Happy New Year From Everyone @ USAFacts!

It’s been an historic year, and we can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.
Happy New Year from everyone at USAFacts!

It's been a historic year. On April 18, 2017 — fittingly, Tax Day — our founder Steve Ballmer took the stage at the Economic Club of New York to announce the launch of USAFacts, a first-of-its-kind platform for understanding government by the numbers. In the nine months since we launched, USAFacts has helped explain everything from the intricacies of the federal budget process to the economics of disaster relief to the major tax bill President Trump will sign into law in the new year. You’ve been there with us every step of the way, and we’re grateful that you share our passion for government data. Below is a snapshot of USAFacts’ year – by the numbers, of course.

It’s been an historic year, and we can’t wait to see what 2018 brings. Happy New Year from everyone at USAFacts!

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Direct From Mike Allen @ Axios

1 big thing: Something changing for the better

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser / Axios

In 10 years, the U.S. has gone from an energy-scarce to an energy-abundant nation. That's the big takeaway from a trends synthesis by Axios' Amy Harder in her weekly "Harder Line" energy column: Winners: America's oil production has nearly doubled over the last decade, and the U.S. became the world's biggest oil producer a few years ago, thanks to drilling technologies like fracking and horizontal drilling. America is now the world's biggest natural-gas producer. Former President Obama's aggressive environmental agenda was made politically easier because plentiful supplies of cleaner burning gas enabled an affordable shift away from coal for generating electricity. Fueled by federal subsidies and state mandates, wind and solar energy has skyrocketed, creating jobs across the country and lobbying prowess in Washington and state capitals. Wind production has increased more than than 200%, while solar's rise has been even more exponential, growing from almost nothing in 2008. Losers: Burgeoning production has complicated policies predicated on limited oil supplies, including a federal ethanol mandate and fuel-efficiency standards for cars. The one-two punch of cheap natural gas and cheaper renewables is accelerating the downfall of America's nuclear and coal industries. More than a dozen nuclear reactors have shut down or are set to shut down. Coal faces aggressive environmental regulations and greater concern about climate change. Environmental concerns have risen alongside economic gains of the oil and gas boom. See Amy's 10 trends.

A Season For Transparency

Season

Dear Tim, We at OpenSecrets hope you’re celebrating and finding joy in this holiday season. For many, it will be a relief to see the year come to an end: elusive solutions for "Dreamers;" hate speech and Charlottesville; and a parade of revelations about the exploitive behavior of powerful men. Social change is on the minds of many citizens. And for our representatives in government who serve the public, it's been a year of turmoil, while those who battle for accountability have kept up a steady drumbeat of calls for those in power to be transparent. Unfortunately, the just passed tax reform legislation has only complicated their position – with tales of back room bartering and concessions to donors who spend millions on the lobbying of – and donations to – our elected officials. Amidst all of this tumult, OpenSecrets keeps crunching the data to show who's ponying up the money and where it's going. We will continue to keep tabs on the money that is used to mold American politics and policy, no matter its size or source. Last year millions of citizens were empowered and better informed as a result of the data produced by OpenSecrets and by our experts featured in more than 31,000 media citations, that reported how the lack of accountability can change our lives – for better or for worse. Being a nonpartisan research watchdog is no simple task, but, your support and commitment to our mission makes it that much easier for us to be a force multiplier, serving up our research free of charge to reporters and citizens no matter their viewpoint. Thank you for helping us do what we do. If you have donated this year, I’m delighted to thank you once again. If you haven't, I encourage you to support government accountability and give the gift of transparency. Best wishes this holiday season. With Gratitude,                       Sheila Krumholz Executive Director Center for Responsive Politics

BEA News: State Quarterly Personal Income, 3rd quarter 2017

Take a Look
State Quarterly Personal Income, 3rd quarter 2017
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has issued the following news release five days ago:    
State personal income increased 0.7 percent on average in the third quarter of 2017, according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, state personal income increased 0.6 percent. Increases in earnings and personal current transfer receipts were the leading contributors to the acceleration in personal income in the third quarter.
The full text of the release on BEA's Web site can be found at www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/spi/sqpi_newsrelease.htm 
Personal income increased 1.0 percent in Washington, faster than in any other state. Texas had the next largest increase at 0.9 percent. South Dakota, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa had the slowest increases in personal income.

Earnings. For the nation, earnings increased 0.8 percent in the third quarter of 2017, after increasing 0.6 percent in the second quarter. Earnings increased in 22 of the 24 industries for which BEA prepares quarterly estimates (table 5). Earnings increases in three industries–health care and social assistance; finance and insurance; and construction–were the leading contributors to the overall increase in personal income.
Earnings was the leading contributor to the increase in personal income in most states (table 2). The percentage change in earnings ranged from an increase of 1.2 percent in Washington to a decrease of less than 0.1 percent in South Dakota.

• Information earnings, which increased 0.6 for the nation, increased 5.7 percent in Washington, contributing to more than one-third of the increase in the state's total earnings (table 3). The increase in Washington's third quarter earnings reflected the vesting of employee stock grants.
• Construction earnings, which increased 1.5 percent for the nation, was the leading contributor to the increases in total earnings in Nevada, Alaska, and Utah.
• Finance and insurance earnings, which increased 1.5 percent for the nation, was the leading contributor to the increase in total earnings in New York.
• Health care earnings, which increased 1.4 percent for the nation, was the leading contributor to the increases in total earnings in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
• Wholesale trade earnings, which increased 1.2 percent for the nation, was the leading contributor to the increase in total earnings in Texas.
• Farm earnings decreased for the nation and in most states in the third quarter, and was the leading contributor to the decrease in total earnings in South Dakota, and to the relatively small increases in total earnings in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and North Dakota.

