Rural News Clips, Sept. 5, 2024
Errors in Deloitte-Run Medicaid systems can cost millions and take years to fix; State dam safety programs could get new look after summer storms; More hungry after Covid-era programs end
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CAMPAIGN FOR RURAL PROGRESS
Kentucky Lantern
East Kentucky Power Co-op selected for federal funding to build or buy renewable energy
Sept. 5, 2024
“A Kentucky electric utility serving more than 570,000 homes, farms and businesses across 89 counties is getting a federal funding boost to invest in renewable energy. “
“East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), based in Winchester, is one of 16 rural electric utilities across the country selected to receive a portion of $9.7 billion through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America program (New ERA), made possible through the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. “
“The program specifically targets rural member-owned electric cooperatives, and EKPC provides electricity to 16 electric cooperatives in the state.”
“A USDA press release states EKPC will use the funding, the amount yet to be finalized, to ‘construct or procure’ 757 megawatts of renewable electricity along with improving ‘the regional transmission grid to support renewable projects and increase energy efficiency.’”
“The USDA release states the investment will reduce pollution, including carbon dioxide emissions, by 2.3 million tons every year, equating to the pollution from 554,000 gasoline-powered cars annually.”
POLITICS AND ELECTIONS
Route Fifty
In states that banned ‘Zuckerbucks,’ election offices remain underfunded
Aug. 14, 2024
“In the wake of the 2020 election, more than two dozen states banned or regulated the use of private or philanthropic funding to help pay for election administration.”
“States argued that the bans were necessary to protect election integrity and ensure that only public funds were being used.”
“Given the extra expense of administering elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Tech and Civic Life had stepped in with grants, backed by donations from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.”
“Those grants, which ranged from a few thousand dollars to millions, were quickly derided as ‘Zuckerbucks’ by some. But a recent report from the Institute for Responsive Government, an advocacy organization, highlighted how their outlawing has left gaping holes in states’ budgets, with many lawmakers unwilling or unable to fill them.”
The Conversation
No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal safeguards
Sept. 4, 2024
“Some local election officials have refused to certify election results in the past few years. Georgia has new administrative rules that invite election officials to investigate results before certifying.
“But, “There isn’t one weird trick to steal a presidential election. And there are ample safeguards to ensure ballots are tabulated accurately and election results are certified in a timely manner.”
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Walz campaigning in Erie, a bellwether Pennsylvania county
Sept. 5, 2024
“Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ nominee for vice president, will wrap a two-day swing through Pennsylvania in Erie today, after Wednesday stops in Lancaster and Pittsburgh. It will be a key campaign rally for Walz, who has limited time to introduce himself to — and win over — Keystone State voters.”
“Erie is widely viewed as a key piece of the Pennsylvania electoral puzzle, the bellwether of the must-win battleground state.”
“Perhaps more than Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Erie mimics Pennsylvania in terms of its rural, urban and suburban populations.”
“The city of Erie remains a Democratic stronghold, but the GOP has made gains at the county level, even as overall population continues to decline.”
“Former President Donald Trump held one of his first 2024 campaign rallies here in July 2023, and his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, spoke in Erie last week.”
“Trump bested Hillary Clinton in Erie County in 2016 by just over 1,900 votes, a crushing loss for Democrats as the state flipped red. Clinton did not make campaign appearances in Erie during her presidential run.”
Daily Montanan
Poll finds Sheehy expanding lead over Tester, with economic issues topping Montana concerns
Sept. 5, 2024
“A new comprehensive poll commissioned by Montana’s AARP and released Thursday shows that incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester continues to fall behind incumbent Republican challenger Tim Sheehy, while economic issues top the list of concerns for most voters.”
“The poll, which utilized two polling firms, right-leaning Fabrizio-Ward and left-leaning David Binder Research, focused on issues and voters more than the age of 50, which play an outsized roll in the Montana electorate.”
