This is the 484th edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue). The spotlight usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the Feb. 18 Green Spotlight. More than 26,480 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Desert Scientist writes—Water! “This diary begins a series of four diaries on the old “elements.” We know now that these are not elements. Water, for example, consists primarily of one Oxygen and two Hydrogen atoms (both of which are elements), plus various other compounds as impurities, such as the combination of salts in salt water, and in many cases pollutants. That said, the four old “elements,” Air, Earth, Fire and Water, will serve well as symbols of the required necessities of life on this planet. I start with water because as a long-time South-westerner I developed a strong attachment to this scarce resource (See my diary on desert water at www.dailykos.com/...). I am now living in the Pacific Northwest, but water is still an issue, especially drinking water, although not as much as it was in New Mexico and Arizona. Here the streams have been damed and are often polluted, and even Puget Sound, that vast southern part of the Salish Sea, is stressed. Yet many of us in the United States worry more about money than water, as is well illustrated by the current difficulties at Standing Rock. The slogan “Water is life” used by the demonstrators at Standing Rock is so much of a truism as to be overlooked by those requiring quick profits in the present year. They often act as if water was an unlimited resource.”
John Chapman writes—Infrastructure and Resource Extraction Projects Slow under Trump Administration (the NEPA freeze): “While much of the discussion so far has focused on regulation and funding, the federal government also plays the lead role in planning the projects that improve our infrastructure and allow for resource extraction. Interestingly, preliminary data shows that the federal government is actually slowing down in its approval of projects relating to infrastructure and resource extraction. This type of slowdown was not seen in the first few weeks of the Obama or George W. Bush administrations—what is going on now is not a general feature of a transitioning administration. Now, I do not claim to have tracked down every single project related to infrastructure or resource extraction. However, it is possible to get a general picture of how these activities are progressing by taking a look at one important step in the process required for major projects that need to be approved by the federal government. By looking at ‘Notices of Availability’ of Environmental Impact Statements (which are published in the Federal Register) we have a snapshot of the progress that the government is making on some of their largest and most controversial projects.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
OceanDiver writes—Dawn Chorus: Skagit Delta Birds...Uneasy Alliances: “In western Washington State, the Skagit River has been pouring down from the Cascade Mountains for millennia, milky with sediment. In the lowlands by the Salish Sea, a broad flat delta has formed from this deposited sediment that extends miles out into shallow Skagit Bay. This wet fertile land draws thousands of migrating birds, as well as resident populations, and I make a point of passing through the Delta whenever I’m on the mainland to see them. It feels quiet and peaceful in this rural area but there are conflicts over land use, and the birds are caught in the middle of human decisions and alliances. This is farmland, some of the best in the state, fertile and well-watered. The Skagit (pronounced ska-jit, short a) Indian tribes who lived here knew it as a floodplain with forest, rivers, freshwater wetlands and muddy tidal estuary. As settlers displaced the Indians in the mid-1800s, the trees were cleared and the delta was diked and drained for crops, hay and grazing. Since then the delta has been intensively farmed. Currently agriculture is the primary industry in the county, with 90+ different crops grown, such as berries, bulbs, potatoes and vegetable seed, as well as dairy and beef products.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: J is For...: Welcome to the tenth entry in our Backyard Science ‘Alphabet’ series. Today’s Bucket is brought to you by the letter ‘J’. Photo diary starting off with juniper.
Passionfruit Flower writes—Daily Bucket: Full Moon Camping at Coachwhip Canyon (Photo Diary): “I recently spent a peaceful weekend camping at Coachwhip Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The park is situated approximately 15 miles east of Borrego Springs, CA, off the S-22. The side canyons in the main camping area were very large, allowing for a large group campfire, as well as hidden spots for campers who desired their own privacy. The hiking trails began with fairly flat, wide washes that eventually became thinner with larger rocks to scramble over as the hills accented. I didn’t make it to the top of any of the ridges, but those in my group who did and said the view of the canyons was beautiful.”
fll7612 writes—More birds, a purple-faced langur, a Buddhist monastery and other Sri Lanka miscellany: “Here is the long overdue second part of my Sri Lanka bucket. I think we could all do with some sunshine and tranquility. [...] January 2017, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. One morning I decided to check out Koggala lake which is about 20 minutes by tuktuk (three wheeled vehicle) from where I was staying in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province. It is the island’s largest natural lake and is dotted with small islands, fringed with mangroves and teems with prawns. Supposedly there are marsh crocodiles inhabiting the waters, but if so, they remained out of sight. I did see scores of luminous, tentacled jellyfish in certain areas, but they were impossible to photograph from the boat.”
