ILLINOIS CURRENTS NEWS- LEGISLATION- TRENDS- RESEARCH

Illinois Health Summit Releases Recommendations

Eighteen recommendations to improve health care in rural and other underserved areas in Illinois have emerged from a statewide summit sponsored and organized by the Public Policy Institute and the School of Medicine, both part of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

The recommendations envision expanded health insurance coverage, aggressive initiatives to recruit and educate health care workers, enhancement of the state's health care infrastructure, and public-private partnerships to address liability issues and scrutiny of regulations to identify those that may be costly and unnecessary.

Legislators who participated in the summit proposed and embraced what may well be the most important recommendation—to establish a bipartisan, bicameral task force of the Illinois General Assembly to pursue a health care agenda for rural and underserved areas of Illinois," said Michael J. Lawrence, interim director of the Public Policy Institute.

Dr. J. Kevin Dorsey, Dean and Provost of the medical school, said, "As a physician I know that the appropriate treatment will not be started unless the diagnosis is known. With the bipartisan support of our legislators and real attention given to these recommendations, I have great hope that we will see marked improvement in health care access as well as other improvements in the health of Illinois communities."

The summit was the Public Policy Institute's last major event before the death of former Sen. Paul Simon, its founder and director. Copies of the report are available online at www.siu.edu/~ppi/reports.htm.

Illinois Food and Agricultural Products Now a Click Away

A new Web site, www.buyillinoisproducts.com, has been created to promote Illinois food or agricultural producers by giving them a chance to market their company and products on the Internet. The "Buy Illinois Products" Web site was created by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

By logging on to the "Buy Illinois Products" site, consumers can purchase Illinois-made salad dressings, beef products, spices, soy candles, chili, jams, jellies, pickles, fruits, vegetables, fudge, and much more. Nearly 35 Illinois companies have already signed on and the list continues to grow.

"The "Buy Illinois Products" Web site gives small and medium-sized agriculture retailers a chance to reach an endless pool of customers," Illinois Department of Agriculture Marketing Manager Gib Frier said. "Analysts predict online sales will double in the next five years."

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is still accepting applications from companies looking to market their products online. Participants will have four membership options to choose from with annual fees ranging from $30 to $100. For more information, contact Larry Aldag at (217) 524-3012 or by e-mail at laldag@agr.state.il.us.

Illinois Agriculture and Tourism Partners Meeting July 21

If you're interested in how to start an agritourism business, make plans to attend the Illinois Agriculture and Tourism Partners' annual meeting. It will be held Wednesday, July 21, at the Illinois Building on the State Fairgrounds, Springfield. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. New members are welcome.

The mission of the Agriculture and Tourism Partners of Illinois is to promote agritourism and related direct marketing activities to the benefit of farm operators and the travel industry.

The goals of the organization are to:

• Promote the growth of agritourism that is both sustainable and profitable for farmers,

• Expand agriculturally based travel destinations that will enhance the ability of local destination managers to attract more visitors,

• Create an organization that is membership driven and will support the interests of its members,

• Provide access to training and educational materials to partnership members.

For more information contact the Central Illinois Tourism Development office at (217) 525-7980, orcitdo@visitcentralillinois.com.

6- ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING

Groundbreaking Held for Electric Co-op Wind Turbine

On May 10, an appropriately windy day, Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative broke ground on the construction of a 1.65-megawatt wind turbine, the first to be built in Pike County. It is one of the few counties in Illinois with Class 4 "utility grade" winds, and it is hoped that this co-op-owned wind turbine could be the first of many such projects developed in western Illinois.

Bruce Giffin, General Manager of the Winchester-based electric co-op, said, "According to the federal Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory map published in 2001, Pike County is the only area in central Illinois with utility grade winds. We've been measuring the wind at our own towers since 2002. The good news is we've found that the summertime wind data looks better than we expected."

The cost of the project will be about $1.85 million. Giffin says that without grants the co-op received the project wouldn't have been financially feasible for Illinois Rural Electric. The first grant was from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for $438,000. The Illinois Clean Energy Foundation contributed $175,000. And a final grant for $250,000 came from the State of Illinois. The balance of the cost will be financed with a low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

Giffin says the area could potentially support 100 more wind turbines. Although the co-op is building just one turbine, other organizations are interested in development of the area's wind energy. In addition to the clean energy, 100 wind turbines would add $5 to $7 million to the area's tax base and $5.25 million in economic activity in the county. The estimated life span of the co-op's turbine is 20 years.

Jesper Michaelsen, Sales Manager for Vestas, (left) is working closely with Scan Middleton, Manager of Engineering for Illinois Rural Electric, to make the first wind turbine in western Illinois a reality. Michaelsen said, "Illinois Rural Electric can be really proud of the work Sean and his team have done, because being the first wind project in this county means the learning curve is real steep."