“The research also indicates that incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte holds a strong lead over Democratic challenger Ryan Busse, who remains largely unknown in the polling data.”
“The results also show that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump maintains a sizable lead over Democrat Kamala Harris, while Montana’s western Congressional district remains competitive with Democrat Monica Tranel trailing closely behind Republican incumbent Rep. Ryan Zinke.”
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Pa. appeals court rules provisional votes must be counted in ‘naked ballots’ case
Sept. 5, 2024
“Pennsylvania election officials must count provisional ballots cast by voters who find out or suspect that their mail-in ballots have been rejected, Commonwealth Court ruled Thursday.”
“The 2-1 decision, which is likely to be appealed to the state Supreme Court, reverses a ruling by a Butler County judge who ruled election officials did not have to count provisional votes cast by two voters whose ‘naked’ mail-in ballots were rejected because they lacked secrecy envelopes inside the return envelopes.”
“In an opinion for the Commonwealth Court majority, Judge Matthew S. Wolf found the Butler County Board of Elections did not have a legal basis to refuse to count the voters’ provisional ballots. Judge Lori Dumas cast the dissenting vote but did not issue a separate opinion.”
AGRICULTURE
Missouri Independent
Missouri’s youth agriculture groups prepare kids for the ‘long haul’
Sept. 5, 2024
“Missouri agriculture appears to be consolidating. According to the federal agriculture census, the number of farms in Missouri has been consistently decreasing since at least the mid-1990s. At the same time, the average acres per farm has been rising in the last decade.”
“U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows the average age of farmers across the nation continues to climb, reaching 58 in 2022.”
“Agriculture leaders hope that as baby boomers retire, a new crop of enthusiastic and skilled young farmers are able to take their place.”
“Organizers of youth agriculture groups say they’ve been intentional about responding to the stresses the industry is experiencing. In addition to agricultural experience, the groups now offer more financial tools aspiring farmers need to start their careers.”
“Showing an animal at a state or county fair is a crash course for developing financial management skills — and for the labor required in agriculture.”
COVID-19
The Daily Yonder
Analysis: Some Rural Counties Are Recovering from the Effects of the Pandemic Faster than their Urban Counterparts
Sept. 5, 2024
“In a new study of counties that have historically trailed national growth trends, rural fared better than urban. Still, experts don’t think a recent economic boom will change the way these rural counties vote in November.”
EDUCATION
Route Fifty
Community colleges step up to address young adults’ mental health
Aug, 29, 2024
“Young people are increasingly ‘uncertain about what's going to happen in the future, and they don't really see an easy path to get there,” said Carol Graham, senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution.
“Rising college and housing costs have made key pieces of the American dream harder for young people to achieve.”
“Social media has been blamed for declining youth mental health. And issues like political polarization, climate change and a tough job market for the college graduating class of 2024 are also contributing to a loss of hope among college-age individuals, Graham said.”
“Now community colleges, which play a key role in making postsecondary education more accessible, are focusing on their students’ mental health and life skills, along with academic education and career readiness.”
FOOD AND HUNGER
Route Fifty
More Americans go hungry after COVID relief measures end
Sept. 5, 2024
“The percentage of American households who went hungry at least some of the time rose again last year, marking the second straight year of increases in food insecurity after nearly a decade of decline, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released this week.”
“The increase is the result of the end of COVID-19 pandemic relief programs coupled with current economic realities, including instability in the labor market and higher food prices and housing costs,”
“The increase in food insecurity comes as Congress considers reauthorization of the farm bill, which funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the country’s largest food assistance program. SNAP benefits have been a key sticking point in farm bill negotiations.”
“Households in the South continued to experience higher rates of food insecurity compared to other regions.”
“And compared to the pre-pandemic years, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas all saw increases in food insecurity.”
Reuters
Hunger in US continued multi-year rise in 2023, government report says
Sept. 4, 2024
“Hunger reached its highest point in the United States in nearly a decade last year, with 18 million households, or 13.5%, struggling at some point to secure enough food, a Department of Agriculture report released on Wednesday said.”
