's goal is to reach voluntary agreements through respectful and open discussions with all landowners along this proposed route. He said the proposed 2-mile corridor, with one mile on each side of a proposed center line, would enable them to cooperatively work with landowners to determine the best possible route.

“Wolf Carbon Solutions is committed to building and maintaining meaningful relationships with landowners," Noppinger said.

The proposed 350-mile carbon capture pipeline from Wolf Carbon Solutions US, LLC

This pipeline is one of several proposed in the Midwest that would run through Iowa, drawing criticism from environmental groups and landowners amid fears that eminent domain will be used to take property for the construction of pipelines.

Other critics argue the pipelines don't do enough to lower carbon emissions and say Iowa should focus on transitioning the state's farming economy away from producing renewable fuel, and the corn and soybean crops needed to make it.

Three companies — Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator CO2 Ventures and ADM-Wolf — want to build pipelines that run through Iowa that will be used to move carbon dioxide captured from ethanol, fertilizer and other agricultural industrial plants.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors and other county governments and elected officials and also signaled strong opposition to these projects.

More: What we know about three carbon capture pipelines proposed in Iowa
Company claims to push for carbon-neutrality, but critics questions eminent domain tactics and environmental impact

The 350-mile pipeline would include both a main line running west to east from Cedar Rapids into Illinois, and a lateral line running south to north from just north of Davenport to Clinton.

The company would use pressure to liquefy the carbon dioxide, and the pipelines would transport it and then inject it deep underground where it will be permanently sequestered. Summit Carbon plans to sequester carbon in North Dakota; Navigator CO2 and Wolf-ADM plan to do so in Illinois.

ADM and Wolf expect to transport 12 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

The news release from Wolf-ADM states that ADM’s carbon capture and sequestration capabilities in Decatur have allowed it to safely and permanently store more than 3.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide 1½ miles underground and have paved the way for increased decarbonization of the company’s operations. The company announced plans to construct a zero-emissions power plant adjacent to the company’s Decatur corn complex, and wants to achieve the wheat milling industry’s first carbon-neutral footprint.

This map, based on information in March 2022, shows the proposed route of the 2,000-mile Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline that will carry pressurized carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to a sequestration site a mile underground in central North Dakota. About 470 miles of the pipeline would be located in South Dakota.

The release said the pipeline would have significant spare capacity to serve other third-party customers looking to decarbonize across the Midwest and Ohio River Valley.

To build the pipeline, Wolf-ADM will either have to purchase land from many private property owners along the 350-mile route or acquire permission from the Iowa Utilities Board and county governments to use eminent domain to acquire the land, regardless or the support of private landowners.

While landowners can refuse to voluntarily give up their land for this type of project, Summit, Navigator and ADM-Wolf can ask the three-person Iowa Utilities Board to grant eminent domain powers if they're determined to serve a public purpose. That would force unwilling landowners to grant easements at fair market values.

Eminent domain is a power a government entity or its agent can use to take private property for public use while compensating landowners. In this case, if the board grants eminent domain powers, it would force unwilling landowners to sell ADM-Wolf the rights to build across their property.

The Des Moines Register reported that several experts are skeptical of the environmental impact of these pipelines, despite the White House saying that carbon sequestration projects likely will be needed to meet President Joe Biden's climate goal of net-zero emissions economywide by 2050.

The proposals have drawn bipartisan ire from politicians and became an issue prior to the primary elections, including for four of the six Republicans who ran for a Iowa House of Representatives seat, and others throughout the state. As recently as March, a large group of people opposing a pipeline project gathered in the Iowa Capitol.

Wolf-ADM is asking for several informational meetings to take place in September. The company could bypass the need to use eminent domain by reaching out to landowners along the proposed route and attempting to negotiate easements.

More: Iowa official asks Summit Carbon Solutions for more information about possible pipeline leaks, dangers

Johnson County Supervisors express opposition to carbon capture pipelines

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors has already taken a strong stance against carbon capture pipelines, months before any route was officially proposed to run through the county.

The board sent two letters opposing the other two pipeline projects using eminent domain, even though they would not run through Johnson County.

On Wednesday, Supervisor Jon Green told the board about the Wolf-ADM project and said he would like to see the Supervisors send an additional letter stating the county's opposition. The rest of the board signaled its support for an additional letter.

Green, in April, speculated that such a pipeline would eventually make its way to Johnson County and suggested the board should put its "finger on the scale." The other Supervisors agreed and the letter was sent.

When The Cedar Rapids Gazette first reported about this proposed pipeline Tuesday, Green tweeted his opposition to it running through Johnson County.

Michael Daly, a resident of Cedar Township in Johnson County, said at the April meeting that a potential pipeline could cut into his land. It is unclear if this proposal would

"My interest now is more urgent to find some solution," he said. "About the only thing we can do is object."

Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass said in April that eminent domain should be used for "the greater good and not for private enterprise or private profit, which is what this would be."

The latest version of Navigator Co.'s proposed Heartland Greenway carbon capture pipeline.

The Linn County Supervisors also signed a letter in January opposing using eminent domain for pipelines.

Johnson County Board of Supervisors Executive Director Mike Hensch said in April that he wanted to remind the public that, even if eminent domain is exercised, objections from landowners will go to a county compensation commissions. Hensch is a member of the compensation commission and said he was not taking a position on the issue.

"Each county, in the compensation commissions, can refuse the amount of money that is being recommended. And the step beyond that is district court. We're years away," he said.

More: Advocacy group estimates carbon capture pipelines crossing Iowa will get $23 billion at public expense

Wolf-ADM requests public meetings in September

ADM-Wolf is proposing five public informational meetings in the counties that the pipeline would go through, and a sixth that would be virtual.

"Wolf is committed to transparent, two-way communication throughout this process and is enthusiastic about bringing the economic and environmental benefits of this carbon capture and storage project to Iowa," its letter read.

The letter said that once dates are confirmed, the company will make reservations for suitable locations in each county. Each location will have Wi-Fi capabilities and will be ADA-compliant.

More: Tech giants like renewable energy, but question cost of MidAmerican's $3.9 billion wind, solar plan

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Where a carbon capture pipeline could run through Johnson County

Wheat Board Scandal

No not the Canadian Wheat Board, which despite the Tories promise to dismantle or neuter it remains a producer run supplier monopoly which is not a bad thing compared to private monopolies. .The Attitude of Anarchism Toward Industrial Combinations

This is a case of a private monopoly, which of course is worse, in that it is not responbilbe to anyone. In Australia. Dealing with Saddam Hussien.

AWB head quits over Iraq kickback probe

AWB's share price has fallen about 30 per cent since the inquiry into its conduct under the UN oil-for-food programme began three weeks ago.

The publicly listed monopoly could face a legal challenge from its shareholders, according to a Melbourne-based law firm.

Maurice Blackburn Cashman said it was preparing a shareholder class action that would claim AWB breached its requirement of continuous disclosure.

In 2003 the firm obtained A$97m for the shareholders of reinsurer GIO, now a subsidiary of AMP, in Australia's largest class action.

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Wheat, Iraq, Australia, Canada, CWB, AWB, Kickbacks, Food-for-oil

Harpers Pre Depression Farm Plan

Once again the Harper has ressurected the old Reform party made in America farm plan.

Under the Conservative plan, farmers would also be given greater choice in marketing and transporting their products, including choosing whether the wish to participate in the Canadian Wheat Board.

Ah hem, they already have the right to elect directors to the CWB. That issue was resolved years ago. But the right wing rump of farmers who wanted to sell their wheat directly to the U.S. still lobby against the CWB. Forgetting that the CWB for all its bueracracy was created by farmers after the market crash of 1929 which drove Alberta into debt and our farmers into poverty as the Eastern banks swooped up their land for the mortgages they owed. Farmers in Western Canada created the Wheat Board to market their coop grain for the best price. The greater good and all that liberal utilitarian philosophy.

The right wingers in Reform wanted what was good for them, I' m all right Jack screw you...they lived in the Southern half of Alberta, Manitoba and Sasktchewan so loading their trucks and crossing the border was not problem, but transportation costs for other farmers in central and northern parts of the provinces well who cares about them eh. Also many of them belonged to the Religious right, Mormons, Dutch Reformed, etc. whose religious ideology and kinship group is linked across the border in the US. So this was also a question of ideology not just practical economics.

Notice that these same right wing sop called free marketers never challenge the Quebec farm cooperatives and marketing boards for dairy and eggs. Wonder why? Cause they have NO political base in Quebec. That would require finding a couple of selfish stupid Gentlemen farmers who read too much Ayn Rand, hobby farmed and forgot the lessons of the Great Depression. See what I mean;

"The Conservative vision of agriculture policy has been shaped by MPs in almost every region of the country who have been deeply involved in farming for their entire lives. We are stronger because of this representation and, frankly, Conservatives have a better understanding of the impact of the difficult times facing many farm families today."

Putin's war is damaging the developing world

Perspectives
Jayati Ghosh
13 Mar, 2022

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused increases in oil and food prices, harming developing countries struggling to recover from the pandemic. Multilateral organisations should provide financing to help these economies cope, writes Jayati Ghosh.

