Every week Daily Kos diarists write dozens of environmentally related posts. Many don't get the readership they deserve. Helping improve the odds is the motivation behind the Green Diary Rescue. In the past seven years, there have been 238 of these spotlighting more than 13,478 eco-diaries. Below are categorized links and excerpts to 77 more that appeared in the past seven days. That makes for lots of good reading during the spare moments of your weekend. [Disclaimer: Inclusion of a diary in the rescue does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.] |
Green Diary of the Week
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here to see interactive version of this map.
Let It Blow! Wind Power Swells @ US Farms—by
boatsie: "Looking for something to smile about this morning? Check out the
latest interactive map by which shows a total of 815 online wind power farms currently powering 15 Million homes. According to energy.gov, 2012 was a banner year for wind energy in the US, with some 143 wind farms either coming on line or increasing their capacity. (Some tips on interpreting the interactive map: a blue flash signifies a new wind farm. As they age over time the color shifts to purple, darkening in hue with age. A time slider makes it possible to determine locations of wind farms.) The agency's report shows a signficiant uptrend in renewable wind powered energy, noting the growth in the industy is supporting 'tens of thousands of jobs.'"
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Sunday Train: The Myth of Baseload Power—by BruceMcF: "In Baseload power is a myth: even intermittent renewables will work, Mark Diesendorf, Asst. Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales (Australia), writes: The old myth was based on the incorrect assumption that base-load demand can only be supplied by base-load power stations; for example, coal in Australia and nuclear in France. However, the mix of renewable energy technologies in our computer model, which has no base-load power stations, easily supplies base-load demand. Our optimal mix comprises wind 50-60%; solar PV 15-20%; concentrated solar thermal with 15 hours of thermal storage 15-20%; and the small remainder supplied by existing hydro and gas turbines burning renewable gases or liquids. (Contrary to some claims, concentrated solar with thermal storage does not behave as base-load in winter; however, that doesn’t matter.) Anyone who engages in online discussion on issues involving renewable energy for any length of time will encounter the myth that renewable energy is unreliable in supplying base-load demand. This myth is pushed into the discussion with substantial financial investment, directly and indirectly, by vested interests in continued reliance on the Global Suicide Pact power sources of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Writing from Australia, Mark Diesendorf flags the use of the Murdoch press empire in propagating this myth. Here in the United States, the myth is promoted by both Big Coal and Big Oil funded propaganda mills ~ including those libertarian "think tanks" that argue against the government getting involved in defending our economy from the prospect of collapse in the face of climate chaos ..."
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Fake wasp nest to scare off yellow jackets
The Daily Bucket--Yellow Jackets Outsmarted me again—by
6412093: "Last year, yellow jackets (probably the Vespula species) dug an underground city the size of Houston on the edge of my vegetable garden. They stung me a half-dozen times when I tried to weed around a nearby volunteer gladiola. It was painful and the sting wounds swelled up as if poisoned. [...] Then Ms. 6 discovered an amazing, non-toxic, benign solution. [...] a fake wasps' nest made of paper and wire. [...] We dared to think: Success! Ha. Instead, the yellowjackets outsmarted me, and built this hive near our the front door, where I had neglected to post fake hives. Dolichovespula species are probably responsible, since they typically build aerial nests. Wiki states there could be thousands of YJs inside such a hive, at peak. Next year, I'm stringing up fake hives all around the house, like strings of Xmas lights. That'll stop them."
The Great Outdoors
Wagon near the Sun River, Montana
Walking by a River: Street Prophets Saturday—by
Ojibwa: "I spend much of the summer traveling in a motorhome. It is not uncommon for my destination to be someplace I wouldn’t have selected as a vacation spot: it is a destination because I’ve been asked to do one of my presentations there. As a part of my routine, I like to walk, to explore the area around the campground and/or in the town. Recently, I strolled along the Sun River in Montana."
St. Joseph Bay
The Daily Bucket: St. Joe Bay—by
matching mole: "Yesterday I took a much needed day off and my wife and I drove down to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park on the coast of the Florida Panhandle. I spent an hour or so snorkeling in the sea grass beds of the bay. I diaried my previous visit here. This was in part a test of the continued usefulness of my underwater camera. I won't give you the full details but since April many of the controls don't function in the photo-taking mode. They do in the preview mode but when taking pictures pretty much all I can do is push the shutter button."
Gothic Basin waterfall
Gothic Basin near Glacier Peak—by
rb137: "The following pictures are from Gothic Basin yesterday. It's a rough hike, in fact, a lot of it isn't what most people would even call trail. It's more like a rock garden. It's steep and there are deathly sharp drops in a few places—drops that get pretty close to the trail. That said, there was an endless supply of ladies aged 60+ out there blowing everyone else's doors off. You just have to be as tough as they are."
The Daily Bucket: Mushrooms Redux—by
PHScott: "Last August I did a bucket called Mushrooms That Weren't at Woodstock. Now I have more mushrooms, and after looking at the photos from last year, I realize these are all different. Maybe it's from being on a different mountain - last year was Clinch Mt; this year is Comer Mt. Both are located in southwest Virginia. [...] I'm told that the Virginia mountains had record rainfall this summer. It sure looks like it. No doubt all that rain brought out lots of mushrooms. [...] Nearing 80º in Tallahassee and headed to 90, humidity above 90%, t-storms likely. I'll be in and out doing things in the yard and checking on the armadillo damage. What a mess! They dug up a bunch of plants I had started. Thankfully I had put a cage around the butterflyweed and that survived. Guess I should close the windows soon after letting the house air a bit. And the first bird I heard this morning was a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Welcome home it called. Bless you I replied."