Angmar writes—The Daily Bucket: Western NY in Midwinter- [spiky things & great growths montage]: Photo diary.
CLIMATE CHAOS
Meteor Blades writes—Pioneers: Climatologists' 38-year-old paper predicted what we're seeing happen in the Arctic melt: “Claire L. Parkinson’s scientific paper “Arctic sea ice decay simulated for a CO2-induced temperature rise” was published in Climate Change in 1979, the peer-reviewed journal, when it was just 2 years old. So was the Vermont native’s doctorate in geography and climatology. Parkinson’s paper, co-authored by William W. Kellogg, was pretty much ignored. What it argued, based on mathematical modeling, is that a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide above preindustrial levels would make the Arctic free of ice in late summer probably sometime in the middle of the 21st century. We now know that four-decades-old prediction was spot on, as Sabrina Shankman points out in a story in the Pulitzer-winning InsideClimate News. In fact, the likelihood of the scenario Parkinson and her colleague posited then could occur a decade or more before mid-century. As scientists in the past 20 years have been predicting, whenever summers do become ice free in the Arctic, the global impact will be titanic. Indeed, we appear to be feeling some of that impact already.”
Pakalolo writes—NASA defies Trump's doubts on climate science. Identifies new path for Greenland meltwater to Ocean: “New NASA research has found that cracks on the surface of the Helheim Glacier in SE Greenland allows meltwater to drain directly to the ocean. This is yet another example of the unraveling of the polar ice caps due to human caused climate change. It reflects the increasing role of Greenland and Antarctica in sea level rise. According to NASA, Greenland adds meltwater to the sea mainly through surface melt and ice flow. Surface melt has increased in recent decades not only by warming temperatures, but also by the soot that settles on Greenland causing a loss of solar reflectivity back to space. The soot, a result of our burning of fossil fuels and from climate change caused forest and grassland fires, settles on the ice sheet, darkening it and absorbing solar energy which creates more and more surface melt as a result. In western Greenland, increasing amounts of meltwater create a mind boggling network of rivers, supra and sub glacial lakes on the surface. In that part of Greenland, the melt drains through the ice down to the bedrock via moulins, and enters the ocean.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Tricked by a Rose on the Page: Smith Takes Up Tabloid Conspiracy Crusade: “Over the past two weeks, David Rose has tried his hardest to keep the air in his “blowfish” attack on Tom Karl’s pausebuster study, with two follow-up stories on the 11th and the 18th. But ever since Rose’s source, NOAA scientist John Bates, told the AP that there was ‘no data tampering, no data changing, nothing malicious,’ no one without an agenda has taken the dissected and debunked tabloid tall tale seriously. Lamar Smith, however, has used it as an excuse to revive his inquisition and has again subpoenaed NOAA for communications related to the study. Whether the agency will comply with this harassment now that the Trump administration is in power remains to be seen. Not content to use his power on scientists only, Smith has also re-issued subpoenas against the New York and Massachusetts Attorneys General and some specific NGO staffers they had contact with regarding the #ExxonKnew investigations. The response to these have been clear. Smith’s colleague on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, ranking member Eddie Bernice Johnson, called the effort “symbolic of the Majority’s anti-science agenda and their efforts to shield oil, gas, and mining interests, such as ExxonMobil, from legitimate oversight and public accountability.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
Dan Bacher writes—Federal Appeals Court Upholds Water Releases into Trinity River to Protect Salmon: “The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco today ruled in a 3-0 decision that the federal government can release water from Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River to prevent massive salmon kills in drought years, water that otherwise would be exported to the Westlands Water District and other corporate agribusiness interests in the San Joaquin Valley.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
Carter for Virginia writes—Oroville: How California narrowly avoided disaster, and what Virginia can learn from it: “We all saw the headlines last week, as the tallest dam in the United States threatened to breach catastrophically. Nearly a quarter of a million California residents were forced to evacuate at a moment's notice, to be safe from the possibility of a 30 foot wall of water rushing down the Feather River. How did a failure of this magnitude happen in the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen? To put it simply, it was the product of complacency and neglect. Twelve years ago, a number of groups including the Sierra Club requested that the Federal Government reinforce the dam's emergency spillway with concrete. This request was rejected, with an internal memo stating ‘[t]he guidelines specify that during a rare flood event, it is acceptable for the emergency spillway to sustain significant damage.’”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Walter Einenkel writes—Instead of Russia, Rep. Jason Chaffetz launches investigation of new National Park (seriously): When President Barack Obama designated Bears Ears in Utah a National Monument he ruffled some feathers. Utah Republicans like Sen. Orrin Hatch made their usual statements about executive overreach and other such things that they would subsequently walk back the moment Donald Trump took office. America’s Renfield, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has been working to get this decision reversed. The chair of the House Oversight committee hasn’t been able to find the strength or time to investigate the clearly alarming conflicts of interest between Trump or any number of Trump’s cabinet and foreign leaders, but he knows how badly he wants to sell off public land. Back when President Obama announced Bears Ears National Monument, the Bryce Canyon twitter page posted this enthusiastic show of support. Fun, right? Not fun for crime dog Chaffetz who sent an angry letter to the Bryce Canyon superintendent.