As oil and wheat prices soar as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, disruptions to global supply are likely to hit developing nations, still struggling to economically recover from the pandemic, hardest [Getty]

It is difficult to see any winners in the ongoing war caused by Russia’s irrational and devastating invasion of Ukraine. But the losers extend far beyond the people of Ukraine, who are being attacked, and the people of Russia, who did not choose this war but now must endure an economy being dismantled by trade and financial sanctions.

The economic impact of the conflict will be felt around the world, including in many developing countries that are already struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

One immediate concern is the effect of rising oil prices. The price of benchmark Brent crude recently jumped by 20% to more than $139 per barrel, its highest level since 2008 – probably in response to news that the United States and its European allies were discussing a possible ban on imports of Russian oil, which had so far been exempt from Western sanctions. (On March 8, the US announced a ban on imports of Russian energy products, while the United Kingdom pledged to phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022.)

"This latest oil-price spike is a blow they can ill afford, as it is likely to generate balance-of-payments problems and domestic inflationary pressures that will be tough to combat in the current uncertain context"

But global energy prices had already been soaring, following a period of dramatic volatility during the pandemic. The price of Brent crude, which had fallen to as low as $9 per barrel in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic’s first wave, rose above $90 per barrel in January 2022. Since then, the Ukraine war has put further upward pressure on oil and gas prices.

Western media have focused on the impact of rising energy prices in Europe, which relies heavily on natural gas imports from Russia. But most of the world’s oil and gas importers are much poorer. Many of these countries were unable to mount fiscal responses to the pandemic on the scale of those in the US and other advanced economies, and have since experienced much weaker recoveries in output and employment.

This latest oil-price spike is a blow they can ill afford, as it is likely to generate balance-of-payments problems and domestic inflationary pressures that will be tough to combat in the current uncertain context.

Of course, the additional inflationary pressures from the Ukraine war are also complicating the challenge that policymakers in rich Western economies face in tackling rising prices without causing a hard economic landing. Oil is a universal intermediary good, which influences the costs of commodities and services, as well as transport costs, in multiple ways.

Oil-price increases can thus be a significant driver of cost-push inflation even at the best of times. But inflation in rich countries was already at levels they had almost forgotten. Policymakers also appear to consider only the most simplistic weapons against inflation, like raising interest rates and tightening liquidity, which do little to address cost-push pressure and could cause a real economic downturn.

But the challenges are greater still in the developing world, leaving policymakers with even less wiggle room. The dramatic recent increase in oil prices obviously affects oil-importing countries directly, and will feed into all other prices through rising input and transport costs.

RELATED
The invasion of Ukraine and MENA's looming bread crisis
In-depth
James Snell

The tragedy playing out in Ukraine is also increasing global food prices, creating even more pain in developing countries where hunger had already increased dramatically during the pandemic. Before the war, Ukraine was the world’s fifth-largest wheat exporter, and also a major exporter of barley, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower oil. The prices of these commodities in global trade have risen significantly, adding to recent increases in crop prices generally.

Now there is a further danger: Financial investors who had been betting on speculative asset markets will need to find other places to park their money, and food futures could emerge as a favoured destination. In the first five days of March, the price of wheat futures at the Chicago Board of Trade increased by 40%, putting it on track for its largest weekly increase since 1959.

Crop production in developing countries could also be hit by fertiliser shortages. Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, is also a major fertiliser producer, and disruptions to these exports will push global food prices even higher.

We previously saw parts of this movie in otherwise peaceful times, just before the global financial crisis, and it was a dark and depressing story even then. The food crisis that resulted from financial-market speculation in 2007-08 led to massive increases in hunger and devastated the lives of hundreds of millions of people in developing countries.

"Without such efforts, Russia’s war against Ukraine will wreak much more damage on the global economy – and poorer countries will be among the hardest hit"

That crisis occurred even though global supply and demand of food items did not change much. But now, with real reductions in global food supply almost inevitable, the price rises could be greater and longer-lasting. If speculative pressure increases, already fragile economies will be damaged even more.

It may not be surprising that the G7 (whose recent track record as a self-appointed leader of the global economy is hardly distinguished) is not expressing much concern about these real and pressing dangers. But multilateral organisations surely need to step up in this time of crisis, at the very least by providing compensatory financing to help the developing world cope with multiple price shocks, and suggesting and enabling regulations to prevent speculation in essential markets.

Without such efforts, Russia’s war against Ukraine will wreak much more damage on the global economy – and poorer countries will be among the hardest hit.

Jayati Ghosh, Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates, is Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a member of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation.

This article originally appeared on Project Syndicate.

Ukraine crisis feeds fears of another food

crisis

13 March 2022

Author: Peter Timmer, Harvard University

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the widespread devastation of the country raise the spectre of another world food crisis. Asia suffered badly during the last food crisis in 2007–08, mostly because of panicked behaviour in the region’s rice markets.

