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PNS - Tuesday, January 21, 2025 - Animal welfare advocates work to save CA's Prop 12 under Trump; Health care advocate says future of Medicaid critical for rural Alaskans; Trump pardons roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack; MA company ends production of genetically modified Atlantic salmon.
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PNS - Monday, January 20, 2025 - 'Shock and awe': Trump plans 100 immediate executive actions; CA environmental advocates hold series of vigils around inauguration; Biden issues preemptive pardons for Milley, Fauci, and Jan. 6 committee members; NY, U.S. groups cautiously optimistic about Israel-Hamas ceasefire; TX women encouraged to honor MLK Jr. by exercising their rights.
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PNS - Monday, January 20, 2025 - Tribal leaders press President Joe Biden on clemency for Leonard Peltier, Democrats celebrate the Equal Rights Amendment but ratification remains in question, and a new poll reveals Gaza may have cost VP Kamala Harris the presidency.
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By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection -- Sustainable aviation fuel is a growing source of domestic energy supply, and a growing market for American agricultural producers. Leaders in both industries hope policy will support continued growth in places like Montana. Comments by Bruce Fleming, CEO, Montana Renewables; and Nicole Rolf, senior director of government affairs, Montana Farm Bureau Federation.
Click on the image above for the audio. Sustainable aviation fuel is a liquid fuel used in commercial aviation. It reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80%, according to the International Air Transport Association. (Adobe Stock)
by Kathleen Shannon
January 20, 2025 - Montana is a U.S. leader in the growing industry of sustainable aviation fuel. Experts in the field and in the agricultural sector hope to see new policies to support its development.
Sustainable aviation fuel can be made from a variety of agricultural inputs, including seed crops, which produce oils processed into fuel with a low-carbon footprint. Industry growth could mean new buyers for ag producers in the state, where Montana Renewables was the highest domestic producer of sustainable aviation fuel last year.
Bruce Fleming, CEO of the company, said China and Brazil are outpacing U.S. growth.
"If we can get our policy figured out, if we can get American innovation going and not fall behind, then we've got solutions here that will benefit the ag sector, particularly the farmers and ranchers," Fleming explained.
In terms of policy, Fleming acknowledged the "goalposts keep moving," because they vary between agencies at the state and federal levels, making it difficult to plan. He hopes to see policies that embrace the innovation, as the nation did for ethanol.
Nicole Rolf, senior director of government affairs for the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, said the opportunity for farmers to grow and market new commodities is enticing, but she will be watching for tax credits and other policies to support producers.
"How do we make sure that we put the right incentives in place so that we're truly using American-grown feedstocks, and crops and commodities, to feed these sustainable aviation-fuel suppliers?" Rolf asked.
The industry sees both challenges and benefits in Montana. For instance, there are currently no local oilseed crushers, so farmers must ship seeds for processing out-of-state. Rolf pointed out Montana is prepared to ship the finished product by rail and other means, as it already does for other energy products.
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