Climate Chaos
Vote Now to Push Climate Change Action To Top of UN Agenda—by boatsie: "It's MY WORLD, right? Well, here's your chance to have identify action on climate change as the key priority. My World. The United Nations Survey For a Better Worldhas identified 16 issues and is encouraging people from around the world to take a few moments and vote to identify top priorities for fashioning a better world. Currently, close to 813,000 people from 194 countries have participated in the survey."
Climate Change Science's Suit vs. Climate Change Hoaxer Lies—by LeftOfYou: "'The idea of human-induced global climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community. It is a hoax.' Members of Congress in their respective houses are allowed by the Constitution to say any fool thing they wish, truth and facts be damned. Given how many members of Congress are, these days, the paid tools of Exxon and the Koch brothers, scientists have powerful enemies in Congress. One of the best and most peer respected of these scientists, Dr. Michael Mann of Penn State University, has nevertheless found a way to fight back against some of the lies, finding the courage and resources to take on an icon of conservative media, The National Review. Dr. Mann has sued the publication and its minions for their malicious lies about him and his science. When I recently reported here on this lawsuit, pending in the District of Columbia, I promised an additional post to "explain how the 1st Amendment messes with libel law and places a very heavy burden of proof on Dr. Mann in this case." That discussion is out in the tall grass, if you wish to know more."
Climate Change "In Our Backyards"—by Marcia G Yerman: "Last month, the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a full committee hearing on the topic, 'Climate Change: It’s Happening Now.' In Chairperson Sen. Barbara Boxer’s opening statement, she referenced previous testimony from a range of witnesses—including scientists—who have attested to weather extremes and their impact upon the nation. Examples included the $65 billion cost of Superstorm Sandy, the recent Arizona wildfire which caused the deaths of nineteen firefighters, and the loss of more than a third of total sea ice volume over the past ten years in the Arctic region—which has created vulnerability for indigenous villages. Clearly, the outlook is serious."
New Satellite Will Chronicle the Slow Death Of The Planet—by Dartagnan: "Forget the Mission to Mars. Forget the Moon Colonies. Forget everything you saw on Star Trek. The most important space program of the 21st century will consist of a solitary 468 million dollar satellite, quietly orbiting the Earth over the next several decades, dispassionately processing information about atmospheric carbon dioxide levels for review by NASA analysts tasked with measuring the slow death of the planet as we know it. [...] Cleverly named OCO-2 ("Orbiting Carbon Observatory"), the satellite is tentatively scheduled for launch next July. It will take about 200,000 atmospheric samples a day."
Eco-Activism & Eco-Justice
Support the Texas Tar Sands Blockade—by AoT: "Last November Lizzie Alvarado, Ben Reynoso and Julie Henry launched a short lived tree sit to blockade the Keystone XL pipeline being built through Texas. The local constabulary removed them from the trees using a cherry picker, after pepper spraying supporters on the ground to disperse them, and they are now being charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, felony mischief, and felony use of a criminal instrument. These brave protesters in Texas need our help! Their legal fund is seeking donations to help with the fines from the misdemeanor trespassing charge. They don't know exactly what the fines will be but any additional money they take in will be used for the legal funds of the other protesters arrested that day. Ultimately, they are facing the potential of years in jail with all of these charges for an act of civil disobedience."
Activists say TransCanada works closely with DHS, local cops to spy on and infiltrate Keystone foes—by Meteor Blades: "One set of documents acquired a few months ago via the FOIA by the anti-Keystone group Bold Nebraska found that TransCanada was spying on people walking on their own property and regularly presenting a PowerPoint slide show to law enforcement officials that included suggestions on possible charges that could be brought against protesters. Many of these amounted to simple harassment, the kind of things that can tie dissidents up in the courts for months and weaken their resolve to continue protesting because of legal fees."
Richmond CA -- young poets speak out on Chevron's Enviromental Racism—by meganthemegan: "Young poets from Richmond, CA RAW Talent call out Chevwrong at the BNV National Poetry slam in Chicago last week!
Idle No More Rises Up in the Bay Area to Lead a Protest Against Chevron & Fossil Fuels—by
navajo: "On Saturday, August 3rd almost 3000 people marched from Richmond BART to the Chevron refinery on the first anniversary of the terrible refinery explosion last year. Toxicity spread across the city and sent thousands to local hospitals. At the protest 210 people were arrested for trespassing when they would not leave the gated entrance of the refinery. All of this a non-violent yet direct action to call for: • NO more toxic hazards. • NO Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. • NO refining tar sands or fracked crude. • YES to a just transition from dirty fossil fuels to union jobs in clean energy!"
Sustainability
IAN: Welcome to Arcosanti, Monday August 12th, 2013—by BadKitties: "I love Cracked.com =) It has some very interesting and informative articles =) Like this one. I had never, ever heard of Arcosanti. What a splendid idea: Utopia, in the Arizona desert!"
Food, Agriculture & Gardening
48 State Map Shows Net Farm Bill Impacts—by Iowa Farm Activist: "My map series, "Maps of Farm Bill Impacts," shows net farm bill impacts for 10 commodity crops and dairy, for the lower 48 states (with Alaska and Hawaii included in calculations for the Pacific region). This contrasts with the map series at USDA, the "Farm Program Atlas," which looks only at government spending, at money going TO farmers. While it's important to know about money going TO farmers, it's even more important to also know about money taken away FROM farmers by Congress through the various Farm Bills and Farm Programs since 1953. This then reverses the conclusions."
The Flowers of August—by
Wee Mama: She provides several photos of flowers from the front yard garden. Only one is not a vegetable or fruit.
The Daily Bucket - the great pretender—by Polly Syllabic: "Plump white clumps sway between the purple and pink pastels of my August phlox garden. Sweet nectared blooms unwind from tight swirly buds to exude a heady perfume that hangs in the stillness or is carried away on the slightest brush of breeze. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are drawn to this delight of flower power and so are the great pretenders, complete with fuzzy antennae, six pale yellow legs and long hollow feeding tube tongues. I forgot to mention the widely fanned tail that functions as a back-and-forth, up-and-down directional rudder."