It is too soon to know the full impact on Ukrainian grain supplies and infrastructure from the Russian onslaught, on the prospects for a reasonably normal winter wheat harvest, and then spring planting of wheat, corn, sunflowers and other commodity staples for which Ukraine is a significant exporter. The country is known as ‘the breadbasket of Europe’ for a reason.

But what is clear is that the world food economy is on the verge of another major crisis, perhaps as disruptive as the one in 2007–08. Important lessons were learned from the last food crisis, and avoiding those mistakes will be critical to keeping the region’s food economies reasonably stable this time. How the developing countries of Asia will fare as food supplies tighten is a special interest to Australia.

World grain markets are seeking direction. Africa is already suffering from losing access to Ukrainian wheat. Maize and barley exports to China have been disrupted. An already tight oilseeds market is now threatened by the loss of Ukrainian sunflower seed oil. India has asked Indonesia to ease its restrictions on palm oil exports.

Prices for wheat on futures markets had risen in anticipation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and prices were already high because of supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19. But there has been no sustained spike since the war started on 24 February 2022. Prices are high and volatile, with wheat futures prices trading both up and down the daily limits since the war erupted.

If a crisis actually materialises, there will be serious short and long-term repercussions in developing Asia Pacific countries.

Some of the short-term consequences are already in play. Modern agriculture is heavily dependent on energy inputs, both directly as fuel for farm equipment, and also to power the supply chains for farm inputs and output. Just as important is the dependence of high-yield cereal production on synthetic nitrogen fertilisers — natural gas plus electricity plus capital-intensive machinery equals urea. Vaclav Smil calculates that a third of the world’s population depends directly on the cereals produced with this urea and other synthetic nitrogen fertilisers.

High energy prices mean high fertiliser prices, lower applications and yields, and higher grain prices. In the short-term that means more hunger in poor countries. Even if rice prices from Asian exporters remain at their current elevated levels, there will be more hunger in Timor Leste, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and possibly Indonesia. Papua New Guinea and most Pacific island nations will be hit the hardest because they are highly dependent on food imports.

The longer-term consequences are possibly more troubling, but are much harder to analyse with the war still in its early stages. Historically, structural transformation in developing economies leads agriculture to decline in relative importance as the modern industrial and service sectors, mainly in urban areas, grow much faster. It has been the only sustainable pathway out of poverty. Any forces that slow this process, or even bring it to a halt, also slow or halt the reduction of poverty and hunger. These forces can be internal, such as hostile political environments, or external shocks, such as wars and food crises.

The sharply higher rural–urban terms of trade brought about by food crises significantly slow structural transformation. More agricultural workers remain on the farm, with fewer moving to more productive jobs off the farm or in urban areas. Rural poverty increases, agricultural productivity stagnates, and the country remains mired in poverty. Much of sub-Saharan Africa is caught in this trap, and a number of Asia Pacific countries remain vulnerable if the food crisis drags on.

Can anything be done now to prevent this dismal scenario from playing out? If there is anything the Western allies, or China, can do to prevent Russia from pursuing a ‘scorched earth’ campaign in Ukraine, they should try.

The most important thing is not to panic. There is enough wheat, rice and other foodstuffs in warehouses around the world or awaiting harvest in the northern hemisphere to ensure that no one need starve. But ‘don’t panic’ implies a level of trust in world grain markets to deliver the needed supplies in a timely manner. Such trust will depend on some degree of cooperation among participants in world rice and wheat markets.

The rice crisis in 2007–08 was caused by panicked importers, exporters and hoarding by small-scale participants along the rice supply chain. Prices spiked. Once the reality of adequate supplies was made apparent after Japan announced that two million tons of US long grain rice would be available for re-export from Japanese storage silos on 2 June 2008, rice prices fell very quickly. The world rice market stabilised in a matter of weeks, remaining fairly stable ever since. Trust in the world rice market has been re-established, at least among most Asian participants. ASEAN has played a surprising role in establishing and maintaining this trust.

Full and detailed accounting of current grain supplies by major exporters would go a long way toward preventing a repeat of the 2007–08 price panic. A pledge from these exporters to allocate supplies to customers most in need would eliminate importers’ fears, build trust, and stabilise the world grain economy. If the Ukraine war ends reasonably soon without destroying its farms and grain marketing infrastructure, a world food crisis can be avoided.

Dr Peter Timmer is Thomas D. Cabot Emeritus Professor of Development Studies at Harvard University.

PROFITEERING

Investors cash in on food commodities as the poor go hungry

As food prices rose and war broke out in Ukraine, investors looking for a sure bet flocked into food commodities. The trend could be pushing prices up even further, with live-or-die consequences for the world's poor.

The war in Ukraine has had a huge impact on food prices around the globe

Rising consumer prices are aggravating food shortages around the globe, and investors looking to make a buck off food commodities could be making matters worse.

