A climate of change rattles rural electric co-ops Any efforts to cut greenhouse gases would force rates up at coal-reliant utilities By PHILIP BRASHER REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU Washington, D.C. - When the nation's rural electric cooperatives take up a cause, they seldom lose, and they find a lot of allies in both political parties. When the Nixon administration killed their government loan program, the electric co-ops went to Congress and got them restored. When the Clinton administration tried to sell some the government's hydroelectric authorities, a source of relatively cheap power to many co-ops, they blocked that plan, too. Now their worry is that Congress will impose caps or taxes on greenhouse gas emissions, a vital issue for Democrats, who control Congress. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070511/BUSINESS/705110318/1029/archive&template=printart --------- ISU study stirs debate about crates for sows Group housing for the animals can work as well and may save money, the research indicates. By AMY LORENTZEN Associated Press Ames, Ia. - A study is raising questions about the effectiveness of small, metal crates for pregnant pigs that animal welfare groups call inhumane. Iowa State University researchers found that allowing pregnant pigs to move freely in group housing structures, called hoop barns, could be less costly and just as productive as using the individual crates. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070511/BUSINESS01/705110322/1029/archive - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/