Sen. Mike Johanns said Friday that he has sent letters to the State Department, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Environmental Protection Agency inquiring about the coordination among federal agencies on the environmental impact study for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

 “It is critically important for Nebraskans to have a clear sense of the potential impact of this pipeline, especially because the proposed route includes the Ogallala Aquifer, our state’s most treasured resource,” Johanns said.

He said because many federal agencies should be involved in the siting and safety of this project, “I want to ensure there is no missing link or disconnect between the relevant experts and officials. I am sending these letters to get a better sense of how these government agencies are coordinating. I am hopeful their response will confirm the right people are involved.”

 Click here for a copy of the letter to the State Department.

 Click here for a copy of the letter to the Office of Management and Budget.

 Click here for a copy of the letter to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Environmental News Network reports that the Honda will only manufacture hybrid Civics, “ditching the traditional internal combustion engines, starting in 2011.”

According to the article, the announcement is also part of a shift in Honda’s overall strategy. The article said that “Honda had planned on building even smaller cars and automobiles using clean diesel technology. But those plans ever materialized, so Honda is ditching those plans and will start concentrating on only hybrid engines.”

By 2013, the article said “Honda says it will have as many as five hybrid models on its domestic and international markets. The firm plans on introduce a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that same year, which would compete with the Nissan Leaf. But hybrid technology appears to be the path that Honda wants to follow, and by phasing out older technologies while focusing on one technology, hybrid, Honda hopes that an increased manufacturing of car batteries will allow for scale. If all goes Honda’s way, hybrid Civics would soon cost about the same or even less than those that use the older, gas-guzzling engines.”

Here’s a quick way for the U.S. auto industry to wean America’s away from the internal combustion engine: Do as Henry Ford did with the Model T. According to Wikipedia, his introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry.

According to the Wikipedia article: “He is credited with “Fordism” that is, the mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles using the assembly line , coupled with high wages for his workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace.”

An affordable electric or hybrid car that follows Ford’s Model T vision will do more than any government policy to wean Americans away from the fossil fuel internal combustion engine. Can consumerism be the key to combating global climate change?

According to the Wikipedia article, “By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model T’s.” Between the Big Three U.S. auto makers and foreign competition, there’s no reason why by 2018 more than half of U.S. automobiles will be electric or hybrid vehicles.

According to R-CALF USA, it’s Australian sister organization, the Australian Beef Association (ABA), has submitted comments to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) protesting the proposed acquisition of Rockdale Beef (Rockdale) by JBS Swift (JBS).

 In its comments, according to R-CALF USA, ABA states that in just three years, JBS has gone from being a non-existent factor in Australia’s beef-killing market to the No. 1 beef packer, processing 25 percent of Australia’s cattle. ABA cites that the acquisition of Rockdale would increase JBS’ market hold to 27 percent, and the group is concerned that if JBS continues to grow at its current rate, it will control over 50 percent of the beef kill by 2013.

 “We believe that this is the time to question the breakneck speed of JBS’ growth and how far JBS is to be allowed to go,” said ABA Chairman Brad Bellinger. “We are very aware of the precarious state of many Australian processors who do not have access to the extremely low interest loans that the Brazilian Development Bank grants to JBS.”

 The ABA comments point out several concerns. For example, if the Rockdale feedlot – a key site – were merged with the existing JBS feedlots at Griffith and Barraboi, a combined capacity of 110,000 head in the Riverina and Northern Victoria would exert considerable buying power for not only feeder cattle but also feed grains in one of Australia’s prominent grain-growing areas. JBS also would have the added advantage of combining this market power with strategically located feedlots at Toowoomba, Mungindi and the Liverpool Plains. Current feedlot capacity of JBS is 110,000 head, and the purchase of Rockdale would increase this to 163,500 head.

 ABA is also concerned, according to R-CALF USA, about the high cost of road transport in Australia, which has made the geographical placement of meat processing, feedlot and grain growing areas even more important to the profitability of vertically integrated beef processing and feeding operations. If JBS/Swift were to merge with Rockdale, it would increase its current feedlot capacity from 110,000 to 163,000 head.