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 9.26—by
rb137: "My yard is a slug buffet. It's a freak show, seriously. We had a little rain this week in the Pacific Northwest. That made me happy, because I planted some new blueberries this year -- and the natural water just works so much better than the hose variety. I was also busy and distracted this week, so I spent less time in the garden. I was even lazier about it because I didn't have to water. Oh boy. I admit that I might have been a little remiss with the Sluggo in a couple of places, but damn. The slugs came out of nowhere! Okay, I should have been alerted to the fact that I needed to spend some time slug picking when I went to the mailbox after dark, barefoot, and accidentally murdered one of the little darlings on the front walkway. Squwoosh. Right between the toes. Mmmmm. Feels like poop. Oh wait -- it isn't poop. It's slug innards. Nothing like picking fresh slug guts from under your toenails before bedtime. That always makes me feel frisky."
Macca's Meatless Monday: One thing I can tell you is that there is a fast solution to climate change—VL Baker: "This year we have joined together again to build upon that presentation with our new entry Cool Food: empowering climate friendly choices on a daily basis. Our entry has reached the finals and we are now in the voting phase. I hope you'll take a look at the entry and support it with your vote. To vote, just log in, which requires only a username and password. The key to reducing short-lived climate pollutants is education—informing people about which foods are the greatest contributors to greenhouse-gas emissions."
Our Carbon Paw Print—by John Crapper: "[VL Baker] has also done a relentless job in this series repeatedly pointing out the greatest single thing an individual can do to reduce these shorter-lived climate forcers is to reduce their consumption of meat. [...] But it is not only humans who consume meat. What about the role of our meat loving pets? Cats are obligate carnivores, though most commercial cat food contains both animal and plant material supplemented with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Obligate carnivores or 'true' carnivores depend on the nutrients only found in animal flesh for their survival. Recommendations differ on what is the best diet for dogs. Some argue a meat only diet is best and others attest to a mixture of meat and grains. Regardless of which side of this diet debate you fall all seem to agree that meat is an important component to any dog's diet."
What a bore(r)...(garden diary)—by abbysomething: "First off, let me say that I am not good at the follow through. If my husband doesn't take an active role in the maintaining of our flower gardens, things go to shit. I water, I mow, I take care of my pond, but the flowers get neglected. This year, my husband has been active and dug out some new flowerbeds and cleaned up the old. Among the old, was an area with bearded irises. I have not tidied the foliage on those for years. As such, we discovered that a common iris pest has invaded. Lepidoptera. A brown moth caterpillar that bores into the rhizomes."
Philippino Farmers Uproot, Destroy GMO Rice Test Field—by perceptionisrealityshow: "More than 400 Phillipino farmers coming stormed a test field of Golden Rice at the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit No. 5 at Pili, Camarines Sur in the Phillipines. Farmers uprooted the genetically modified rice in order to stop the planned commercialization of Golden Rice. 'The farmers have decided to take action against the ongoing Golden Rice field trials.' said Bert Autor, a farmer and spokesperson of SIKWAL-GMO. The group is an alliance of farmers, church people, students, academicians and consumers who oppose GMOs and Agrochemical Transnational Corporations’ control on agriculture."
Tropical plants thriving in Iceland
Saturday Morning Gardening: A Tour of the Icelandic Tropics—by
Rei: "So I'm sure you've heard the term "crazy cat lady" before, right? Well, I'm sort of a "crazy tropical plant lady". When I moved to Iceland, I came with three oversized bags full to the brim with live tropical plants, and my collection has only grown since then, nurtured by a combination of the 24-7 summer sun and, more often than not, geothermal-powered grow lights ;) I buy and trade for seeds from all over the globe (my last four shipments were Ecuador, Hawaii, India, and Puerto Rico, respectively), some so rare that they don't have common names, but nearly all with one trait in common: they're tropical plants which produce edible fruit."
Energy
Obama Patron Warren Buffett Buys Over $500 Million of Suncor Tar Sands Stock—by Steve Horn: "Warren Buffett – the fourth richest man on the planet and major campaign contributor to President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 - may soon get a whole lot richer. That’s because he just bought over half a billion bucks worth of Suncor Energy stock: $524 million in the second quarter of 2013, to be precise, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Suncor is a major producer and marketer of tar sands via its wholly owned subsidary Petro-Canada (formerly Sunoco) and this latest development follows a trend of Buffett enriching himself through dirty investments and deal-making. So far in 2013, Suncor (formerly Sun Oil Company) has produced 328,000 barrels per day of tar sands crude."
Law Firm Behind Removal of YouTube Tar Sands Satire Fundraiser Tied to Big Oil—by Steve Horn: "DeSmog Canada recently revealed Andy Cobb and Mike Damanskis - two political satirists in the spotlight for their ongoing spoofery of the Alberta tar sands project - had an Indiegogo fundraising promotional video for their upcoming “vacation” to the Alberta tar sands ordered removed fromYouTube due to an alleged copyright violation. Alleged because under U.S. legal precedent (YouTube is a U.S. company), it’s almost impossible to claim copyright damages for parody and/or satire. That won’t keep Travel Alberta, the province’s tourism bureau, from trying."
Environmental Regulations Not Necessarily the Cause of Coal’s Decline—by CharlesCorra12: "Big Coal’s arch-nemesis, at least according to them, is the EPA. But are environmental regulations really the biggest cause of concern for coal? There is no doubt that the industry has suffered recently. Several coal companies, especially in West Virginia, have had to close down plants and lay off workers extensively. A recent editorial in the Charleston Gazette has proposed a different reason why coal is in decline: natural gas."
