Grass has no political lobby. A grass roots effort is not enough. (Washington State has funded a project to burn bluegrass stubble in a downdraft gasifier).

All grass species and mixtures. Legumes may not work quite as well but also may be acceptable. Grass crop selection should match the soil type, for maximum sustainability and productivity.

The Northeast. For many decades the Northeastern US has been officially labeled as the “Hay & Pasture” Region of the country. Like much of Europe, the temperate humid climate is not so hot for corn, but perfect for grass.

Not much. One “Proof of Concept” demonstration of a pelleting unit providing fuel for local clientele with stoves capable of burning grass might be all the jump start required.

Washington State Dept. of Water and Energy is funding a downdraft gasifier to test the feasibility of this system for converting bluegrass stubble/straw into electricity and liquid fuel. After harvest of bluegrass seed in the Northwest, the remaining residue was burned in the field in the past. As it is no longer acceptable to burn fields, removal of residue as a bioenergy source solves the residue problem.

The fuel tax exemptions for federal, state, and local governments are the same. Purchases by state and local government are subject to the Virginia Petroleum Storage Fee (Tank Fee).

Funding from CDC's Public Health Preparedness Cooperative Agreements has allowed state and local health agencies to enhance the capacity of their public health systems to respond to public health threats, including pandemic influenza. All states have emergency plans for responding to an influenza pandemic. All states have reviewed their public health legal authorities pertaining to isolation and quarantine.

It would require the states to remake their driver’s licenses, restructure many of their computer databases and other systems, create an extensive new document-storage system, and considerably expanded their security measures. It would require the states to set up an interstate data-sharing network, which would also require complex administrative, technical, and security measures.

Because the Constitution vests authority over Indian Affairs in the federal government, generally, states have no authority over tribal governments. Tribal governments are not subordinate to state governments. They retain the right to enact and enforce stricter or more lenient laws and regulations than those of the neighboring state(s). Tribes possess both the right and the power to regulate activities on their lands independently from the neighboring state government.

As with coal or wood stoves, and wood pellet stoves, routine maintenance is required. Pellet handling and ash removal make this less convenient than fossil fuels. There are some emissions as is the case with burning anything, but nothing like the wood stoves of the past.

No. Mixed grass stands cut once a year with regrowth left in the field to provide soil organic matter as well as wildlife cover should persist indefinitely. A shift in species composition or an increase in weed population is not of great consequence; all have similar BTU/lb. Of course, higher yields will be obtained with some form of nitrogen fertilizer application. Animal manures or other such land-applied waste products are well suited for this purpose.

Publish names, designation postal addresses and contact details of PIOs and other information such as notices regarding fees to be paid, remedies available in law if request is rejected etc. (S.26)

State Governments will have a very important role to play in the establishment of SEZ. Representative of the State Government, who is a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on private SEZ, is consulted while considering the proposal. Before recommending any proposals to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Department of Commerce), the States must satisfy themselves that they are in a position to supply basic inputs like water, electricity, etc.

No. HIPAA does not obstruct any state law that supports or mandates the reporting of diseases or injury for public health purposes. Yes. In fact, the definition of a 'public health entity' was broadened in the section "Uses and Disclosures for Public Health Activities", which states specifically "...We broaden the scope of allowable disclosures ...by allowing covered entities to disclose protected health information not only to U.S.

Almost none. The necessary equipment is generally available on the farm. Planting an improved species is an option, but the current species in a mixed meadow will work. Harvest in mid to late summer can be accomplished at off-peak labor times.

No company is doing this, but several are attempting to modify their stoves to better manage high ash fuels.

Most likely not. Average pellet stoves with a standard burn pot are not designed to cope with high ash content. In general, corn stoves will have more potential to handle grass pellets because they are designed to deal with a somewhat messy residue. This is no guarantee that corn stoves will burn grass, corn stoves sometimes have difficulty dealing with corn.

Not yet. The major advantage of boilers over stoves is that they provide hot water and central hot water heating. Commercially available pellet boilers are designed to burn wood pellets and possibly corn pellets. They have no means of dealing with high ash content. They can successfully burn grass pellets, but will generate a large clinker that would need to be removed from the burn chamber every 6 hours or so, in order for the boiler to continue functioning.

The Valley Fever Center for Excellence has sent information to all United States Senators. The endemic states’ legislators all know about this disease as well.

We distributed a brochure to some 25000 state and local government offices outlining our Initiative, our goals and how we hope to work together at the state and/or community level. This brochure and our Web site will list the kinds of specific actions we hope to see within communities across America.