A coalition, including the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), VoteVets.org Action Fund, Sierra Club and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have launched new TV ads in Nebraska criticizing Sens. Nelson and Johanns for voting for Sen. Murkowski’s “Big Oil Bailout” and siding with Big Oil. 

According to the coalition, the ads are part of a $2 million ad buy across four states, the first effort in an $11 million ad campaign to help ensure that the U.S. Senate takes decisive action on comprehensive energy and climate legislation this summer. 

 ”By supporting the Big Oil Bailout, Sens. Nelson and Johanns voted against holding oil companies accountable,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “When it comes to our energy future, senators need to choose between siding with the Big Oil companies who have been blocking reform for decades and standing with the majority of Americans who want comprehensive clean energy policies. As the U.S. Senate debates comprehensive energy and climate legislation, we will continue to inform constituents about their senators’ records – whether they vote to let Big Oil off the hook or to transition our nation to a clean energy economy that creates jobs, reduces pollution and enhances our national security.”

Jon Soltz, Iraq War veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org. saud clean energy doesn’t just protect the environment, it protects America, and puts people back to work.

“Neither our national security nor our economy can survive the status quo, which sees us sending oil money to the same terrorists we’re fighting, and surrendering jobs to foreign nations that are investing in clean energy technology right now,” he said. ”Constituents need to know where their Senators stand – with big oil, or with our troops and America.”

 According to the coalition, “Clean Up,” which is running in Nebraska, criticizes Sens. Nelson and Johanns for voting for the “Big Oil Bailout” while also taking thousands in campaign cash from the Big Oil companies. The ads feature an oil-slicked politician being “rescued” from an oil spill. The ads are running statewide for the next two weeks.

 ”As the nation continues to grapple with the BP oil disaster, one thing remains very clear – the urgent need to end to our dependence on oil,” said Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “Now is the time for real action from our nation’s leaders to craft a foundation on which we can build an America free from oil addiction, create millions of new clean energy manufacturing, construction, and service jobs here at home,  and reduce the carbon pollution that is threatening our economy, our health, and our climate. We’re joining our colleagues in the national security, labor, and conservationist communities today to tell Senators that the American people won’t tolerate shills for Big Oil and that won’t settle for anything less than a clean energy future.”

 SEIU president Mary Kay Henry said that clean energy offers the hope of new middle class jobs on which you can raise a family and send your kids to college.

“If Senators care about working families, this is a no-brainer,” she said.

 This effort, according to the coalition, ”is part of a sustained, multi-media campaign to call out those senators who stand with Big Oil and other corporate polluters and praise those senators who stand with the majority of Americans by supporting a bold clean energy and climate bill. This is one of the largest collaborative efforts to date to educate the public on where key Senators stand on the historic fight to put America back in control of our energy future with legislation that creates new clean energy jobs, reduces our dangerous addiction to oil and curbs harmful carbon pollution.”

In response to the ads, Nelson said, “It seems special interest attack ads are the only thing bipartisan about Washington.”

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson and American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman testified Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry to review the 2008 Farm Bill and prepare for the 2012 Farm Bill.

Nebraska producers increased acreage planted to soybeans, dry edible beans, and sunflowers from a year ago, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.

Acres devoted to corn, winter wheat, hay, sorghum, sugarbeets and oats are decreased while proso millet acreage is unchanged from a year ago.

Nebraska corn growers planted 8.8 million acres for all purposes in 2010, down 4 percent from last year. Biotechnology varieties accounted for 91 percent of the planted acreage, unchanged from a year ago.

Soybean producers planted 5.4 million acres, up 13 percent from the previous year and a record high. Biotechnology varieties resistant to herbicides accounted for 94 percent of the planted acreage, down from 96 percent last year.

Last fall, winter wheat was sown on 1.6 million acres, down 6 percent from 2009. Area for harvest, at 1.52 million, is down 5 percent from 2009.

Sorghum growers planted 145,000 acres, 38 percent less than 2009 and the lowest planted area since 1930.

Alfalfa hay acreage for harvest, at 920,000, is down 3 percent from last year. Other types of hay, at 1.75 million acres, is unchanged from a year earlier.