ENERGY
Hydraulic Fracturing
billofrights writes—To Ban Fracking in Maryland, There Must Be a Revolt Against Senate President Mike Miller: “I sent the following letter off this morning to many members of House and Senate in Annapolis. [...] While it is true that there are enormous and long standing economic and social problems in our Western Maryland counties, including a growing drug problem, fracking is not the answer. Senate President Miller is flat out wrong that it is the only way to help: we have substantial environmental damage to land and water from the fading, last extractive regime, that of coal, and at least 5,000 derelict structures in Allegany County alone which need serious attention. A Civilian Conservation Corps or WPA program would do more to help those who need a job, those on the margins of our society, than any fracking program.”
Walter Einenkel writes—New study finds thousands of reported gas and oil spills at fracking sites across the U.S.: “Every few weeks there is a story about the clear impact fracking operations have on nearby waterways. There are stories every week or so about other clear environmental concerns resulting from American natural gas and oil industries. As our government is being fully stocked with individuals who made careers out of neutering laws and punishments surrounding consumer protections and human protections, this is a dangerous combination. The BBC reports on a new study that looked at the natural gas and oil industry’s leakage issues—and the number of spills the companies report. [...] The state with the overwhelming number of spills was North Dakota, making up 4,453 of the study’s 6,648. The Dakota Access Pipeline state’s big numbers are connected to the lower threshold that companies must meet before being required to report.”
Mark Sumner writes—New study indicates the number of spills due to fracking is 20 times higher than previous estimates: “ An EPA study earlier this year suggested that hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and gas from shale beds could be a threat to drinking water, but that actual problems were “rare.” However, there may be reason to be concerned, because the number of spills related to fracking may be much higher than previously thought. The EPA’s previous efforts for estimating spills generated a broad range of numbers. … approximately 100 to 3,700 spills annually, assuming 25,000 to 30,000 new wells are fractured per year. [...] But that now seems like the actual number of spills is many times higher. The analysis, published Feb. 21 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, revealed 6,648 spills in four states alone—Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania—in 10 years.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Walter Einenkel writes—California Democrat enters a bill that hopes to make the state 100% renewable energy by 2045: “California State Sen. Kevin de Leon has introduced a placeholder bill this past week with the intent on ramping up the Golden State’s electric grid. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, are under the direction of their governing boards. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 40% by December 31, 2024, 45% by December 31, 2027, and 50% by December 31, 2030. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program. The Legislature has separately declared that its intent in implementing the program is to attain, among other targets for sale of eligible renewable resources, the target of 50% of total retail sales of electricity by December 31, 2030. This bill would revise those legislative findings and declarations to state that the goal of the program is to achieve that 50% target by December 31, 2025, and for all electricity sold at retail to be generated by eligible renewable energy resources by December 31, 2045.”
