United States

A couple days ago, the New York Times posted an article about the debate on farm subsidies, leaving readers with a rhetorical query about whether substantial progress was going to be made on cutting them. Umm, probably not. Unless, that is, every single member of the House Committee on Agriculture gets hundreds of phone calls from their constituents asking for caps on farm subsidies pronto. And even then, frankly, the odds are slim.

Consider that the Bush administration's secretary of agriculture got accused of instigating class warfare for some of his stances against farm subsidies, though it must be granted, there are issues with the Bush administration's proposals, as well.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman, Rep. Collin Peterson has yet to publish his revised Farm Bill, but when he does, he says there will be two of them. One will include policies with budget allocations, the other will include policies that will only be funded if offsets are found. Which is to say, they probably won't be funded. My mentors at the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition have put together an action alert highlighting four agricultural sustainablility policies that should go in the real Farm Bill, the one that will be funded. They include support for new farmers and ranchers, conservation incentives for working farmlands, improving local food distribution infrastructure, and support for transitions to organic and sustainable farming.

The local weatherman said the day was going to be cold and windy. He warned of a nor'easter on its way, but the tenacious EVers from the EVA/DC were undeterred. This was a rare opportunity. This was a special occasion indeed. The National Science Foundation sponsors an informal gathering at its headquarters to bring the lofty air of its work to a comfortable more accessible venue. And what could be more comfortable than a Café? A Café Scientifique it is. The National Science Foundation's Café Scientifique is held on the first Tuesday of every month. It is a place to gather around eat a little, drink a little and talk about science. This past March 6th the Café Scientifique dedicated itself to, "The Shocking Science Behind Electric Cars." And EVA/DC and its leadership were the speakers.