Land

Food Companies Are Placing the Onus for Safety on Consumers

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(NY) New York Times – The frozen pot pies that sickened an estimated 15,000 people with salmonella in 2007 left federal inspectors mystified. At first they suspected the turkey. Then they considered the peas, carrots and potatoes. The pie maker, ConAgra Foods, began spot-checking the vegetables for pathogens, but could not find the culprit. It also tried cooking the vegetables at high temperatures, a strategy the industry calls a “kill step,” to wipe out any lingering microbes.

Echo

Unwarranted

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(WI) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel – Clean Wisconsin is right about one thing when it comes to Waukesha and water: The city’s possible application for Lake Michigan water will be a test case that will set precedent for communities around the Great Lakes. It needs to be done right, and that includes making sure Waukesha has an appropriate conservation plan in place, as required by the Great Lakes compact. But the environmental group didn’t have to insert itself as an intervenor in the city’s current water rate request to the state Public Service Commission or to ask that the city pay for the intervention. The environmental group could have gotten the same results without intervening, which carries a cost, the possibility of delay and the potential of creating ill will. More

Echo

Troy’s celebrated solar house left in dark

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(MI) The Detroit News – It was supposed to be a shining example of the green movement — a completely independent solar-powered house with no gas or electrical hookups. Seven months ago, officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the $900,000 house owned by the city of Troy that was to be used as an educational tool and meeting spot. But it never opened to the public. And it remains closed. More