Food prices have risen sharply after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global supply chains, causing shortages around the world. The price of food spiked even higher following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both countries are major global suppliers of agricultural commodities, like wheat and sunflower oil.

"In Uganda, wheat and fuel prices have skyrocketed, making everyday goods like bread almost unaffordable to an ordinary citizen," Anna Slattery, external affairs manager at The Hunger Project, a nonprofit that works to end world hunger, told DW.

"In Malawi, our teams are reporting that the prices of maize grain, soybeans and cooking oil have increased significantly, over 50% in some places. The increase in prices is making it difficult for people to access these vital food items." 

An appetite for commodities

Investors trying to make money off the high demand for food and other commodities could be putting even more pressure on prices.

After the war broke out in February, commodity-linked "exchange-traded funds (ETFs)," a type of investment fund open to the public, saw a huge uptick in activity: By April, investors had pumped $1.2 billion (€1.12 billion) into two major agricultural ETFs, compared to just $197 million for the whole of 2021, Lighthouse Reports, an investigative journalism NGO, found out.

According to the news website The Wire, the Paris milling wheat market, the benchmark for Europe, has also seen a significant increase in the share of speculators — that is, investors whose primary aim is to turn a profit — buying up its wheat futures contracts. That's in place of commercial traders or hedgers, i.e. market players who have an interest in buying the commodity itself, for example to secure a wheat supply for a bread factory. 

Activity at the Chicago Board of Trade, one of the world's leading futures exchanges, also reflects this trend. A recent study by the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn found that the share of speculators in hard wheat and maize had risen with the price of the commodities, and that it had gone up sharply since the end of 2020. The researchers also found that the volatility of futures prices had increased significantly since the end of 2021, a sign of market irregularities that can lead to excessive speculation.

A sure bet

The ZEF report warned that more speculation could see prices decoupling from fundamentals, like supply and demand for example. It pointed to similar trends leading up to the global food crisis that emerged in 2008.

In April, analysts at investment bank JPMorgan Chase suggested that commodities prices could surge as much as 40% as traders pile in, creating an attractive return for investors.

Traders tend to move away from riskier investments, like tech stocks and cryptocurrencies, in times of economic uncertainty, favoring safer bets, like food and other hard commodities, like oil and fertilizer. Food commodities, like wheat, corn and rice, can also be adversely affected by market uncertainty.

"The more uncertainty in the market, the more demand for risk trading exists," Lukas Kornher, economist and ZEF project manager, told DW. "That is why we see the influx of speculative traders in the market."

It will take a huge effort by the international community to curb hunger in many parts of the world

Excessive trading

"[Speculative traders] basically try to jump on a bandwagon of increasing prices," said Kornher. "And then they start trading with each other instead of meeting the hedging demand of commercial producers or traders."

The price of the commodity can then become disconnected from its physical supply and demand.

Excessive speculative activity in commodities markets is "a double-edged sword," Dirk Bathe, press officer at World Vision Germany, a humanitarian aid group, said.

"On the one hand, speculation on scarce commodities can lead to drastically rising prices," he told DW. "On the other hand, this market functions like an early warning system," giving businesses and policymakers time to react.

Millions more pushed into poverty

The current price inflation and record-high prices at the commodities futures markets signal an expected scarcity within a couple of months, according to Kornher, who said the world was likely "on its way" to a food crisis.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s food price index was up 36% in April compared with the same month a year before, after hitting an all-time high in March. The World Bank's Agricultural Price Index also hit an all-time nominal high in the first quarter of the year, up 25% over a year ago. According to a World Bank analysis, for every one percentage point increase in food prices, 10 million more people are pushed into extreme poverty.

Experts have called for measures to protect food systems against speculation. Banks and investment funds could abstain from food speculation as part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy, for example. They've also warned against countries responding to high food prices by turning to protectionist policies.

"We need to make sure that countries don't take export restrictions, don't take export bans that will only exacerbate the food insecurity we're seeing today," Arancha Gonzalez, trade expert and the former foreign minister of Spain, told DW. "This is what we learned in 2008."

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESTON MANNING 

ON THE EVE OF CANADA'S 42ND ELECTION

19, OCTOBER 2015

Dear Mr. Manning;

Sir, I am writing you to appeal to you in these last days of this election, before voting day, to speak out about the undemocratic and downright Un Reform Party and actually Anti Reform Party principles and ethics on democratic governance  by the Prime Minister, your student and apprentice, Stephen Harper.

I know the old days were full of idealism like the West Wants In and that would change things for the good, like ending MP’s pensions.  Oops that’s perhaps not the best example since you and your MP’s did take them.

