MADISON, Wisconsin, May 29 -- The University of Wisconsin Madison campus issued the following news: A map showing the percentage of abandoned farmland within a 36-square-kilometer area. Most of the more than 30 million acres of cultivated land abandoned between 1986 and 2018 is concentrated in the Great Plains and the Mississippi River valley. Farmland is often a battleground in the fight against climate change. Solar panels and energy crops are pitted against food production, while well-inte  more

WASHINGTON, May 29 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12370) on May 28, 2024, by natural resources policy specialists Anna E. Normand and Nicole T. Carter. Here are excerpts: * * * U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: FY2024 Appropriations Congress generally funds the civil works activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in annual Energy and Water Development appropriations acts. These activities include the planning and construction  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 31 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-St. Paul District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters selected Alex Webb, an attorney with the Corps of Engineers' St. Paul District and Eagan, Minnesota, resident, as its 2024 recipient of the E. Manning Seltzer Award for his work on the Upper Mississippi River Dredged Material Management Program. The E. Manning Award is a national award named after the chief legal advisor to the Chief  more

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, May 30 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release: Dogs break through fences in terror, birds abandon their nests, and panicked animals flee onto roadways during fireworks shows. That's why PETA sent a letter this morning to Melaleuca Inc. Executive Chair Frank L. VanderSloot asking him to reallocate the resources usually spent to produce the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration's fireworks display--which USA Today notes is the biggest firework  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 27 -- The Minnesota Utilities Commission issued the following decision involving Otter Tail Power Co. and Northern States Power Co. dba Xcel Energy: * * * INTRODUCTION DECISION ITEMS 1. Details 2024-092 ** E002/CN-22-532; E002/TL-23-157 Northern States Power Co., d/b/a Xcel Energy In the Matter of the Application of Xcel Energy for a Certificate of Need and Route Permit for the Mankato - Mississippi River 345 kV Transmission Line Project in Southeast Minnesota. 1  more

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois, May 30 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Rock Island District issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, in collaboration with the Lee County Conservation Board, invites the public to attend an open house June 3 to learn more about an ecosystem restoration project planned in Lee County on the Mississippi River. The event will take place from 5:15-7:00 p.m. at the Lee County Conservation Center located at 2652 US-61 in Mont  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, May 30 -- The University of Arkansas issued the following news: A group of University of Arkansas at Little Rock students came in second place during a challenging national real estate competition where they battled 16 teams from universities across the country. UA Little Rock came in second during the Undergraduate Division of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation's Annual Real Estate Challenge, which matches teams from selected universities in a competition that normally   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, May 30 (TNSres) -- The University of Memphis issued the following news release: * * * Division of Research & Innovation Secures NSF Award for Electrified and Automated Trucking; Eight Winning Proposals at Inaugural Innovation Challenge by FedEx Institute of Technology * * * The University of Memphis will establish the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking (CEAT) in collaboration with Purdue University after receiving an award from the National Science Foundation's  more