Michael Brune writes—Not Even He Can Mess This Up: “As the technical challenges of integrating renewables are solved, the economic benefits become irrefutable. Perhaps that's why 20 U.S. governors (including eight Republicans) sent a letter last week to President Trump asking him to support renewable energy, which is conspicuously absent from the so-called "America First" energy plan at whitehouse.gov. That bipartisan support for wind and solar isn't just because two out of three Americans think we should prioritize developing clean, renewable energy sources over fossil fuels. It's because renewables are already contributing mightily to local economies -- both through jobs and energy production. The growing momentum of wind and solar is also inspiring more city governments to set their sights on 100 percent clean energy. Again, in just the past week both Moab, Utah, and Pueblo, Colorado, joined the 23 other cities that have committed to getting all of their power from 100 percent clean, renewable energy. Pueblo, Moab, and other communities are charting this course away from dirty fuels because they want a future with healthier families, more economic security, and greater prosperity.”
Pipelines & Other Oil and Gas Transport
navajo writes—Standing Rock arrests today for those needing more time to clean up the camp: “It’s raining and hailing hard at the Oceti Sakowin camp right now where the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux plus their allies having been protecting the precious water source, the Missouri River in North Dakota, from being compromised by the Dakota Access Pipeline since last spring. Today the remaining Water Protectors face arrest at this moment. The remaining are committed to cleaning up the areas that are in a potential flood zone but they need more time. Arresting those cleaning up defeats these efforts. [...] Water protectors are hard at work making sure to leave the Oceti Sakowin camp area better than we found it. Fake news about the 'mess' is rampant, so hopefully this clears up questions. We are still committed to protecting the water of the Missouri River. But if the camp is evicted or raided, it will only hinder or stop the cleanup.”
durrati writes—Standing Rock is On Fire - Oceti Sakowin Camp Being Burned By Departing Water Protectors: “As the dead line for Storm-troopers to move into Camp Oceti Sakowin approached, water protectors set ceremonial fires in the soon to be abandoned site. ‘As police prepare to raid Oceti Sakowin Camp on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m., the water protectors clear out what remains of the former front lines of the struggle, demolishing some structures and burning others ceremoniously to commemorate the camp and its former inhabitants. Other camps have been established in the past few months, with new sacred fires lit farther from police lines. The tribal government has asked protesters to leave while they try legal measures to fight the Dakota Access Pipeline; the water protectors still at the camps stand resolute.’ The photos are eerily reminiscent of ones taken after the Battle of Wounded Knee...thankfully, so far, sans the bodies.”
Dan Bacher writes—CalPERS joins investors calling on banks to address concerns about Dakota Access Pipeline: “On February 17, California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) officials announced they are joining over 100 fellow investors asking major U.S. and international banks backing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) to address the concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota. The statement endorsed by CalPERS supports a rerouting of the pipeline, but doesn't call for halting DAPL, a project that poses enormous harm to the drinking water supply for 17 million people and to many fish and wildlife species on the Missouri River. The announcement came four days after 150 people from a coalition of environmental and Native American Groups held a march and rally in front of the CalPERS office in Sacramento to tell the retirement fund to divest from its investments in banks backing the Dakota Access Pipeline. The investors, including four New York City pension funds, Boston Common Asset Management, Calvert, and Storebrand Asset Management, called on the banks to act "to protect the banks' reputation, consumer base, and avoid legal liabilities.’”
Leslie Salzillo writes—Standing Rock surrounded by militarized police with deadline hours away: 'We need help': “The American government has continued to lie, steal, cheat and murder Native American Indians from the time we invaded their land hundreds of years again. And here we are again, threatening their resources and welfare. And once again they are outnumbered. The protestors state: After the deadline of February 22, 2015, at 2PM, we are all at risk of facing arrest, of police brutality, federal charges and prison time. We need help. There are only a few of us left. For those who might still not understand the protest, here is a fact sheet by SacredStoneCamp.org.”
Winter Rabbit writes—Earth Mother, I Am Sorry #NODAPL: “The Lakota Creation Story explains how Skan (that which moves everything, the sky, the Great Spirit) came from the waters on earth after Inyan (soft, shapeless, and had all power), created Ina Maka (Earth Mother) and Inyan became the rock after draining himself of his blood. The story tells how Inyan’s blue blood became the waters, but his power couldn’t stay in the waters, so all of his power rose to become the sky. Skan, the blue dome above the earth, became this all powerful judge, who made himself second in order after the Sun with Earth and Inyan after himself. Perhaps Skan is merely a metaphor for the sky and good leadership, or perhaps Skan is power beyond human comprehension. Societies around the globe developed similar beliefs of creation and reverence for earth without having communicated. Currently, those still held beliefs of earth’s sacredness are not being respected by the fossil fuel industry, and its overbearing actions fueled by environmental racism come with a price — a price we can not pay.”