Renewables
Move Over Shell! Here come the Sunbots!—by boatsie: "As news of Ecuador's plans to continue desecrating the Amazon Rainforest with drilling in the treasured Yasuni Park, a crew of California Sunbots works under the radar on capturing sunlight at a rate which promises to slash the costs of solar power enough to make it competitive with 'the big guys.' The robots, currently working on a project alongside Santa Rita jail are shifting solar panels to maximize the potential of capturing the sun's energy, are also involved in the construction, operation and maintenance of solar power facilities. As solar power use more than doubled between 2010 and 2011, supplying 100 gigawatts of the world's capacity, robotics offer the promise of increasing efficiency: one robot can supervise 1200 solar panels tracking a mere 1 degree shifts in the sun's position. Maybe not in time to prevent Ecuador from abandoning its conservation plans to prevent drilling in the richly biodiverse and still pristine Yasuni National Park but solar start ups like Richmond, California's Alion Energy are already developing a pilot solar plant propelled by robots in Saudi Arabia."
Offshore Wind Power Coming to East Coast Federal Waters—by ericlewis0: "At Interior, Jewell is gearing up to make expanding offshore wind energy a hallmark of her tenure in the same way her predecessor, Ken Salazar, made federal leasing of solar projects a top priority. On July 31, Deepwater Wind won the first-ever auction to pursue offshore wind development in federal waters, paying $3.8 million for two areas off Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Interior will offer additional leases in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts over the next nine months. [...] Looks like offshore wind power is about to hit the eastern seaboard in a big way. Great for the planet, and a hearty F.U. to Big Oil and its active attempts to stymie these multi-turbine, zero-emission energy projects."
A Guide to CA SB-43: the Biggest Shared Renewable Program in the Country—by Aven Satre Meloy: "After two years of hard work, supporters of California SB-43 received welcome news a few months ago when the newly-amended bill passed the Assembly Utility and Commerce committee 11-0. The victory was bipartisan, with at least one Republican member joining the others to pass the bill. Now it is looking likely that the bill will pass the full Assembly and will go on to Governor Jerry Brown for signature, especially after PG&E, TURN, and many others withdrew their opposition. If passed and signed into law, SB-43 will become the biggest shared clean energy program in the country. (An Infographic follows.)"
Green Tea Party Coalition has Oil Industry Scared!—by bex: "Something interesting is happening in Georgia... where the all Republican board of energy regulators just voted 3-2 in favor of expanding solar capacity by 525 Megawatts, and forcing the Georgia Power Company to purchase generated solar capacity from small producers. How did this happen? An "unholy alliance" between the Tea Party Patriots, and the Sierra Club. And it's making the Koch brothers very nervous!"
With Florida project, the smart grid has finally arrived—by VL Baker: "At the MIT Technology Review, Kevin Bullis brings the good news that Florida Power & Light has completed and is now operating the first large scale, comprehensive smart grid. The $800 million dollar private-public project was built with $200 million from the U.S. Department of Energy made available through the Recovery Act. Smart grids should be far more resilient than conventional grids, which is important for surviving storms, and make it easier to install more intermittent sources of energy like solar power."
Chart: 2/3rds of global solar PV has been installed in the last 2.5 years!—by VL Baker: "Stephen Lacey at green tech media is bringing us these stunning statistics of the overwhelming growth of global solar. If you want to understand why people so often compare deployment trends in solar photovoltaics (PV) to Moore's law in computing, consider this statistic: two-thirds of all solar PV capacity in place worldwide has been installed since January 2011. Let's put that into perspective. It took nearly four decades to install 50 gigawatts of PV capacity worldwide. But in the last 2 1/2 years, the industry jumped from 50 gigawatts of PV capacity to just over 100 gigawatts. At the same time, global module prices have fallen 62 percent since January 2011. Even more amazingly, the solar industry is on track to install another 100 gigawatts worldwide by 2015 — nearly doubling solar capacity in the next 2 1/2 years."
President Obama Installs Solar Panels On White House—by TomP: "Some old enough to remember Jimmy Carter will remember that he added solar panels to the White House in his adminstration, but that Ronald Reagan took them off when he became president. President Obama ordered in 2010 that new solar panels be put back on, and now they are doing so, and they are American made panels. A White House official confirmed to the Washington Post Thursday that installation had begun on fitting the President’s residence with solar panels, an effort the official said was 'part of an energy retrofit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building.' The panels will be American-made, though the official did not confirm which company they would be purchased from."
At Last! At Long Last! Solar panels are being Installed on White House Roof!—by jpmassar: "Oh Frabjous Day! Callooh Callay!"
Contemplations on a Randomly Selected Natural Gas Production Well Pad, Uintah Basin, UT—by Lake Superior: "The discovery in the Uintah basin methane problem, together with previous air monitoring showing unusual excursions of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone during winter snow cover conditions, indicate that the Uintah basin oil and gas industry is likely using process technology having uncontrolled or poorly controlled methane, volatile organic compound (VOC) and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) emissions. If Utah is allowing uncontrolled methane/VOC/HAP emission sources in the Uintah Basin, then it would be a mistake to assume that the NOAA Uintah Basin study results are predominately reflective of oil and gas industry conduct, facilities and operations elsewhere (in the absence of detailed emission inventory information)."
Fracking
Stephen Colbert exposes fracking companies silencing their victims—by BruinKid: "Last night, Stephen Colbert talked about the latest issues with fracking, and how some of the companies are imposing gag orders on families sickened by it or paying them off to ensure their silence. Yes, it's absolutely amazing. Energy is so cheap, I can finally realize my dream of making my furnace and air conditioner fight. (audience laughter) Who loves me more, boys? America has found the goose that lays the golden egg. Unfortunately, it is pooping all over our house."