“One million more households were food insecure in 2023 than in 2022, the USDA report said.”
“Hunger has been on the rise in the country since 2021, after years of decline. U.S. Census Bureau data last year showed a rise in food insecurity after the end of programs that expanded food aid during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Anti-hunger group Feeding America found in May that hungry people in the United States were facing a $33.1 billion shortfall in money to meet their food needs, in part due to higher food prices.”
“Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that Congress was to blame for failing to pass an expanded child tax credit, this year and expanding work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's largest food aid program, last year.”
GUNS
Georgia Recorder
Georgia lawmakers reconsider bills to hold adults accountable for firearm safety
Sept. 5, 2024
“Gun safety advocates representing nonprofits, law enforcement, and mental health specialist met Thursday morning in a Georgia Senate committee studying gun safety to discuss the urgent need to pass laws protecting young people in the wake of Wednesday’s deadly school shooting in Barrow County.”
“The Senate Study Committee on Safe Firearm Storage meeting began with lawmakers expressing dismay and outrage over Wednesday’s shooting at Apalachee High School, which left two students and two teachers dead and led to the arrest of another student charged with their murders.”
“Georgia Senators and gun safety experts spent two hours Thursday discussing potential legislation, such as offering state tax credits to give people a financial incentive to purchase safes to securely store their firearms, strengthening laws around mental health evaluations prior to firearm purchases and making it illegal for parents who allow minors to access firearms that were kept in unsecured place.”
“The committee chair praised Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for forming the committee after years of pushing by Democrats and for the Senate leader’ staff expressing support for the committee during a phone call prior to Thursday’s meeting.”
HEALTH CARE
Arkansas Advocate
Committee outlines recommendations, actions taken to improve maternal health in Arkansas
Sept. 5, 2024
“The committee that Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders created in March to develop a plan to improve the state’s maternal health infrastructure and outcomes issued its required progress report Thursday.”
“Recommendations include wider use of telehealth services and mobile health units, adding more obstetrics and gynecology residency positions at hospitals, and improving pregnant Arkansans’ access to transportation so they can get to and from doctors’ appointments.”
“Many of the recommendations involve Medicaid, such as implementing presumptive eligibility for pregnant Arkansans, developing a Medicaid reimbursement system for doulas and community health workers, considering higher reimbursements for existing care providers, and building digital platforms to track women’s Medicaid eligibility and application processing, among other things.”
“More than half of births in Arkansas are covered by Medicaid. A 2023 bill in the Arkansas Legislature would have required presumptive eligibility for pregnant Arkansans but did not advance due to cost concerns.”
Kaiser Health News and Fortune
Errors in Deloitte-Run Medicaid Systems Can Cost Millions and Take Years To Fix
Sept. 5, 2024
“The computer systems run by the consulting giant Deloitte that millions of Americans rely on for Medicaid and other government benefits are prone to errors that can take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to update. While states wait for fixes from Deloitte, beneficiaries risk losing access to health care and food.”
“Changes needed to fix Deloitte-run eligibility systems often pile on costs to the government that are much higher than the original contracts, which can slow the process of fixing errors.”
“It has become a big problem across the country. Twenty-five states have awarded Deloitte contracts for eligibility systems, giving the company a stronghold in a lucrative segment of the government benefits business.”
“Problems and delays can extend beyond Medicaid — which provides health coverage to roughly 75 million low-income people — because some state systems assess eligibility for other safety-net programs. Whether a person gets the benefits they are entitled to depends on what the computer says.”
HEAT
Energy & Environment News
Why the government lets extreme heat get away with murder
Sept. 3, 2024
“Millions of Americans are endangered by extreme heat due to federal policies that steer billions of dollars away from the nation’s hottest regions.”
