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Illinois
Older natural gas connectors need to be examined The Illinois Fire Marshal's office reports deterioration of older brass flexible natural gas connectors has caused several fires and explosions. Gas connectors link gas appliances to gas supply lines. While now made of stainless steel or plastic-coated brass, older ones are made of un-coated brass, which, over time, can fail and create a potentially explosive gas leak. All uncoated brass connectors should be replaced, but the fire marshal warns that moving the appliance, even slightly, can cause the failure of one of these older weaker connectors and result in a deadly fire or explosion; have a service contractor check the connection. Further, if you smell or suspect a leak, don't light any matches or lighters, don't switch on any electrical appliances or equipment, don't change the position of any light switches, and don't use your phone to call the fire department; leave immediately and call from a neighbor's home. Around the Co-ops... Adams Telephone Co-Operative has been named a Friend of Education by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools. Ray Scheiter, Adams/Pike regional superintendent of schools, nominated Adams Telephone Co-Operative and Manager Walter Rowland for supporting the regional office's effort in bringing Internet and distance learning technology to schools. Adams Telephone Co-Operative and Adams NetWorks, Inc. ( a wholly owned subsidiary of the cooperative), along with regional superintendents Scheiter and Robert Baumann are working with 11 schools in Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike and Schuyler counties in providing classroom Internet access. "Making sure schools have dependable and affordable access to the Internet and other technology is a priority of the cooperative," said Vern Lubker, president of the cooperative's board of directors. The award is presented to companies and individuals who provide outstanding support of important educational issues in Illinois. Ten regional awards and five statewide awards were presented. New study: electricity not cancer's cause There is no solid evidence that living near high-voltage lines causes childhood cancer, according to a report published in July in the New England Journal of Medicine. The report said the study was the strongest indication yet that magnetic fields do not cause cancer. The issue first was raised in the late 1970s and several studies have been conducted with mixed results. The study cost $4.5 million and was conducted by the National Cancer Institute. "We found no evidence that magnetic field levels in the home increased the risk for childhood leukemia," reported Dr. Martha Linet, who directed the study. Dr. Edward Campion, a deputy editor of the medical journal said, "It is sad that hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into studies that never had much promise of finding a way to prevent the tragedy of cancer in children." Nominees sought for stewardship award Nominations now are being accepted by a national farmland conservation group for the second annual Steward of the Land Award. The $10,000 award by the American Farmland Trust recognizes outstanding efforts by an individual farmer or farm family in land stewardship, agricultural conservation policy or the use of environmentally and economically sustainable farming practices. The first award was presented to a Maryland farm family in January. Nominations must be received by Dec. 1. Send them to AFT, 1920 N. Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20036. SEPTEMBER 1997 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING Dates of note... . . . The Illinois State Fire Marshal and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance will host Safety Showcase on Sept. 12 at the Holiday Inn, Springfield. The showcase, which is free, is for fire service personnel to share information about successful education programs used throughout the state. Presentations include fund raising and grant writing; working with the media; and programs for kids, babysitters, seniors, neighborhoods, and high-rise dwellers. There also will be about 20 exhibits. Call the Illinois Fire Marshal's office at (217)735-1021.... . . . The deadline for Illinois school districts to apply for Project WILD grants for small habitat projects serving as outdoor classrooms is Sept. 15. Contact the Department of Natural Resources at (217) 524-4126.... . . . The state chapter of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy will hold its first Greenways and Trails Conference on Sept. 19-20 in Bloomington. The conference will come just after the summer release of $3.4 million in state grant money to 27 communities for 61 more miles of hiking and biking paths. More than 475 miles of trails have been funded through the grant program since 1989. The conference, at Jumer's Chateau, is for planners, designers and managers of trails and anyone else interested. Registration information is available from the state chapter of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy at (217) 544-5958....
Co-ops targeted for cuts Ohio Rep. John Kasich, the U.S. House budget committee chairman, and a coalition of organizations have targeted a dozen programs including the Rural Utilities Service (RUS formerly REA). The federally funded programs, they argue, amount to "corporate welfare." Most electric cooperatives use reduced-interest loans from RUS to partially fund capitol needs. Many new RUS loans are being made at rates tied to the municipal bond rate used to fund most municipal electric power needs. The irony is investor owned utilities (IOUs) also receive a form of "corporate welfare" hidden in the tax code. Information in several government reports indicate IOUs have some $74 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money that is accumulated deferred federal income taxes comprised of investment tax credits and accelerated depreciation. In other words, they collected it, but didn't pay it to the government. That, too, amounts to a subsidy, says Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Association. In Illinois, there are five IOUs, which retain a total of $7.40 billion, according to 1995 Department of Energy data. English spoke to Illinois electric cooperative leaders at the Association of Electric Cooperatives annual meeting Aug. 1. English notes: "The size of the IOUs' $5 billion-a-year subsidy is astounding. It would take 2.5 million taxpayers paying $2,000 each to pay the cost. $5 billion would pay to employ 100,000 police for a year." Non-profit member-owned cooperatives provide power to 26 million Americans, averaging just 5.8 consumers a mile, compared with IOUs who serve 35 consumers per mile in more populated areas. Thus, rural electrics make about $7,000 a mile. Compare that to IOUs' $59,000 per mile. Comparing subsidies, electric cooperatives receive about $25 a year per consumer, while IOUs receive $57 per consumer. Program is on the map A community development program of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University at Macomb now serves as a model for other states. "What we are finding is that IIRA's model for strategic visioning and planning is useful anywhere in the nation," said Steve Kline, IIRA research associate and coordinator of the program called MAPPING the Future of Your Community. (See Illinois Country Living, May 1997.) The program, Management and Planning Programs Involving Nonmetropolitan Groups, helps community leaders develop a vision and a strategy for their communities, with emphasis on a community's quality of life and economic vitality. Kline said 40 representatives of Jefferson County, Pa., are developing a model for their community, thanks to a grant from its county board and the Cooperative Extension Center. Once developed, facilitators will be trained to take the project to other Pennsylvania communities. For more information about MAPPING, call Kline at (309) 298-2647. 8 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING SEPTEMBER 1997 |
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