Fracking-Harmed Residents Confront EPA and Demand Reopened Investigation—by Environmental Action: "Scranton, PA—Dimock-area residents and activists personally harmed by the hazards of fracking gathered on Monday in Scranton to call for the reopening of the investigation into drinking water contamination in Dimock, PA. A recent report in the Los Angeles Times revealed that EPA officials in Washington chose to close an investigation of Dimock drinking water despite evidence gathered from agency investigators based in Philadelphia that found 'significant damage to the water quality,' from poisonous contamination likely caused by fracking. The EPA PowerPoint Presentation was released last Monday on DeSmog blog by investigative journalist Steve Horn."
Keystone and Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Oil Change International's 60% Gulf Refinery Gasoline Export Claim is Not Demonstrated—by Lake Superior: "Oil Change International published a report which was discussed in this DK diary. The report claimed that 60% of the gasoline production from Gulf Coast refineries (in PAD 3) was exported from the United States in 2012. The problem is that nothing in the report explained or showed the basis of the 60% figure which was claimed to be based on DOE-EIA data. A link OCI provided to DOE-Energy Information Agency did not show the claimed 60% gasoline exports from Pad 3."
Eco-Related DC & State Politics
California legislators call for offshore oil fracking investigation—by Dan Bacher: "Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) and eight other California lawmakers are calling on the Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency to investigate reports of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) beneath the seabed floor off the California Coast. The legislators are asking for a strict review and possible new regulations of fracking in the ocean—less than 8 months after the completion of a network of questionable state "marine protected areas" that fail to protect the ocean from fracking, oil drilling and spills, pollution, wind and wave energy projects, military testing and all human impacts other than sustainable fishing and gathering."
Denier Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in full tinfoil-hat mode—by caerbannog: "Here's Rep. Dana Rohrabacher going full tinfoil-hat about global warming at a townhall meeting just this week in Orange County, CA. [...] Words simply cannot do justice to Rohrabacher's breathtaking stupidity (unless the words are spoken by Rohrabacher himself, that is)."
Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei (R) Challenges Climate Change in a Letter to a Constituent—by Vegas Dave: "My friend Launce Rake, a writer for Las Vegas CityLife forwarded this letter sent to him by a friend. The letter sent out by Nevada Representative Mark Amodei was in response to a letter Amodei received from a constituent on the topic of climate change. Amodei represents District 2 which encompasses the Northern half of the state. With the exception of Reno, the district is very rural with ranching and mining being the principle industries. [Excerpt from letter]: The issue of climate change is very controversial and many scientists disagree as to its causes and how to handle it. I recognize that some scientists believe that global warming is caused by failed environmental practices; however, others argue that these temperature increases would incur regardless due to the warming of the center of the earth. I do not believe it is appropriate for the federal government to advocate one position over the other. Since, we do not know much about long-term climate change, I do agree we must have an unbiased research effort funded by both the government and the private sector to answer the essential questions about climate change. Since 1990, the U.S. has spent at least $50 billion on climate research.
CA-Gov: Tell Jerry Brown (D) To Protect Solar Power In California—by poopdogcomedy: From the Sierra Club: "The utilities' attack on rooftop solar just got a lot worse. Assembly Bill (AB) 327 by Henry Perea (D-Fresno) would cut the growth of rooftop solar by nearly half! The bill doesn't seem like an attack on rooftop solar, so here's what's scary about it: utilities want to start charging you flat fees, regardless of how much energy you use. Tell your state senator and Governor Brown to support rooftop solar!"
Obama’s Former PR Flack: Thread Tying Keystone XL, PA Gov’s Race Together—by Steve Horn: "Pennsylvania Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate and former head of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Kathleen “Katie” McGinty, has hired powerful PR firm SKDKnickerbocker for her campaign’s communications efforts. SKDKnickerbocker – once known as Squier Knapp Dunn—is co-owned by President Barack Obama’s former Communications Director Anita Dunn and a member of Obama’s national media team for his 2008 run for President, Bill Knapp. Both Dunn and Knapp previously did PR for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s 2004 run for President, as well. One of SKDKnickerbocker’s key clients is TransCanada, owner of the Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline. Another key SKDKnickerbocker client: Association of American Railroads, that industry’s version of the American Petroleum Institute. Rail is an increasingly viable alternative to pipelines for bringing tar sands—and fracked oil - to market."
VA-Gov: Terry McAuliffe (D) Speaks Out Against Fracking The George Washington National Forest—by poopdogcomedy: "If there's any reason why you should care about the 2013 Virginia Governors Race, I have one word for you: fracking. You may not be crazy about Terry McAuliffe (D. VA) but at least he's right about this: Terry McAuliffe, Virginia’s Democratic nominee for governor, launched his environmental protection policy platform Thursday during a campaign stop in Norfolk, pledging to direct the Department of Environmental Quality to work with local communities and businesses in protecting the Chesapeake Bay, its wildlife and its tributaries. In an effort to protect Virginia’s coastal communities, McAuliffe would also convene a bipartisan Climate Change Adaptation Commission of policy makers, scientists, conservationists and industry reps to put together a plan to combat rising sea levels.The platform also opposes hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” in the George Washington National Forest and would continue the moratorium on uranium mining."
Who to draft as the War-on-Climate-Change Presidential Candidate—by Position2win: "[W]e could address our climate change as well as our economic problems if we could mobilize the country to fight climate change like we mobilized for World War Two. But how do we make such a mobilization happen? Such a mobilization is not even being discussed at the national level. [...] We need to do the same thing for war mobilization against climate change. Who will run for president in 2016 and declare war on climate change?"
