Small businesses in Nebraska want to move forward on ACA implementation. The Governor and the DOI as an opportunity to help by setting up new competitive marketplaces for health insurance (called health insurance exchanges) where small businesses will be able to band together to shop for health coverage.  But in spite of a lot of data concerning the Medicaid expansion and a very positive report from UNMC, the Governor continues to drag his feet in an effort, I can only assume, to burnish his image among the far right members of his gubernatorial club.

You can give input on what you think the insurance exchange should look like in our state by attending one of the meetings happening in September. If you can not attend a meeting, please complete the Nebraska DOI survey. They are gathering input and we need to make sure they hear from families, farmers, ranchers and small businesses.

On August 21, the Nebraska Public Service Commission released its Third Set of Proposed Rules in regards to the Major Oil Pipeline Siting Act--a law that our state leaders made TransCanada exempt from following (unless the Citizen Lawsuit against LB 1161 is successful).

Some highlights of the revisions include:

Read today's news from around the state and country. Each day in the Roundup we cover politics, always with a side of bold humor. We think politics should be fun, informative and encourage us all to take action.

Everyone from military leaders to our grandparents to our kids know a basic fact--saving energy means putting more money in our pocketbooks and making our country safer.  Safer from security threats, safer from oil spills, safer from water pollution, safer from eminent domain threats.

The Obama Administration took concrete and very bold steps towards reducing our dependence on oil by approving historic fuel efficiency standards for all cars and trucks in the United States.

Republican National Convention Keystone XL Listening Guide

What You’ll Hear Vs. The Facts

Congress still needs to pass the Farm Bill. The Senate did their part, now its in the House of Representatives hands. Food, drought relief, assistance to low-income families, renewable energy are all on the line in this Farm Bill.

Please join the Nebraska Farmers Union in helping us email and tweet Rep. Terry, Fortenberry and Smith urging them to pass the Farm Bill now.

Read today's news from around the state and country. Each day in the Roundup we cover politics, always with a side of bold humor. We think politics should be fun, informative and encourage us all to take action.

On August 25th, in Grand Island, Deb Fischer and Bob Kerrey will have their only scheduled debate for the US Senate (although we hear Kerrey accepted invite to debate Fischer on Fox News and she has not responded yet).

*Landowners, citizens and groups will hold a Press Conf at 3:15pm in the parking lot before the debate.*

The TX judge sent Julia Trigg Crawford a 15 word ruling from his Iphone regarding her plea to have TransCanada prove they are a common carrier before they can use eminent domain.
 
15 words. From his Iphone. That is how much her case meant to him.
 
While I'm sure the fancy TransCanada lawyers and lobbyists are drinking scotch, smoking cigars and high fiving each other, citizens and landowners continue to be disgusted that our United States government is allowing a foreign company seize Americans' land--against their will--through eminent domain without even requiring them to prove they are a common carrier, without any type of citizen hearing and without any proof that any of this tarsands is dedicated for American use.

On top of the fact that TransCanada had 14 leaks and spills in their first year of operation on Keystone 1 (they told us they would have 11 in over 50 years), got issued a Corrective Action Order by PHMSA because their pipeline was a threat to life and the Canadian government just this week issued a safety violation.

Just how many red flags do we need to stop the risks of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline? Tarsands is an extreme and dirty form of energy that should be left in the ground and certainly should not be piped across fertile farmland and our water.

Doctors, landowners and citizens are raising the red flags around the tarsands spill in Michigan, around property rights and around health impacts.