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Action on Ethanol Waivers Delayed Due to Hurricane Dorian

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It looks like the dispute over ethanol waivers will go one a little longer than expected. Governor Kim Reynolds says due to the natural disaster caused by hurricane Dorian, the Trump Administration’s announcement about ethanol has been delayed.

Reynolds says they are still working on the deal. Last week President Trump promised on Twitter that his administration is coming up with a “great package” to boost ethanol. The pledge came after the uproar over 31 waivers to oil refineries, reducing the amount of ethanol that must be blended into gasoline. Iowa’s governor spoke with Vice President Mike Pence last Friday and Pence promised to raise the topic with Trump,.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has signed a disaster declaration to help communities struck by flooding since July 15. The declaration announced Wednesday frees up state resources to help local cities and counties with their recovery efforts.

Rickets signed the latest declaration last week to provide emergency assistance for all of the affected communities. He issued an earlier declaration in March.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency is working with other agencies to help with the recovery and following up with local emergency managers to assess the damage.

Nebraska health officials are investigating several cases of severe pulmonary disease linked to smoking e-cigarettes or vaping.

The state Health and Human Services Department said Tuesday that health care providers should report suspected cases to local health departments or to state authorities.

Last week federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said they're looking at 215 possible cases across 25 states. All the cases involve teens or adults who have used e-cigarettes or other vaping devices. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.

The officials say many of the reports involve e-cigarette products that contain THC, the mind-altering substance in marijuana.

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