“At least a dozen government agencies oversee programs that ignore or minimize the threat of extreme heat as rising temperatures shatter historical records across the U.S., an investigation by POLITICO’s E&E News found.”
“Disregard for the health dangers of heat is embedded in federal laws and regulations written decades ago, when home heating costs were soaring, air conditioning was rare and the risks of climate change were not widely understood.”
“The programs treat extreme heat as a discomfort rather than today’s deadliest weather events by denying millions of people federal aid to cool their homes and barring homeowners from using tax credits and government-backed mortgages to pay for window air conditioners.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
Route Fifty
State dam safety programs could get new look after summer storms
Aug. 30, 2023
“Supercharged summer storms unleashed a deluge of rain in many Midwestern states this year, pushing several aging dams past their capacity as floods tore away embankments, inundated subdivisions and carried sediment that had built up for decades downstream.”
“There are more than 92,000 dams across the country, and most of them are regulated by states—not the federal government.”
“More than half of them are owned by private entities, and a fifth are owned by local governments. At least 4,000 dams are in poor or unsatisfactory condition, according to the federal government, meaning they could kill people or do significant damage to the environment if they fail.”
“But even with the growing threats from climate change and the rising age of dams—the average dam is 63 years old—getting attention and funding for their upkeep is still a challenge.”
““Over the last 20 years, the number of high-hazard-potential dams has more than doubled [to more than 2,300] as development steadily encroaches on once rural dams and reservoirs,” warned the American Society of Civil Engineers in its 2020 infrastructure report card.”
Colorado Newsline
Colorado airports receive nearly $100 million in federal infrastructure funding
Sept. 5, 2024
“The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded nearly $100 million to fund infrastructure improvement projects at eight Colorado airports.”
“Announced Thursday by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, the funding was made available through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Airport Improvement Program, and supplemental grant funding.”
“Colorado’s airports connect rural communities and power local economies,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is still delivering improvements to make air travel safe and accessible for all Coloradans.”
JAILS AND PRISONS
Nevada Current
Committee to sponsor ‘second look’ bill that allows for reduction of lengthy prison sentences
Sept. 5, 2024
“State lawmakers are pursuing legislation that would allow reconsideration of lengthy prison sentences for those deemed ‘successfully rehabilitated.’”
“‘Second look’ laws, as they are often referred to, allow for sentencing review boards or courts to re-evaluate a person’s sentence after they’ve served a significant period of time in prison.”
The vice chair of a committee convened to evaluate the measure noted that rural people are disproportionately imprisoned because they don’t have enough legal representation.
LGBTQIA+
The Daily Yonder
‘National Anthem’ Isn’t America’s First (Queer) Rodeo
Sept. 5, 2024
“Luke Gilford’s dreamy, sensitive film recognizes the long history of queer rodeos as one part of a rich rural LGBTQ+ landscape.”
NATIVE AMERICANS
Kaiser Health News and USA Today
Patients Suffer When Indian Health Service Doesn’t Pay for Outside Care
Sept. 5, 2024
“When the Indian Health Service can’t provide medical care to Native Americans, the federal agency can refer them elsewhere. But each year, it rejects tens of thousands of requests to fund those appointments, forcing patients to go without treatment or pay daunting medical bills out of their own pockets.”
“In theory, Native Americans are entitled to free health care when the Indian Health Service foots the bill at its facilities or sites managed by tribes. In reality, the agency is chronically underfunded and understaffed, leading to limited medical services and leaving vast swaths of the country without easy access to care.”
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Grist
States are falling behind in using IRA funding to advance climate action
Aug. 30, 2024
“When President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, into law two years ago, a starting gun sounded … for states to attract and encourage the private actions that will position their economies at the forefront of the clean economy, and capture the tax incentives in the IRA that spur those investments.”
“According to a new report from clean energy think tank Rocky Mountain Institute, … that race is off to a slow start.”
It’s estimated that “for the nation to meet its clean energy goals, the federal government would need to invest around $1 trillion into local economies by 2031 via tax incentives.”