m2c4 writes—Last Camp Of DAPL Protesters Closes; New Battles Await Native Americans: “Some time later this afternoon, the physical protests against Dakota Access Pipeline will essentially end as the last of the Water Protectors at Oceti Sakowin pack up and leave. The battle will, of course continue in other venues such as the courts. The Standing Rock Sioux had encouraged protesters to leave back in January as they were concerned about their ability to endure the harsh North Dakota winter. They continued to discourage protesters from returning even after the Trump administration and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) reversed what Obama had decided in December and allowed the pipeline to continue.”
REGULATIONS
RockyMtnHigh writes—Pruitt Speaks to EPA Employees - They Are Not Impressed: “Trump's newly minted climate-change-denier-in-chief/EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt addressed the troops yesterday, trying to give the appearance of respecting the career staff while offering some sense (but not specifics) on the direction he sees the agency moving — and demonstrating his astonishing lack of awareness about the agency and its mission. Pruitt's remarks were delivered to a small audience in person, with other staff able to listen in or watch online. He opened with a conciliatory tone, thanking the career staff for their dedication. [...] More revealing was his reference to a second book, Inventing Freedom by Daniel Hannan. The book’s subtitle tells you what you need to know about its author’s viewpoint: “How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World.” (It is probably required reading for team Trump.) Pruitt said he drew some lessons from the book on the importance of the American experiment that he emphasized with EPA staff.”
Meteor Blades writes—Open thread for night owls: EPA veteran, after years of fighting agency, returns to wreck it. From InsideClimate News: “David Schnare's career with the Environmental Protection Agency began in the agency's infancy in 1978 with the critical mission of implementing the new Safe Drinking Water Act. Over the next 33 years, he would call the EPA home as an enforcement lawyer and policy analyst, while also working in his outside time to try to undermine some of the agency's pressing priorities. During his tenure at the EPA, Schnare simultaneously directed a conservative think tank's environmental program that opposed regulation as a pollution remedy. He testified to Congress that carbon regulations do greater harm to the environment than carbon dioxide. He also co-founded a legal organization funded partly by fossil fuel interests, and through that group launched an effort to make public climate scientists' private emails to call their work into question. Now in his late 60s, Schnare returns to the EPA in a far more powerful role: reshaping it under another foe of regulation, President Donald Trump.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Rearranging Agency Deckchairs Begins on USS Trumptanic: “Amidst swirling rumors of Executive Orders, newly minted EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt took the lectern on Tuesday in the Rachel Carson Green Room to address his new employees. His speech was the sort of bromide-laced sedative one would expect in an un-Trumped administration, which sadly made it nicer than anticipated. But still, to the EPA staffers, it was ‘condescending and hypocritical.’ After thanking the career staffers, Pruitt’s 11-minute talk managed to discuss the importance of process and the rule of law (implying the agency flaunted it prior to his joining) and giving industry the certainty it needs, without ever mentioning public health or climate change. He also went through a version of the federalism spiel he used at his confirmation hearing, to give his pro-polluter perspective a sheen of respectability by couching it in noble-sounding but ultimate industry-forgiving legalese. But at least the feared Executive Orders to pull back on climate, water and other regulations and otherwise reform the EPA in Trump/Pruitt/Putin/Koch’s image failed to materialize. For now.”
Eric Nelson writes—Without "burdensome regulations", the land is fouled & people die: “I’ve shelved rough drafts and cancelled more comments since the 2016 election, not knowing how to say something that hasn’t already been published, investigated, and sourced better than what I’d put together. Recently though a heartbreaking story from a couple of years ago has come back to mind that haunted me when I’d first heard it reported. The deaths of 4 people and near deaths of many more trying to save those that died. All of it completely avoidable if adequate safety regulations had been in place, and those in place had been enforced. At minute 7:58 in this video segment put together by Rachel Maddow & team is a story out of La Porte, Texas, where a chemical leak killed 4 people and damn near killed the fire fighters that responded to an emergency call and were poised to enter the same building where the deadly gas, methyl mercaptan, had filled the space.”