Ok how about Senate Reform, the triple EEE Senate, the PMO not appointing Senators but they be elected by the provinces. Sheesh sorry another Oops; how did that work out to become the PMO appoints Senators, 56  in all, the largest by any PMO which means larger than any Liberal Government ever appointed.

Recall, remember recall, if you didn’t like you MP you could get a petition together and kick em out between elections. Remember Recall the very core principle of the Reform Party, the Reform in the Reform Party.  How’s that going under Harper. Ahh come on I know, don’t blame Stevie you dumped that one yourself when you became Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.

About Stornaway, that was of course foolish youthful braggadocio on your part as a green Party Leader, boasting that as leader of the Reform Party in Opposition you would never live there, so really this is not all on Stevie. The Reform Party of Preston Manning. reformed once in power as the Official Opposition you just became another parliamentary party.

 Heck you guys on the right split again, like an amoeba into three conservative parties and so the whole focus of Stephen Harpers campaign was to win power by bringing you all back together under the strong leadership of one man him.

Oh dear perhaps this is a bit farfetched to ask of you, to opine on how Stephen Harper is BAD FOR DEMOCRACY but you have since retirement from parliamentary politics set up a foundation  Manning Centre for Building Democracy  for the promotion of Edmund Burke’s and John Locke’s classical liberal interpretation of governance and democracy, the two not necessarily being synonymous.

I know like many in the old Reform Wing of the party, you harbor secret dreams of being a libertarian like those of your ideological counterparts south of the border. Even here you must admit that your libertarian shadow self must surely cringe at Harper’s draconian police state law Bill C51.

Of course you have had some victories with Steve in power  you and your Reform Party base did manage to undemocratically reform the Canadian Wheat Board out of existence as promised by you way way back when. However I am sure like many Albertans and Canadians who believe in a fair deal not a fixed one no effort was put into reforming the wheat board to become a democratically run producer cooperative.

 So congratulations your privatization ideology succeeded in destroying the farmers cooperative and having it sold , no pardon me, given away for free to a Saudi Arabian corporation owned by the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Saudi Arabian Government.  This then is the free market principle in practice not in theory.  Another failure that began under you.

Perhaps you really can’t criticize Stephen Harper, because you like him have a fuehrer complex, the need to be the alpha male, the big man on campus, the boss.  Unfortunately for you you truly do love the ideal of reform, as with most conservative thinkers, it is an ideal, when it comes to political practice democracy is abandoned for power, and as we know from at least one other conservative thinker absolute power corrupts absolutely.

In this I think we can both agree that Stephen Harper has abandoned all principles except that of staying in power, and changing the country to fit his ideology, not yours, mine or anyone elses and certainly not the Conservative Party. And he learned that ideology at the feet of Barry Cooper, Tom Flanagan, and the right wing political think tank at the University of Calgary. That once hot bed of neo conservative braggadocio about how it was all new, an alternative to the failure of the government welfare state and the socialist economics of Keynes.

Add in a dash of prairie populist Reformism the spirit of recall, reform of the senate, and the right to vote on legislation by petition; Referendum, the three R’s of your Reform Party . All old Alberta ideas from even before they were adopted by you, the son of the Socred Premier of Alberta. The reform agenda was and is prairie populism spread by socialists and social creditors.

In fact in Alberta it was socialist labour and the United Farmers of Alberta that attempted to implement these practices, years before Social Credit.

You know that and so do I because I am a historian of the labour movement in this province.

Doesn’t Stephen remind you of someone?

Dare I say your father; Ernest Manning  and before him Bible Bill Aberhart the creators of the Social Credit movement and Party here in Alberta. Bible Bill despite his name was more  Fuhrer than Premier, he is actually Steve’s ideal, for after only being in power for a short time Aberhart brought in a draconian censorship law prohibiting criticism of his regime, which to its credit to this day the Edmonton Journal challenged to the Supreme Court and won in having it overturned.

Sounds familiar, ignore the charter and constitution and the principles of law, while declaring yourself a law and order government. These of course are the classical principles and practices of what we now call fascism. Harper declares himself a democrat a libertarian free marketer, but in reality as Tom Flanagan now admits to the ‘horror of'’ having created a Prime Minister who considers himself  The Great Leader, and it does not help that 9/11 Truthers believe he shares a birthday with the Fuhrer.

 One does not need to invoke Hitler, to remember that fascism arose following failed revolutions in the Twentieth Century, Aberhart’s Social Credit suffered as much from being a socialized credit system and a National Socialist ideology.

This ideology is still with us within the right wing around the world, at its base it has never changed, it is anti-parliamentary, anti-democratic, but you can vote, as you are told, because all this just gets in the way of the great leaders will.