Dry edible bean producers planted 160,000 acres, up 23 percent from a year earlier. Oat seedings, at 95,000 acres, are down 5 percent from 2009. Proso Millet plantings, at 95,000 acres, are unchanged from a year ago. Sunflower acres of 65,000 are up 25 percent from 2009. Sugarbeet plantings of 50,000 acres are down 6 percent from last year.

Kelly Brunkhorst, director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board, said Nebraska corn crop continues to show high ratings following the June rains that have blanketed a good portion of the state. He said good to excellent ratings of 81 percent are just below last year at this time, with last year’s corn crop a record, up over 12% from the previous year.

Couple this with USDA’s planted acreage in Nebraska of 8.8 million acres, this should keep Nebraska as the third largest corn producing state in the nation, Brunkhorst said.

“With the beneficial spring planting weather, producers made good time in planting,” he said . Following planting, we saw rains cover a good portion of the state and provide good moisture, which has gotten this year’s corn off to a great start.”

Unfortunately, Brunkhorst said  some areas of the state have seen damaging floods and hail that will take some time to realize the impacts.

“Our concern goes out to the family farmers that were impacted by the pockets of heavy rains and damaging hail,” stated Brunkhorst.

Nationally, USDA reported today corn planted acres at 87.872 million acres, which is up 2 percent from last year.

USDA also released on Wednesday their June 1 stocks report, with Nebraska total stocks up over 7 percent from last year. Broken down, on-farm stocks of 255 million bushels is up 2 percent from last year and off-farm stocks of 265.6 million bushels is up nearly 13 percent. Nationally, stocks are up 1 percent from last year.

“With corn stocks up both in Nebraska and nationally, along with a strong start to the corn progress, we have the beginnings of another good corn crop,” Brunkhorst said. “Corn farmers continue to prove they can provide corn to meet the nation’s and world’s needs, supplying food, feed, fiber and fuel and maintain a surplus of corn.”

With renewable fuel supporters upset with the EPA’s continued delay of allowing E15 at gasoline pumps with more and more E85 vehicles on the road, Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., along with Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.,   introduced the Consumer Fuels Choice Act of 2010.

According to Smith, the legislation would increase the use of clean renewable biofuels by providing grants to defray the cost of installing blender pump infrastructure.

A “blender pump” is a fuel pump capable of dispensing at least three different blends of gasoline and ethanol, as selected by the pump operator. Smith said the spread of blender pumps around the country would allow a much larger group of consumers to choose varying blends of ethanol and gasoline for their vehicles.

Nationwide, Smith said most of the approximately 165 stations which currently have blender pumps are located in the Midwest. A Bossleman’s Pump & Pantry station in Grand Island has a blenders pump.

According to Smith,  the Consumer Fuels Choice Act will authorize grants of 50 percent of the cost of installing blender pumps and storage tanks for the sale of ethanol fuel blends, including E-85 fuel.

Nebraska, a leader in ethanol production, lags behind in fueling stations with only four. South Dakota currently has 49 locations with about 95 blender pumps.

Herseth Sandlin said, “It’s more important than ever that we diversify our fuel sources. South Dakota is already leading the way when it comes to the production and use of renewable biofuels, and producers across rural America stand ready to continue to help move our country away from a dependence on foreign oil. By providing grants for the installation of blender pumps we can begin to cut down on the prices American are paying at the pump, and bring us one step closer to energy independence.”

“The longer we continue to depend on other countries for the energy which drives our economy, the greater the likelihood of again facing sky-high prices for fuel. The use of alternative fuels will help diversity our nation’s fuel supply in an era of global volatility and high demand for energy. I have faith the market will ultimately prevail and our legislation puts the choice in the hands of consumers,” Smith said.

The legislation comes just days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a 21-page report entitled “A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022.”

Smith said the report identifies the region of the United States which includes South Dakota and Nebraska as “one of two regions with the most potential for near and long term development of biofuels.”

Smith said the report is part of USDA’s efforts to foster a national strategy focused on various regions in the country which seeks to eliminate obstacles to the full development of biofuels markets. These obstacles, he said, include the lack of adequate blender pump infrastructure to dispense biofuels. As noted in the report, “For retail sales, the installation of blender pumps will be necessary at the retail level to provide outlet of the product to the consumer.”