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher competes in crowded field for dumbest climate-change denier in Congress—by Meteor Blades: "So, while Rohrabacher proves himself to be a contender in the climate-change denier sweepstakes, the competition for the title in Congress and within his own committee is stiff, comprising deniers who are just plumb ignoramuses about science or who believe humans are causing climate change but nonetheless repeat the fossil-fueled propaganda that says otherwise. Together all these deniers plus all those in Congress who don't deny but continue to delay useful action by supporting an "all of the above" energy policy seem to have no concern about the short and long-term impacts of their behavior. They prove it by not co-sponsoring bills like those introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer and Bernie Sanders."
OR-Sen: Jeff Merkley (D) Calls On Congress To Take Action On Climate Change—by poopdogcomedy: "Sticking our heads in the sand won't stop global climate change. But that's exactly what's happening every day in Congress. Extremists peddle junk science, and our planet cooks. We must act before it's too late. Join me and Senators Chris Coons, Mark Udall, Bob Menendez, and Sheldon Whitehouse: Sign our petition demanding Congress take action to stop global climate change."
GOP senator howls about the 'environmental jihad'—by Laura Clawson: "Ah, yes, the 'extreme' 'unholy' 'jihad' of the League of Conservation Voters, with their ads filled with facts about severe weather's cost in human life and property damage, Johnson's big donations from oil and gas, his votes in favor of continuing pollution, and his general record of climate change denial. Those scoundrels. Send Ron Johnson money, so he can 'respond to their attack ads with the truth.' Is he implying that he actually doesn't deny the reality of climate change, or is that the truth of ... him being a giant climate change denier, but with an explanation of how he's proud of his position because capitalism?"
Aww! Sen. Ron Johnson Claims to be Victim of Environmental Jihad—by Puddytat: "Poor Ron Johnson (R-FitzWalkerStan). He's having a sad. His current claim of victimization is being caused by an ad being run by the League of Conservation Voters which targets him and 3 Republican members of the House who are climate-change deniers. 'The League of Conservation Voters is one of the many attack dog groups used by President Obama, the Democrats and the extreme left to weaken, defeat and silence conservatives,' Johnson said in the email that was provided to TPM. 'They use TV ads – filled with smears – because they work. Their ads attacking me will start in a few days. The League of Conservation voters is not an organization with a balanced approach to a cleaner environment. They are an extreme left group on an environmental jihad.'"
Darrell Issa Given Climate Change Denier Award by San Diego Environmentalists—by pipsorcle: "First off, I want to give a big congratulations to Darrell Issa. As someone who has fought very hard to deny climate change, he did an excellent job at being such a denier that now, this new award will give him great recognition.
Except, I don't agree with Issa's climate change denying and I'm sure all of you fellow Kossacks feel the same way. Which is why environmentalists, including the national, state and San Diego League of Conservation Voters have given Issa the Climate Change Denier Award."
Pipelines, Grapefruit, and the Public Trust—by bmaples: "We've had recent examples of violations of the public trust, by both elected and appointed officials. Their actions were wasteful, and in some cases appeared to benefit either themselves or people connected to them. Favors were done using public resources, without bringing any benefit to the public that supplied the resources. In short, they 'worked the system' for their own benefit. What, then, of Andy Beshear, who is both the son of Governor Steve Beshear and a lawyer at Stites and Harbison? He is one of a team of lawyers providing legal services for the proposed Bluegrass Pipeline—a pipeline that is opposed by many across the state, and which the Governor may have to wind up supporting or opposing in some way. Have Andy or Steve Beshear done anything criminal? Of course not."
Critters
Rocky Mountain Parnassian
(Parnassius smintheus)
Butterflies of the Gunnison—by
billybush: "The Gunnison National Forest covers over 2000 square miles of Colorado's Western Slope. It consists of montane forest, scrubland and several rivers and their reservoirs. I recently traveled there and, despite frequent rains, managed to photograph a number of butterflies. I am a fish out of water when it comes to ID'ing butterflies on the western side of the Continental Divide. All of my field guides and prior experience are with eastern species. I've done the best I can with my ID's but it is possible I've missed one or two. The first stop was Monarch Pass. Monarch Pass takes travelers across the Continental Divide. At its highest point the elevation is about 11,300 feet, but a tram ride will take you to the top of an adjacent peak to an elevation of about 12,000 feet. While riding the tram, I could see yellow and white butterflies which I presumed were probably Orange Sulphurs. When I got to the top, I walked the ridgeline a bit and found one of the white butterflies was actually a Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus). While Parnassians may look like Whites they are actually in the Swallowtail family."
Wasp Encounters - the last most beautiful hymenoptera experience—by erratic: "I spent part of yesterday engaged in locating a yellow-jacket nest, in an overgrown courtyard. I'd been weeding it with a group of middle-school students, and two of them had gotten stung. After they left, I spent about an hour watching the pattern of the wasps, where they were flying. I cautiously trimmed back high grasses around a log, and would walk away for a few minutes when they started getting stirred up. Eventually I pushed the log over with a rake to reveal a beautiful paper hike the size of a softball, and an angry swarm of 100+ yellow-jackets. I felt bad about having to take them out, but this was the wrong place for them. I felt that it was my responsibility, because I've participated over the last few years in converting this school courtyard from a barren desert of mulch into a rich native habitat, seething with life."
Moose Thriving in Colorado—by ban nock: "At a time of severe decline elsewhere in northern states across the Rocky Mountains and the midwest, the moose of Colorado are steadily gaining in population. Our newly re christened fish and game folks (called Parks and Wildlife) know there are a lot of moose, estimates can vary by 50%, there's been no real attempt at quantifying them. Numbers tossed out are around a couple thousand. In the county I usually walk around, forty to eighty. [...] There is now a first of it's kind scientific study of moose mortality going on in Minnesota. As of July half the moose mortalities were due to the one factor no one wants to talk about, another 30% were due to unknown causes. A hundred animals have been GPS collared and fifteen died in the first winter. No doubt as more moose die and as more are collared, reasons for mortality will become less ambiguous."