You May Receive a Co-op Survey This Summer

Co-ops always welcome opinions and feedback from their members, but this summer a group of randomly chosen Illinois electric co-op members will receive a formal survey. Your response will help your cooperative's board and management make decisions about the co-op's operations and services to you.

The survey is only conducted every three years and is coordinated by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives. If you receive a survey, it's important that you answer the questions and return the survey as soon as possible.

The survey is being conducted by Satisfaction Development System (SDS), a Salt Lake City, Utah, company owned by a group of cooperatives. SDS specializes in surveys for cooperatives.

If you receive a survey, we appreciate your taking the time to fill it out and send it in. As an added incentive, a drawing for five $100 electric bill credits will be held. Look for the survey in the mail during the first week of August.

Energy Grants Available for Farmers, Ranchers, and Small Businesses

Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman in May announced the availability of approximately $23 million in grants to develop renewable energy systems and promote energy efficiency improvements.

Veneman said the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program was created as part of the 2002 Farm Bill to assist farmers, ranchers, and small rural businesses. Rural Development grant funds can be used to pay up to 25 percent of the eligible project costs. Eligible projects include those that derive energy from a wind, solar, biomass, or geothermal source, or hydrogen derived from biomass or water using wind, solar, or geothermal energy sources.

For more information, visit USDA's Web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov. Or contact Cathy Glover (217) 403-6210, Cathy.Glover@il.usda.gov, or Patrick Lydic at (217) 403-6211, Patrick.Lydic@il.usda.gov.

JULY 2004 www.aiec.coop 7

Creative Marketing Tool to Fuel Illinois Business Growth

Illinois now has an innovative new marketing tool designed to promote local business growth and job retention. Community economic development agencies can promote, through a state Web site, available properties in their area for business relocation.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's (DCEO) Web site now has a listing of community profiles and available real estate sites throughout the state, vastly increasing a community's exposure to site selectors seeking industrial and commercial real estate opportunities. Location One, which is aimed at helping business creation and retention, is the newest innovation from Opportunity Returns, the comprehensive plan designed to spur Illinois economic growth and create jobs.

More than 85 percent of real estate site selection searches now begin on the Web. It is nearly impossible to be a viable candidate for relocation without having listings marketed on the Internet. Making Location One available on the DCEO Web site will assure communities that their available building space is highly visible and easily accessible.

"By using our Web site as a marketing tool for each region, we are linking two vital players in the economy: buyers and sellers. Transactions produce a duel benefit - the sale of real estate brings money into the local economy while the purchased property means attracting a new business, creating new jobs, and increasing the economic competitiveness for the community," DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.

Location One can be found on the DCEO Web site at www.illinoisbiz.biz or www.commerce.state.il.us by clicking on the brown "Buildings and Sites Locator" button. DCEO also offers system access and training to communities who want to make use of the listing site.

Web Site Can Help Small Farmers

The rise of "lifestyle" farming or hoddy farming has coincided with advances in information technology, says Kate Brennan, editor of the international lifestyle farming Web site www.lifestylefarmer.com.

Until recently, living in the country meant working in the country, but the Internet and home computing mean that is no longer the case. For many families, the combination of city salaries and country prices means a larger house with land is a real possibility.

Extensive help on all aspects of lifestyle farming for new and established country dwellers is available on the Web site www.lifestylefarmer.com.

Lifestyle farmers benefit enormously from advice given by other lifestyle farmers who have experienced similar problems, and the Internet provides a fast and efficient way for people living in remote areas to help and support each other.

Identity Theft Protections Strengthened

As any victim of identity theft can tell you, cleaning up your financial records in the aftermath of the theft can take years and a huge emotional toll. Identity theft not only hurts individuals, it's hurting the U.S. economy, too. In 2002, identity thieves preyed upon 9.9 million Americans, costing businesses and individuals $53 billion.

"Identity theft is more widespread and pernicious than previously realized," said Betsy Broder, Federal Trade Commission Assistant Director for Planning and Information.

On December 4, 2003, President Bush signed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. The act provides new provisions to protect consumers from identity theft:

• Gives consumers access to one free credit report per year to monitor financial information and check for errors,

• Enables consumers to place an alert on their credit files,

• Requires credit-reporting agencies to block potentially fraudulent information on consumer credit reports as soon as a police report is filed,

• Requires merchants to shorten credit and debit card account numbers on receipts.

According to the FTC, the agency is combating identity theft in additional ways, including the creation of a joint fraud alert that the three major credit-reporting agencies administer. The alert eliminates the need for consumers to contact all three agencies when reporting identity theft. The FTC maintains a comprehensive identity theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

A new law requires merchants to shorten credit and debit card account numbers on receipts. Find other ways to protect identity theft at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

8 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING www.icl.coop