Unfortunately now that I think of it perhaps it is too much to ask you the founder of the  Manning Centre » Preston Manning, President and CEO, to speak out for defence of our democratic freedoms, of speech, assembly, protest, etc. Principles now challenged by Harpers bill C51.

Or his bill C24 which strip Canadians of their citizenship in violation of UN principles and the principles of the Magna Carta

Or the bills to demand Unions provide financial information to the public, while political parties and corporations don’t have too. We have an identical bill used against First Nations when they receive government funds

We have the total destruction of Science and Research done by the Federal Government. Including libraries and research document holdings being destroyed, the only thing missing is the mass public bonfires. Perfect for Halloween or Guy Fawkes day.

Of course among conservatives there are those proponents of individual freedom and personal choice  that call themselves democratic or libertarian, as in civil libertarian, civil liberties do not conflict with conservative principles based on English jurisprudence.

On the other hand there is the right wing school of thought that embraces Pharaonism, Caesarism, the  Fuhrer Principle, the Strong Man theory of history. In this case the writings and teachings of two University of Chicago professors, Leo Strauss, and Carl Schmitt both idealized the leader of the nation ruling over and uninhibited by the peoples tribunes their parliament, judiciary, senate, all bodies of the state. The strong man simply walks over, tramples, or ignores, all such laws as he does not need or approve of. This of course was one of the schools of thought in the think tank that bred Harper at the University of Calgary.

It is time that those conservatives like yourself decide which side of history you are on those of civil libertarian democrat or those of the strong man Stephen Harper school.

Since you have not spoken out opposing his actions at the time, perhaps now in the final days of this historic election you can once again dig deep into your democratic morals and ethics to really see  Steve in that light how can you remain unmoved to speak out against him.

Mr. Manning you have a chance to make a real difference this election, one that says principles are more important than the party or the man running it. But rather the will of the people, and the people themselves rule, and are not ruled by the party or the leader.

This election we have seen quite clearly it is about one man, not his party, or the Conservative MP’s or Senators, it is about Stephen Harper, as much as he says its not about him. Of course it is.

You once believed that our MP’s were responsible to the voters, and to their constituents, not that they were party men and women who simply transmit the will of the PMO down to the peons.

Sir; as a conscientious compassionate conservative democrat and civil libertarian how can you sit by and remain silent.

Yours for Democracy,

Eugene Plawiuk

Notes and References

Manning Centre for Building Democracy - Facebook

Populism in Europe and the Americas: Threat Or Corrective for Democracy? Populism and Democracy in Canada's Reform Party  

Preston Manning Wikipedia Bio

Number of years Ernest Manning was Premier of Alberta: 25 [1943–1968]

#elxn43 #cdnpoli #abpli #manning 

Bio Fuels = Eco Disaster

The production of biofuels, long a cornerstone of the quest for greener energy, may sometimes create more harmful emissions than fossil fuels, scientific studies are finding.

Says the NYTimes in an article on Palm Oil. Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare

As I have blogged here, Palm Oil production is creating an eco disaster in Indonesia and Malaysia with wildfires and threats to the endangered Organutan population.

And with both the Bush and Harper regimes promoting biofuels in grains and corn the result is increasing prices for these commodities which adversely affect other farm commodities like pork.

The Chair of Manitoba Pork Council says swine producers on the two sides of the Canada U.S. border share a common concern over rapidly rising feed prices resulting from expanded ethanol production.

And this is why the Harpocrites want to open the market up to the big Agribusiness giants like ADM and Cargill who also produce soya, palm oil, etc. But to do that they must eliminate the Wheat Board.

Biofuels are not ecologically sound alternatives to petroleum, they are just another capitalist band-aid, like Kyoto with its carbon exchange marketing.

Capitalism can only offer 'profit based' ways of adjusting to the current ecological and environmental crisis we face. That is because this crisis is about capitalism, which is not sustainable.

That is the real problem of Green Capitalism and all the so called Green alternatives, they are not alternatives at all, merely attempts to ameliorate the worst excesses of capitalism.

Without the development of democratic self managed (worker community control) socialism, capitalism Green or otherwise will continue to lead to planetary entropy.


See

GMO News Roundup

Lost and Found

Boreno is Burning

Bio-Fuels


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primates, organutan, , ADM, ArcherDaniels Midland, , bio-fuels, Canada Wheat Board, , capitalism, Cargill, , ecology, , Environment, , Green, green capitalism, Indonesia, Kyoto, palm oil, , socialism, sustainable, workers control

Welfare for Millionaires

Gee wonder why the Conservatives just don't tell these folks about how their tax breaks are going to help them down on the farm. You know 5% is a Canadian Value. Ingrates.

So when in doubt sign over more welfare checks to farmers while you try and shut down the Wheat Board. Makes sense eh.