Dawn Chorus: Las Aves de América Central, Pt. 2 - Costa Rica (with QUETZAL)—by
LaughingPlanet: "I recently returned from several months south of the border. Over the weeks ahead I hope to dig myself out from under the pile of photographs I took on the trip. This work is, from my perspective, the primary downside of the digital photography revolution. I used to take a fraction as many pix when I had to pay to print them all. I was lucky enough to stumble upon this resplendent quetzal on one of my hikes thru the rainforest of Monteverde in Costa Rica. [...] On the hike up to the lake, I tried desperately to get a decent shot of these majestic birds, but found I was a lens or 2 short of having the tools to get the job done."
The Daily Bucket - Newly Fledged Towhee—by enhydra lutris: "Yesterday evening, Saturday, 8/11/2013, my wife alerted me to the presence of a baby California Towhee in our back yard. It was fledged but unflighted and therefore very recently fledged. Though I have no records to back it up, this is the latest that I recall having any kind of fledgling in our yard or neighborhood."
The Daily Bucket Baby Birds, 2 Kinds—by enhydra lutris: "Yesterday, Wednesday 8/14/13, we had at least two baby birds, newly fledged in our yard and feeders. One was a House Finch that still had its pin feathers and one was a goldfinch that I think was an American goldfinch. Meanwhile, we canned all of our pears since they all were ripe and we're discussing the grapes. Sone are not yet ripe, some are ripe and some are raisins, and I know that this is early. My wife is pretty convinced that we're in for an early winter from all of the signs locally."
H.R. 2692: Protect America's Pollinators Act of 2013—by GreenMother: "The bill is sponsored by Don Conyers (D) Michigan, and has 17 co-sponsors. And it addresses CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees, as well as N. American Pollinator decline in general, and the devastating ramifications, should these pollinator populations completely collapse. Here is an interesting fact I didn't yet know — Remember when CCD first hit the air waves and it was reported that we were losing a staggering 30 percent of our honey bee colonies every year? According to this bill, that percentage is now up to 45.1 percent. This bill is asking for a temporary ban on Neonicotinoid pesticides, similar to the ban imposed in the European Union earlier this year."
The Daily Bucket: Pretty Pollinators—by PHScott: "Saturday is 2013 National Honey Bee Day but it goes by many variations of names. A quick web search shows that localities all across the country (and Canada) are participating."
The Daily Bucket: "Fruit" Flies—by matching mole: "This morning I took the compost bin down to the pile of decomposing organic waste behind the big azalea. As I hurled the orange and banana peels, coffee grinds, and assorted other stuff on top a veritable swarm of small flies rose up. So my daily bucket observation for today is that there are a lot of Drosophilid flies in my backyard on the northern outskirts of Tallahassee on August 13. Observations of Drosophila species involve not just backyard science but kitchen science, supermarket science, and even trash bin science. This is diary about the natural history of one of the most important study organisms in biology as well as an annoyance around the fruit bowl: the 'fruit fly'."
Water
Open thread for night owls: Fracking boom adds to drought-battered Texans' water woes—by Meteor Blades: "Three years of drought, decades of overuse and now the oil industry's outsize demands on water for fracking are running down reservoirs and underground aquifers. And climate change is making things worse. In Texas alone, about 30 communities could run out of water by the end of the year, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Nearly 15 million people are living under some form of water rationing, barred from freely sprinkling their lawns or refilling their swimming pools. In Barnhart's case, the well appears to have run dry because the water was being extracted for shale gas fracking."
Fracking Texas: Water Woes Go On—by BlackSheep1: "Water shortages involve waste on scales that ought to shame anybody with a working brain -- and in the Permian Basin, which is a desert country anyway, those shortages are the more shameful for the waste involved. Can you hear me now, Randy Neugebauer, John Cornyn, and Ted Cruz? Oh, wait ... working brain ... lets out the (warning: PDF) Texas State Supreme Court, too. Farmers like Dawdy we might outlast. Lawyers and legal precedents are, like corporations, forever. Zombies, lying in ambush against our futures."
Judge temporarily blocks increased Trinity River flows—by Dan Bacher: "A federal judge today granted the Westlands Water District and the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block increased Trinity River flows through August 16. The Bureau of Reclamation was going to begin releasing the water from Trinity Reservoir starting today to avert a massive fish kill on the lower Klamath like the one that took place in September 2002, when over 78,000 fish perished due to an outbreak of disease in low, warm water conditions."
Maybe Texas will go blue and green—by cordgrass: "Surely rural Texans will wake up and smell the coffee when they don't have water to make coffee. The Guardian: A Texan tragedy: ample oil, no water. Unlike oil and natural gas, renewable energy can peacefully coexist with farmers and people who like to drink water. I'm not sure how active 350.org is down in Texas, but it sounds like there are some pretty angry farmers ready to see the light."
Pollution, Hazardous Wastes & Trash
The BP Oil Spill Multidistrict Litigation (“MDL 2179”) Is Not Right for America—by Brian J Donovan: "Robert Dudley, CEO of BP, recently told Bloomberg Businessweek he believes the deal BP made with the MDL 2179 plaintiffs’ steering committee to complete the process of paying legitimate victims of the oil spill is 'not right for America.' Dudley stated, '… millions of dollars are going out to pay people who suffered, in many cases, no losses from the spill. And this is just not right. I don’t think it’s right for America. When you make an agreement and you don’t have the faith and the trust that agreement is going to be interpreted the way you expect, it’s not good for America.'"