pauciscerebri writes—New Executive Orders from Hell: Tomorrow Trump Will Attack Core Climate and Clean Water Policies: “The outright environmental nightmare that is the Trump Presidency will accelerate tomorrow when Trump will issue executive orders demanding the government (these steps had been waiting until Scott Pruitt was confirmed, which unfortunately occurred tomorrow). The executive orders will require Executive Branch agencies to reconsider programs that were the centerpieces of President Obama’s policies to address climate change — the Clean Power Plan, which reduces emissions from fossil-fuel-burning power plants — and the Clean Water Rule, which is designed to limit pollution into the nation’s waterways. As today’s Washington Post explains: One executive order, aimed at bolstering American energy independence, will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to begin rewriting the 2015 regulation that limits greenhouse-gas emissions from existing electric utilities.”
Hedy writes—An Open Letter to Senator Heidi Heitkamp: “Last week I watched you vote for Scott Pruitt to head the E.P.A. This is a man who wants to eliminate the very agency you voted for him to run. The same agency that you cut your teeth in as a young attorney. Again, you made a political choice because it might allow you to retain your seat, even though you know that it is a deal with the devil. I remember when I was a kid (and I am sure that you must remember this too), when people would ask about why anybody would choose to live in North Dakota and residents would proudly proclaim that it is ‘cleaner and greener in the summer and whiter and brighter in the winter.’ Part of your job is to work to ensure it stays that way. Sandy Hook happened and you know it. Many of the people pushing you to vote against gun control didn’t. Climate change is real and you know it. Again, many of the people who championed Pruitt don’t. Part of your job is to tell them. You are an incredibly trusted politician in North Dakota, who is known for listening to her constituents, but you can’t just listen, you also need to have the tough conversations.”
Meteor Blades writes—Thanks to liberal watchdog CMD, EPA chief's emails showing his collaboration with Kochs are online: “The Center for Media and Democracy has posted online 7,564 searchable pages of Scott Pruitt’s emails and other records. The watchdog organization pried them loose from the Oklahoma attorney general’s office with a lawsuit. But not in time for U.S. senators to read them before voting last week to confirm Pruitt as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that he wants to demolish or, at the very least, hamstring. What those emails show is unsurprising given what was already publicly known: Climate science-denier Pruitt is going to be no friend of the environment or the agency he has been chosen to lead.[...] Sadly, even if these documents had been available for Senate review last week, it seems unlikely they would have turned any votes. Only one Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, voted against Pruitt. Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of oil-rich North Dakota and Sen. Joe Manchin of coal industry-dominated West Virginia gave him the thumbs-up, more than canceling out Collins in the 52-46 confirmation vote.”
datadata writes—Pruitt's emails begin to come out: “The Center for Media and Democracy has 7,564 pages of emails from Scott Pruitt’s Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General. It took a lawsuit.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
elenacarlena writes—Breaking Pawlitics: Keep Fighting For The Environment Edition: To support pro-environment Congresscritters: Senators Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin, Jon Tester and others battled against Pruitt; now they will need help battling for their seats. To get out the vote for the environment: Join The Environmental Voter Project So More Environmentally Concerned Voters Vote. To stay current on environmental issues: Sign Up For Environmental Action Alerts From Earthjustice. To see if your legislator is having a Town Hall meeting: Check out the Town Hall Project’s list of Town Hall Meetings so that you can meet them face to face if you wish. If your legislators will not have a Town Hall, have one and invite them: Indivisible Guide: Missing Members of Congress Action Plan: Hold a Constituents' Town Hall. To write your letter then fax it for free: FaxZero: Create and send faxes for free to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
pollwatcher writes—Economic Resistance. Outdoor Industry Association Pulls It's Trade Show From Utah: “One of the most powerful tools of the resistance will be economic resistance. We may like to think that we can make some kind of moral argument with the uninformed apathetic masses who delivered this horrific threat to our doorsteps, and they will see the light and turn out to vote against the fascist GOP, but I don’t believe it. [...] The outdoor recreation industry has had enough of the GOP kleptocracy and is firing a shot across the GOP bow. The nation’s largest outdoor-recreation companies are pulling their official trade show from Salt Lake City, citing Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s push to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument’s federal designation. Herbert (R) has joined with Utah’s congressional delegation in asking President Trump to undo federal protections that former president Barack Obama granted in late December to Bears Ears, a sacred ancestral Pueblo site in southeastern Utah.”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