Transfer Receipts. Transfer receipts increased 0.7 percent for the nation in the third quarter of 2017, up from 0.2 percent in the second quarter. The percentage change in transfer receipts ranged from 1.5 percent in Washington to -0.1 percent in New Mexico. Transfer receipts increased 1.3 percent in Texas and 1.1 percent in Florida, reflecting disaster related assistance following hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Property income. Property income increased 0.2 percent in the third quarter of 2017, down from 0.8 percent in the second quarter. The percentage change in property income ranged from 0.5 percent in Michigan to -0.2 percent in Rhode Island.

Updates to Personal Income. Today, BEA also released revised quarterly estimates for 2017:Q1 and 2017:Q2. Updates were made to incorporate source data that are more complete and more detailed than previously available and to align the states with revised national estimates that were released in November.

****

Next release: March 22, 2018 at 8:30 A.M. EST – State Personal Income: Fourth Quarter 2017 and Preliminary Annual 2017.

Additional Information

Resources

• Stay informed about BEA developments by reading the BEA blog, signing up for BEA's email subscription service, or following BEA on Twitter @BEA_News.
• Historical time series for these estimates can be accessed in BEA's Interactive Data Application.
• Access BEA data by registering for BEA's Data Application Programming Interface (API).
• For more on BEA's statistics, see our monthly online journal, the Survey of Current Business.
• BEA's 2017 news release schedule.
• BEA's 2018 news release schedule.
• BEA Regional Facts (BEARFACTS), a narrative summary of personal income, per capita personal income, and components of income for each state.
• Complete information on the sources and methods for the estimation of BEA's State Personal Income and Employment.

Definitions

Personal income is the income received by, or on behalf of, all persons from all sources: from participation as laborers in production, from owning a home or business, from the ownership of financial assets, and from government and business in the form of transfers. It includes income from domestic sources as well as the rest of world. It does not include realized or unrealized capital gains or losses.
Per capita personal income is calculated as the total personal income of the residents of a state divided by the population of the state. In computing per capita personal income, BEA uses midquarter population estimates based on unpublished Census Bureau data.
Earnings:
Earnings by place of work is the sum of wages and salaries, supplements to wages and salaries, and proprietors' income. BEA's industry estimates are presented on an earnings by place of work basis.
Net earnings by place of residence is earnings by place of work less contributions for government social insurance, plus an adjustment to convert earnings by place of work to a place-of-residence basis. BEA presents net earnings on an all industry level.
Property income is rental income of persons, personal dividend income, and personal interest income.
Personal current transfer receipts are benefits received by persons from federal, state, and local governments and from businesses for which no current services are performed. They include retirement and disability insurance benefits (mainly Social Security), medical benefits (mainly Medicare and Medicaid), income maintenance benefits, unemployment insurance compensation, veterans' benefits, and federal education and training assistance.
Personal income is measured before the deduction of personal income taxes and other personal taxes and is reported in current dollars (no adjustment is made for price changes).
The estimate of personal income for the United States is the sum of the state estimates and the estimate for the District of Columbia; it differs slightly from the estimate of personal income in the national income and product accounts (NIPAs) because of differences in coverage, in the methodologies used to prepare the estimates, and in the timing of the availability of source data.

Statistical Conventions

Quarter-to-quarter percent changes are calculated from unrounded data and are not annualized. Quarterly estimates are expressed at seasonally adjusted annual rates, unless otherwise specified. Quarter-to-quarter dollar changes are differences between published estimates.

BEA Regions

BEA groups all 50 states and the District of Columbia into eight distinct regions for purposes of data collecting and analyses: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont); Mideast (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania); Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin); Plains (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota); Southeast (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia); Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas); Rocky Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming); and Far West (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington).

Uses of State Personal Income Statistics

State personal income statistics provide a framework for analyzing current economic conditions in each state and can serve as a basis for decision making. For example:

• Federal government agencies use the statistics as a basis for allocating funds and determining matching grants to states. The statistics are also used in forecasting models to project energy and water use.
• State governments use the statistics to project tax revenues and the need for public services.
• Academic regional economists use the statistics for applied research.
• Businesses, trade associations, and labor organizations use the statistics for market research.

 

Cheers To The Chamber For The Good Things They Do Do

TransNational Initiative Overcoming Barriers > Conjuntos

PUBLIC NOTICE: Hazardous Air Pollutants > Comments Open National Emissions Standards

Some proposed "amendments" that citizens of Arizona might be concerned about if they reduce clean air standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.

Dear Interested Party, The Air Quality Division of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) welcomes comments on the proposed rule amendments to the Arizona Administrative Code for new and updated federal regulations New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) finalized between June 29, 2013 and June 30, 2017. ADEQ proposes to submit a letter to EPA requesting incorporations by reference of these federal regulations into the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP).  ADEQ proposes to incorporate these federal regulations into State rules in order to maintain its delegated authority from EPA to implement and enforce NSPS and NESHAP in Arizona, except for those specific authorities retained by EPA. View Public Notice/Related Documents > Public Comment Period Dec. 22, 2017 - Jan. 29, 2018 Public Hearing Jan. 29, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. 1110 W. Washington St., Rm. 3175 Phoenix, AZ 85007    Questions?  Matthew Ivers Air Quality Improvement Planning Section P: 602-771-6723 ivers.matthew@azdeq.gov Comments may be submitted as follows: > Email: ivers.matthew@azdeq.gov > F: 602-771-2299 > Mail: (Must be postmarked or received by Jan. 29, 2018)   ADEQ Matthew Ivers Air Quality Improvement Planning Section 1110 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ  85007