Note that the Ontario farmers protesting are demanding a protectionist market and subsidies like the US grants its agribusiness. Not exactly Tory farm policy.....Strahl doesn't mention market-solutions for protesting Farmers

Now imagine the crisis on the farm if we had a free and open market with no Wheat Board or other producer run cooperatives or marketing boards. It would be the end of the so called 'family farm'. Which is long in the tooth and almost non-existant in Canada now.

Strahl promises better relief for struggling farmers
CTV.ca - 9 hours ago
As thousands of farmers converge on Parliament Hill for a massive rally, Federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl is promising better relief for cash-strapped producers.
Provinces have to help, Strahl tells farmers Globe and Mail
Harper promises money for farmers Toronto Star
Brandon Sun - Reuters Canada - CBC Manitoba - 580 CFRA Radio -

Yep these guys would all be gone and all that would be left would be big Agribusiness corporations. Who would then demand subsidies like they do in the US.

Its the battle between the farmer Millionaires versus the Corporate Agri-Billionaires.

And the irony is that these guys are the right wing backbone of the Tories, who demand they kick folks off welfare.



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farmers, Canada, politics, Harper, Conservatives, Government, farm-crisis, Strahl

Liberal Bombshell & Harper Lies

Wow just finished watching tonight's Leadership debate. Much better format, got to actually have some debate. Excellent moderator. Exciting to watch.

The Liberals are absolutely desperate, Paul Martin dropped a bombshell tonight announcing that he will bring in legislation to eliminate the Not Withstanding Clause from the Constitution. This was planned in the war room. Though I think Martin pulled the pin on this particular handgrenade too early and had to toss it into the fray early. Jaws dropped, Harper sputtered and defended the status quo.

Duceppe great line of the night Martin runs like an NDP and governs like the Tories and he got Martin to say Fiscal Imbalance then he got Martin to admit that Quebec is a country.

Harper remembers something about the Conservative plan for the constitution and says if there is any Constitutional change he wants private property put in.

Duceppe and Layton tag teamed it tonight like the good old days of Stampede Wrestling. Beating up on both the Conservatives and Liberals alike.

Martin, Duceppe and Layton ask Harper for his list of leadership donors. Harper lies and says its public. Duceppe and Layton pipe up oh really when did that happen.

Layton stayed on message looked at the camera and said if you want change real change vote NDP.

Harper says that the lowest paid Canadians will get no Liberal tax cut, so his GST cut will help them. Martin reminds economist Harper that his government took hundreds of thousands off the tax roles. Harper says his tax cut will help them. Layton reminds him that his tax cut will hurt working poor and middle class still pay taxes. Harper can't give cost of his promises, and insists his roll back of the Liberal tax plan won't hurt average Canadian taxpayers. He lies again.

Tory tax plan worries some business leaders

Duceppe reminds viewers that when he raised Options Canada, $4.8 million dollar secret National Yes campaign slush fund for the 1995 referendum, in the house the Torys and Liberals defeated his motion. He says Options Canada is not a Liberal scandal but a Liberal, Tory, Federalist scandal. Uh oh.

New book on unity fund adds to Liberal woes

Harper defends supply side management and monopoly of agricultural products in Eastern Canada and Quebec but says he wants to get rid of the Wheat Board and replace it with two tier market model. Wheat Board and open borders.

Harper smiles and looks into the camera. Harper actually smiles not grimaces.

Martin looks like death warmed over.

Layton has a winning smile looks into the camera and talks to viewers.

Duceppe smirks.

Leaders bring grim game face into English debate

Martin, Layton, talk about the 'working class' in Canada. Let me repeat that, no not working families or working Canadians, both Martin and Layton say working class Canadians. Martin says it first. Buzz must be rubbing off on him.

Duceppe in the background 'answer the question' he says repeatedly until Martin says yes he has always said Quebec is a nation.

Harper says he can work with anybody if he is the government. Won't say if he thinks he will be a majority or minority government.

Layton says he can work with whoever is government, outlines his program, five points, repeats it several times. Calls for a vote for the NDP for change.

Harper praises Ed Broadbents NDP plans for electoral reform says they dovetail with his.

Layton hits everyone on supporting his better balanced budget, clarifies that it was the NDP budget not the Liberal budget last summer that passed and Harper and Duceppe opposed it.

Layton doesn't worry about Quebec being a country he says he wants a flexible confederation and get Quebec to sign the Constitution.

Tonights winner, a tie, the tag team of Duceppe and Layton.

Loser Harper, no big hit on Martin, almost looked prime ministerial, took body blow, lied.

Bigger Loser Martin, looks punch drunk, challeged Duceppe and got beat up.

But pulled constitutional rabbit out of the hat which will be THE news story tonight and tomorrow. Martin vows to end federal notwithstanding clause



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