Latest news with #SallyTurner
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois ‘chicken bill' aims to boost small poultry farms, expand access to their products
Legislation would allow farmers to sell their poultry at farmers markets, roadside stands and through delivery By GRACE FRIEDMANMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@ SPRINGFIELD — A bill that would lift long-standing restrictions on small poultry farmers in Illinois, reducing red tape and transforming the way local farmers process and sell their products, is heading to the governor. Under a measure dubbed the 'chicken bill,' farmers who process fewer than 7,500 birds annually would be exempt from state and federal inspections of their poultry operations or from having to send birds to USDA-approved processing facilities — an increase from the previous 5,000-bird threshold. The change, part of an update to the Illinois Meat and Poultry Inspection Act, also allows these farmers to sell their poultry beyond their own farms — including at farmers markets, roadside stands and through delivery — a major shift from earlier restrictions. 'This is important for our small farmers to be able to get their product to the community, and that's what this is all about,' said Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, who co-sponsored the bill. The Illinois House voted 116-0 on Friday, May 30, to approve House Bill 2196, and the Senate passed it unanimously on May 22. Turner represents a largely rural district spanning 10 counties. 'Farmers in my community, especially small farmers, are important to me, personally, but also to our whole district,' she said. State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, a farmer himself, said the legislation provides local agriculture with a much-needed boost. 'We always want to get the freshest product to the consumer. We want them to know where it came from,' Meier said. 'So what's better than meeting the farmer who's raised those chickens, knowing where they're coming from? They're fresh, and you're getting a good, healthy product.' Initially, the bill faced pushback from some public health groups, which argued for stricter labeling and packaging rules to ensure the safety of poultry products for consumption. The revised bill includes mandated temperature controls during storage, transportation, shipping and delivery. Processed poultry must be packaged in sealed, leak-proof containers to prevent contamination. Each package must also be clearly labeled with the farm's name and address, the product name, net weight and a statement indicating that the poultry was processed under exemption and not inspected by state or federal authorities. 'Everything you see in that bill was done by some of the public health coalitions,' Michael Desmedt, interim director of public health for DuPage County, said. 'I think our voices were heard, and they understood our concerns.'' Ed Dubrick, a poultry farmer and policy organizer with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for sustainable agriculture, said he went around the state and asked livestock farmers what they needed to help with the processing of their animals. Dubrick said the current exemption was too limiting because farmers could only sell 'on or from the farm.' 'Expecting someone to come to the farm every time they want some chicken just really isn't realistic,' he said. 'But if we can bring it to a farmers market where the consumers are, that adds an opportunity.' Illinois is one of the few states without more flexible on-farm poultry processing exemptions, Dubrick said. 'In many states — about 40 — you're allowed to process up to 20,000 birds under similar rules. We're only asking for 7,500,' he said. Farmers will benefit, according to Dubrick. 'It gives them the opportunity to drive both their production and their profits on their farms,' he said For consumers, he said, 'I think you'll see an increase in the availability of local poultry, and I don't think you'll see any difference in food quality or safety. Farmers are proud of their product. They're not going to put their name, their reputation, their business on the line.' Anna Morrell, co-owner of The Little Farm at Weldon Springs in Clinton, said the bill could make it more viable for her and her husband to scale up their small operation, which began in 2020. 'This basically just opens up another avenue for getting poultry processed with lower overhead and gives us an avenue of sales into farmers markets,' Morrell said. 'We're currently not operating under the poultry exemption. We take our meat to USDA-inspected facilities, but there are very few processors in Illinois that process poultry.' Morrell said the current law had made it more challenging for poultry farmers in Illinois to sell their products; this bill would decrease the number of miles farmers have to travel to get their poultry processed. If signed, Legislators and advocates say the bill represents a rare collaboration between producers, public health departments and state lawmakers. 'And let's see if we can't keep a few more farm families on the farm and give kids another chance at a future on the farm,' Meier said. Grace Friedman is a journalism student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta strikes 20-year nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy
An aerial view of the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. (Constellation Energy photo) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Facebook's parent company Meta locked in 20 years of nuclear power on Tuesday from Constellation Energy to help meet the tech giant's surging energy demand for artificial intelligence and its other power-intensive computing needs. 'Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions,' Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said in a statement. The agreement, which calls for Constellation to provide Meta with 1.1 gigawatts of power from its Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, is the latest in a slew of deals tying large tech companies to nuclear energy. Google signed the first corporate agreement to purchase nuclear energy from multiple small modular reactors (SMRs) developed by Kairos Power in October. Amazon anchored a $500 million investment into X-energy Reactor Co.'s research and development of SMRs and is working with Dominion Energy to advance nuclear development in Virginia. Microsoft entered into a power purchase agreement with Constellation in September to restart the energy company's Three Mile Island nuclear unit in Pennsylvania. The 20-year deal is slated to contribute to Microsoft's goal of matching the power its data centers use with carbon-free energy. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center, about 160 miles southwest of Chicago, was slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses. But a zero-emission credit program saved the plant after legislation in Illinois provided financial support into mid-2027. The agreement announced Tuesday with Meta takes effect in June 2027, when the state's taxpayer credit program expires. It essentially replaces the credit program and ensures long-term operations of the plant without ratepayer support, according to Constellation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'This partnership keeps Clinton at the forefront of clean energy while securing jobs and driving local growth,' said Illinois state Rep. Sally Turner, a Republican representing the 44th district, which includes Clinton. 'It's the kind of smart, private investment that strengthens communities without adding taxpayer burden.' The Clinton power purchase agreement is set to preserve more than 1,000 local jobs and deliver $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the Baltimore-based energy company. Bobby Wendell, an official at a unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said in a statement that the agreement will deliver a 'stable work environment' for workers at the plant. The Energy Center generates enough clean electricity to power some 800,000 homes, according to Constellation. The deal with Meta will relicense and continue the operations in Clinton, while expanding its output by 30 megawatts from its current 1,121 megawatts. The financial details of the deal between Meta and Constellation were not disclosed. The power purchase agreement comes as nuclear regains traction. Some see the energy source as an answer for the increasing power demands from data centers and AI as long as the technology can scale. A coalition of large energy users like Amazon, Google, Dow and Meta pledged in March to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Financial institutions like Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley also endorsed the commitment for nuclear expansion. Constellation President and CEO Joe Dominguez said the deal with Meta ensures prior mistakes aren't repeated by allowing a valuable energy plant to shut down as demand soars. 'Sometimes the most important part of our journey forward is to stop taking steps backwards,' Dominguez said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBC
16-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Canadian campers are going 'elbows up' and staying north of the border amid U.S. trade war
Social Sharing Some outdoorsy Canadians are planning to build their tents with elbows up this summer as the season unofficially kicks off this long weekend. Sally Turner says she and her husband plan to do their camping, canoeing and biking this year in Canadian national parks, including at Jasper National Park this weekend, because of the U.S. trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to make Canada a 51st state. "I have, in the past, camped in the United States, but that's not going to happen in the near future," Turner said while shopping for camping gear in Edmonton. "Most of the people I know are very much choosing to camp in Canada. Elbows up." Albertan Travis Pegg, however, said he's indifferent to the trade war. "The price of fuel and the cost of getting to the States would have more influence on whether I camp there or not, not the tariff war," said Pegg, a resident of Wainwright, a town about 220 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. "I don't worry about anything I can't do anything about. It just causes stress. I just try to survive." WATCH | Alberta's new camping booking system: How is the province's new camping booking system holding up? 1 year ago Duration 5:02 Summer plans for some children have also been affected by the tariff war, says the head of the Canadian Camping Association, which accredits and oversees youth summer camps across the country. Executive director Matt Wilfrid says fewer children are being enrolled in summer camps this year due to the economic uncertainty Trump's tariffs have created. Wilfrid said more parents have been asking about refund policies and payment plans at their camps. He said an increasing number of camps are struggling with budgets for the summer as the cost of food, activities and staffing has become unpredictable. "Running a summer camp is akin to planning a wedding for thousands of people who don't know each other," Wilfrid said. During his election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney was among the Canadians calling for people to celebrate the country after Trump's threats by going to its national parks. He pledged to create a "Canada Strong Pass" that would make access to national parks free for the summer. "Whether it's trips to national parks and historic sites, spending the day at a national art gallery or museum, or hiking Canadian trails, my new government will help the next generation discover all Canada has to offer this summer," he said. "We are a proud country — and united, we will strengthen our Canadian identity in the face of this crisis." Carney's office did not respond to questions about the status of that pledge. Back on the Prairies, Alberta Parks says it has seen around a 25 per cent increase in bookings through its camping reservation system for both March and April compared to the previous year. But Alexandru Cioban, press secretary for Forestry Minister Todd Loewen, has said it's difficult to say whether the increase is due to the tariff war. Ontario Parks says it's on track to have very similar booking numbers as recent years — roughly 12 million. "I do not have any live stats readily available in terms of U.S. visitors, but [I] can say that well over 90 per cent of our visitors come from within Ontario," spokesperson Dave Hunt said in an email. Parks Canada said demand for camping reservations continues to be strong this summer. It says 17 per cent of parks visitors came from the United States in 2023-24, and 16 per cent came from overseas. "The steady interest highlights the enduring appeal of the natural heritage in Canada and the importance of protecting these sites for future generations," it said in an email.