Mining
Hydraulic mining whatchamajigger
Kitchen Table Kibitzing - Aug. 12, 2013 - My final hydraulic gold mining report—by
paradise50: "This is the third and final diary I'm writing about hydraulic gold mining in California which actually occurred in a pretty small part of the state...just around here where we live. It really happened on just a few rivers that all happen to be close by. In part two of my report, I talked a lot about the flumes that were built to move water from upriver to down where the water under enormous pressure was shot out of water cannons that dissolved the sides of the mountains along the rivers where gold was found. This enterprise happened over only about a quarter century from 1853-1877."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Why the San Francisco Bay Area Deserves Better Public Transit—by Edmund Xu: "Now, San Francisco prides itself in being a 'transit first' city. Regional politicians boast of our comprehensive transit options. When comparing ourselves to the sprawl of our southern neighbors in Los Angeles, Bay Areans smugly point to our own network of trains and buses with pride. But we forget that Los Angeles at least has a unified transit agency in 'Metro.' With the sheer amount of transit agencies in the region comes along the inevitable nightmarish experiences when it comes to timed transfers, fare-sharing, inter-fighting, and bloated bureaucracy. Anyone who has ever arrived at Millbrae Station from SFO on BART, intending to take advantage of the "timed transfer" to Caltrain, can tell you how they arrived just in time to watch the hourly Caltrain train pull out of the station. That is not how a 'transit-first city' operates. The problem with public transit has become so deep that private bus operators (derided by locals as 'Google Buses') now ferry an astounding 35,000 workers each day between San Francisco and the tech campuses in Silicon Valley."
Elon Musk Unveils Hyperloop Ultra-Rapid-Transit Conceptual Work—by Troubadour: "His Awesomeness, Elon Musk, has unveiled conceptual work on his ultra-rapid-transit concept known as the 'hyperloop.' The full 57-page work is available in PDF form on the Tesla Motors website, divided into two sections - one is a brief description for laymen and the other is a long, highly involved description with technical details for professionals. Basically, Hyperloop is a mid-range transit solution conceived specifically for the case of transportation between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with slower options being more efficient for shorter distances and (hypothetical) supersonic air travel being ideal for longer ones. Musk has done the preliminary conceptual work in the hopes that others will run with it and bring it to fruition, since he himself is too busy with Tesla and SpaceX."
Korea Shows us Infrastructure of the Future (Near end to Oil Use)—by tmservo433: "This last month, Korea has put forward a starter test of what represents one of the most game changing technologies in the market. Gumi (population 375,000) transformed a common section of road into something extraordinary: a wireless charging strip for electric vehicles. They may have reinvented the road. On the 15-mile round-trip to and from the train station, Gumi’s electric buses are charged by electromagnetic fields generated by cables in the roadway. It’s a groundbreaking step for what engineers at nearby Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST) call Online Electric Vehicles (OLEV), automobiles that recharge on the go."
A Renewable Energy Story in Which You Should Be Interested—by DrCoyle65: "According to the Tacoma News Tribune, the Tacoma Public bus fleet of approximately 143 vehicles will begin fueling their large CNG buses with compressed gas produced and refined from the city solid waste facility."
Eco-Philosophy & Essays
They Deny Climate Science. Why Won't Reporters Call Them Science Deniers?—by TheGreenMiles: "'Just so you'll know, global warming is a total fraud,' the 13-term lawmaker told a Tea Party group Thursday. Rohrabacher said the fraud has its origins with liberals at the local government level who want decision-making ceded to higher levels of government. 'You’ve got liberals who get elected at the local level [that] want the state government to do the work and let them make the decisions. Then at the state level they want the federal government to do it. And at the federal government they want to create global government to control all of our lives,' he said.Republicans want to ban oral sex, ban gay marriage, ban a woman's right to choose, deport undocumented immigrants & send their children to massive government-run orphanages, ban workers from organizing into unions, and restrict which Americans get to vote. But it's liberals who want to use government to control your lives?"
President Obama's Climate Action Plan: Not Even Close—by Renewable Rider: "In June, after more than five years as president, President Obama finally proposed a climate action plan for America. True to form, the president gave an eloquent speech, with strong words for those still in denial about the severity of the crisis we face: 'We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society.' Unfortunately for all of us, the blueprint he presented is more PR than plan, and has zero chance of stabilizing the climate. To the contrary, it promises even more climate chaos by promoting fracking, mountaintop removal coal mining, offshore and Arctic oil drilling and tar sands exploitation. It also threatens future generations with the specter of more radioactive nuclear power."
The hard truth about All of the Above energy—by dturnbull: "It’s time to call it like it is: anyone who pushes an 'All of the Above' energy strategy that would dig up more than a third of our current fossil fuel reserves is simply in denial about the realities of climate change. Put simply, 'All of the Above' energy proponents are the newest climate deniers. You can’t say climate change is a problem and then turn around and promote the very energy sources that are making it happen. You can’t say the problem is urgent and then drag your feet in making the necessary changes. You can’t be a climate champion and also an 'All of the Above' proponent. This may sound harsh, but unfortunately the time has long come for some tough love. We are digging our way to climate disaster, and if we don’t stop digging we very well may get there."
Conservatives deny climate change because they don't like the solution—by VL Baker: "Conservatives are locked into their 'small government' narrative so much so that they are unable to reason even when presented with overwhelming evidence. They are willing to be a destructive force toward their own civilization rather than change their view."
Climate change, is empowerment of women the solution?—by Trenz Pruca: " If my speculation is accurate, then the mystery remains why isn't the birth control solution at the top of everyone's agenda? I expect for the environmental community it may be because to do so would threaten to diminish their obsessive focus on industrial regulation. For conservatives it might mean accepting and promoting what to them is morally hateful; birth control, abortion and woman's liberation. For the business community it means refocussing from supplying existing products to an ever expanding customer base, to the much more difficult task of creating new wants among existing buyers."