 “Allowing JBS to increase the capacity of its feedlot and processing facilities, as well as JBS’ geographical spread would increase market power of one entity, giving JBS an increased ability to set prices,” Bellinger said.

 Another important note included in ABA’s comments was the group’s concern about JBS’ history of engaging in anticompetitive practices.

 “Dow Jones Newswires reported in November 2007 that JBS SA Friboi Group was among a number of Brazilian companies which, after a 2 year investigation by the Brazilian Justice Department’s Anti-trust Division, were accused of engaging in anticompetitive practices,” the comments state. “JBS SA was reportedly charged with anticompetitive prices for coordinating price agreements among themselves in order to keep cattle prices low when purchasing livestock for slaughter. JBS denied the charges; however, in a subsequent news article, JBS SA reportedly agreed to pay $8.5 million to an antitrust fund as a result of the charges and agreed to end the practices that were allegedly anticompetitive.”

 “This example demonstrates that it is highly likely that the Australian feeder cattle market would be subject to coordinated interaction by JBS Brazil given that the company was reportedly accused and found culpable based on the payment of restitution,” commented Bellinger. “ABA is requesting that the ACCC thoroughly analyze this effort by JBS to acquire Rockdale Beef to determine the potential dangers to Australia’s beef industry.”

With the groundbreaking of the wind farm in Boone County Wednesday, Nebraska is positioning itself to be one of the nation’s leading alternative, renewable energy producers.

A psychological lift  was given to Nebraska’s efforts to be a national renewable energy leader on Wednesday when the Environmental Protection Agency rated a draft environmental impact statement for the pipeline as “inadequate,” its lowest rating, according to an article in the Omaha World Herald.

According to the story, in a letter, Carolyn Giles, the EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, said the statement should be revised to address several concerns.

Among the concerns is the potential for harm to the Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies the Sand Hills and provides drinking water for almost 80 percent of Nebraskans.

The pipeline, 36 inches in diameter, would more than double the capacity for shipping tar-sand oil to the United States.

The EPA said possible conflicts between the pipeline and the Niobrara River’s status as a national scenic river also need further analysis.

In general, the agency said, the draft statement was inadequate in addressing these points:

* The purpose and need for the project.

* Potential greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project.

* Air pollutant emissions at the receiving refineries.

* The pipeline’s safety and spill response.

* Potential impacts to minority communities, wetlands and migratory birds.

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has expressed concerns to the State Department about the safety and environmental effects of the pipeline.

The psychological boost by stopping this pipeline is it emphasize the need for renewable energy more. The more we wean our economy off a  near dependence on fossil fuels, the better the incentive to replace that energy with alternative and renewable sources. A cold turkey approach would be disastrous.

 Ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar and other alternative and renewable forms of energy will prosper better in an era where we begin to become more dependent on these types of energy. Not total dependence, but building the needed infrastructure to increase these altnerative and renewable energy viability as dependable energy resources that adds to a diversified mix of energy resources.

Through conservation and diversification of the nation’s energy resources, we will still depend on fossil fuels, but at a far lesser degree. Adding more fossil fuel sources into the mix, at a huge environmental costs, is just not the right strategy at this time to pursue.

Along with taking a hard look at the necessity of expanding fossil resources, the EPA needs to quickly approve the 15 percent blend of ethanol in gasoline. But let’s not stop there. What’s stopping every car produced in the United States from being able to run on 85 percent ethanol or 100 percent ethanol, like in Brazil.

This could be a huge boost, not so much for farmers, but it will trigger a technological aftermath of new innovation that will allow renewables to become an even bigger part of the America’s energy mix. This will be one of those events that changes the direction of society. It won’t be overnight, but it will lead us down a path where going back to the old ways would be more costly and ineffective.

Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, said that iincreasing the use of ethanol in our cars will only benefit the country as it would create more than 136,000 new jobs in the U.S., reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 7 billion gallons, reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 10.5 million cars from the road, and revitalize our rural communities.