“So far, through June 2024, the feds have distributed $66 billion — or around 6 percent of the full spending that our climate commitments demand.”
South Dakota Searchlight
Cooperative serving South Dakota receives share of $7.3 billion for rural clean energy projects
September 5, 2024
“A rural electric cooperative serving South Dakotans is among 16 co-ops sharing in $7.3 billion from the federal government for clean energy projects that President Joe Biden announced Thursday in Wisconsin.”
“Basin Electric Power Cooperative will apply its funding toward 1,400 megawatts’ worth of renewable energy infrastructure in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.”
“Estimated long-term member savings are over $400 million. Plus, the project would reduce greenhouse gasses — equivalent to removing 522,000 gasoline-powered cars annually from the road.”
“The funds come from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included $13 billion in rural electrification programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
“The funds announced Thursday are under the USDA’s Empowering Rural America program, dubbed New ERA.”
“Federal grants and loans are projected to seed another $29 billion in private investment to produce more than 10 gigawatts of clean energy for rural communities — enough to power about 4 million homes according to one federal estimate.”
Washington State Standard
Battery farms, the energy industry’s new darling, line up to enter Pacific NW
Sept. 5, 2024
“A new form of electricity supply is coming to neighborhoods in western Washington and greater Portland. Whether you like it or not may depend on how much you trust developer assurances about the safety of big rechargeable battery arrays.”
“Utilities and independent energy companies have proposed a slew of standalone battery energy storage systems, some of which have generated vocal pushback in the permitting process.”
“Both supporters and opponents acknowledge that utility-scale battery storage will be needed for the Northwest to keep the lights on as a rising amount of variable renewable electricity — such as wind and solar – comes onto the grid.”
“NextEra Energy Resources … will be the guinea pig to test Whatcom County’s tightened zoning rules, which limit large-scale battery energy storage to parcels zoned industrial or rural.”
“NextEra Energy was scheduled to attend a pre-application meeting this week with the county planning department to discuss a proposed 100-megawatt battery farm on property near unincorporated Custer, which is zoned for no more than one house per 5 rural acres.”
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Louisiana Illuminator
Doctors grapple with how to save women’s lives amid ‘confusion and angst’ over new Louisiana law
Sept. 3, 2024
“When a woman starts bleeding out after labor, every second matters. But soon, under a new state law, Louisiana doctors might not be able to quickly access one of the most widely used life-saving medications for postpartum hemorrhage.”
“Several doctors across the state … voiced extreme concern about how the rescheduling of misoprostol as a controlled dangerous substance will impact inpatient care at hospitals.”
“Misoprostol is prescribed in a number of medical scenarios — it’s an essential part of reproductive health care that can be used during emergencies, as well as for miscarriage treatment, labor induction, or intrauterine device (IUD) insertion.”
“But because it is used for abortion, misoprostol has been targeted by conservatives in Louisiana — an unprecedented move for a medication that routinely saves lives. A controlled dangerous substance has extra barriers for access, which can delay care.”
Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio court rules clinics can now prescribe abortion pill virtually
Sept. 5, 2024
“Clinics around Ohio are now able to prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone virtually and can send it to pharmacies or directly to homes through mail-order medication services thanks to a new state court ruling.”
“In a major victory for abortion rights advocates, Democratic Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway has temporarily blocked a law that contained a myriad of restrictions to abortion.”
“The law restricted who was able to prescribe and provide the abortion pill mifepristone. Instead of just physicians, this injunction allows nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives to provide the drug.”
“It also extends the window that providers can prescribe the pill. Instead of being limited to nine weeks and six days, now they can give the medication at 12 weeks and six days.”
“But its greatest impact? Telehealth. Patients are now able to talk to a provider virtually and have them mail the medication or send it to the pharmacy.”
“This means that because the second abortion pill has already been able to be received via telehealth, the entire medication abortion could be accomplished online.”