AppleDem writes—Popular Referendums and Mass Transit: A Form of Regressive Taxation: “$54 billion is a lot of money. No matter how it is raised, it’s a lot. Local governments would pale at being asked to raise that much money, but that’s what Sound Transit 3 (or ST3 for short) did last fall. Spanning three counties and 16 cities, the plan will bring 116 miles of light rail to the Puget Sound area over the next 30 years. So why should a reader at the Dailykos care about this? As we move further into the Trump years, many local governments are taking the initiative and passing progressive legislation. Sanctuary laws, non-discrimination ordinances, and many others are all worthy causes. Popular Initiatives, or referendums, are also used to legalize marijuana, raise the minimum wage, attempt to establish universal healthcare, and many other worthy causes. But too many times, in the heat of passing progressive proposals, do we ignore the less ‘sexy’ items. Mass transportation being one of them.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Norway continues to break records with electric car market shares reach 37%: “Norway is electrically powering forward in the clean vehicle market. Last year using tax-incentives, the country was able to boost battery-powered and hybrid cars sales up to 29 percent of all cars sold in the country last year. Though less than 5% of the total fleet of cars in Norway are electric, the country’s transport minister calls it “realistic” to expect an end to sales of new cars powered by fossil fuels by 2025. Fiscal incentives, not an outright ban, will bring this about. Eye-popping purchase taxes typically double the cost of a high-emission car, but these and other levies are waived for clean ones. Drivers of zero-emission vehicles also skip costly road tolls, cross fjords by ferry for free, park without paying in cities and use bus lanes to whizz by other commuters. As electrek.co points out, Norway is far afield in electric vehicles. In September 2016, 28.8% of new car sales were plug-in electric vehicles and all-electric cars had 19.0% market share. It’s 10 times what most countries are doing these days thanks to EV incentives like the 25% VAT tax exemption.”
MISCELLANY
Nolana writes—Whither Okeanos? ”I spent a chunk of last summer glued to the livestream of the NOAA Okeanos Explorer expedition to the Marianas Trench National Marine Monument. Every day for about 6 weeks (every night for me, which made if difficult) they would drop a submersible with a linked ROV into water from 1000 to 5000 meters deep, and poke around to see what they could find. I learned so much watching these livestreams! I learned about Relicanthus and deep-sea sponges, and brisingids and brittle stars, squat lobsters and their symbiotic relationships with tiny anemones. I learned of the amazing carnivorous sponges that look a lot like corals, and which catch and eat minute crustaceans. I learned about manganese accretion, and was amazed to see cantaloupe-sized manganese cobbles that, at an accretion rate of 1mm/1 million years must be 100 million years old! I learned about Siphonophores and Holothurians, and saw fantastic colorful forests of crynoids and sponges and corals, and tiny colorful shrimps with half-meter-long antennae. I felt bereft when the expedition ended, having come to ‘know’ the scientists (Geology lead Patty Fryer and biology lead Shirley Pomponey, and a couple dozen assorted experts scattered around the globe), and enjoyed so much sharing in their excitement and wonder at what they were seeing. I have been waiting impatiently for the upcoming Okeanos expeditions, so I can learn more. Now I worry — will they even sail again? What will become of the Okeanos Explorer in this new, science-phobic administration?”
Lefty Coaster writes—Atmospheric Rivers: “Most residents of the West Coast are all too familiar with the weather phenomena known as an Atmospheric River. Living in the path of an Atmospheric River is like being in the target of of an enormous water vapor firehouse three hundred miles long. It’s a very soggy experience. Now we learn they also comes with very destructive winds. [...] Atmospheric rivers are famously wet. But atmospheric scientist Duane Waliser has done some new research that shows they're also remarkably windy. Waliser studied two decades of storms around the globe at mid-latitudes — that is, outside the tropics. When he focused on the very windiest — the top 2 percent — he found that "atmospheric rivers are typically associated with 30 and even up to 50 percent of those very extreme cases." Atmospheric rivers were also responsible for almost that percentage of the very wettest storms, too. But the windiness was surprising. Waliser found that winds during an atmospheric river are typically twice the speed of the average storm. He says emergency responders need to know that.”