Edmonton Journal
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Canadian campers going 'elbows up' this summer amid U.S. trade war
Article content EDMONTON — Some outdoorsy Canadians are planning to build their tents with elbows up this summer as the season unofficially kicks off this long weekend. Sally Turner says she and her husband plan to do their camping, canoeing and biking this year in Canadian national parks, including at Jasper National Park this weekend, because of the U.S. trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to make Canada a 51st state.
CTV News
16-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Canadian campers going ‘elbows up' this summer amid U.S. trade war
Tourists take in the views from the newly opened Glacier SkyWalk near the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park, Alta., Wednesday, May 7, CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh EDMONTON — Some outdoorsy Canadians are planning to build their tents with elbows up this summer as the season unofficially kicks off this long weekend. Sally Turner says she and her husband plan to do their camping, canoeing and biking this year in Canadian national parks, including at Jasper National Park this weekend, because of the U.S. trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to make Canada a 51st state. 'I have, in the past, camped in the United States, but that's not going to happen in the near future,' Turner said while shopping for camping gear in Edmonton. 'Most of the people I know are very much choosing to camp in Canada. Elbows up.' Albertan Travis Pegg, however, said he's indifferent to the trade war. 'The price of fuel and the cost of getting to the States would have more influence on whether I camp there or not, not the tariff war,' said Pegg, a resident of Wainwright, a town southeast of Edmonton. 'I don't worry about anything I can't do anything about. It just causes stress. I just try to survive.' Summer plans for some children have also been affected by the tariff war, says the head of the Canadian Camping Association, which accredits and oversees youth summer camps across the country. Executive director Matt Wilfrid says fewer children are being enrolled in summer camps this year due to the economic uncertainty Trump's tariffs have created. Wilfrid said more parents have been asking about refund policies and payment plans at their camps. He said an increasing number of camps are struggling with budgets for the summer as the cost of food, activities and staffing has become unpredictable. 'Running a summer camp is akin to planning a wedding for thousands of people who don't know each other,' Wilfrid said. During his election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney was among the Canadians calling for people to celebrate the country after Trump's threats by going to its national parks. He pledged to create a 'Canada Strong Pass' that would make access to national parks free for the summer. 'Whether it's trips to national parks and historic sites, spending the day at a national art gallery or museum, or hiking Canadian trails, my new government will help the next generation discover all Canada has to offer this summer,' he said. 'We are a proud country – and united, we will strengthen our Canadian identity in the face of this crisis.' Carney's office did not respond to questions about the status of that pledge. Back on the Prairies, Alberta Parks says it has seen around a 25 per cent increase in bookings through its camping reservation system for both March and April compared to the previous year. But Alexandru Cioban, press secretary for Forestry Minister Todd Loewen, has said it's difficult to say whether the increase is due to the tariff war. Ontario Parks says it's on track to have very similar booking numbers as recent years -- roughly 12 million. 'I do not have any live stats readily available in terms of U.S. visitors, but (I) can say that well over 90 per cent of our visitors come from within Ontario,' spokesman Dave Hunt said in an email. Parks Canada said demand for camping reservations continues to be strong this summer. It says 17 per cent of parks visitors came from the United States in 2023-24, and 16 per cent came from overseas. 'The steady interest highlights the enduring appeal of the natural heritage in Canada and the importance of protecting these sites for future generations,' it said in an email. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025. Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
