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 237 of these spotlighting more than 13,411 eco-diaries. Below are categorized links and excerpts to 67 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
This week it's a big shout-out to the 2000-3000 people who showed up at Chevron in Richmond, California on the one-year anniversary of the explosion and fire there.
Indians at Chevron protest.
Kitchen Table Kibitzing: 8/4/13 Prayer, Solidarity and Energy Take Over Chevron —by
remembrance: "The three of us, Glen, TLO™ and I, went to Summer Heat to protest against Chevron on the one year anniversary of the leak that caused an explosion and fire sending about 15,000 people to the hospital because of toxic fumes. Moms at local schools began Asthma clubs for children who were effected by the toxicity and whose education was impacted because of it. As it turns out, Chevron and other oil companies are beginning to import Canadian Tar Sands for processing in the Bay Area. This should come as no surprise. [...] When we arrived there were hundreds of long stemmed sunflowers arranged on circular benches in the courtyard where we met, provided by Urban Tilth. The sunflowers were meant for each of us to march with."
Summerheat: Arrests as 2000+ March to Richmond Climate Justice Rally—by boatsie: "Just returned from the Summer of Heat rally outside Chevron Refinery where hundreds volunteered to be arrested. An incredible day for Climate Justice."
Some of the more than 2,000 protesters who showed up in Richmond, California, Aug. 3, as part of the Summer of Heat to mark the one year anniversary of the Chevron fire.
Massive protest at California Chevron refinery a show of movement strength—by
dturnbull: "This weekend, Oil Change International’s newest campaigner and I joined dozens of dedicated community leaders, climate movement allies and friends, and a couple thousand new friends in a march to the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California. Our demands were simple: Stop polluting our community, wrecking our climate, and buying off our democracy. Following a rally outside the refinery gates that included speakers ranging from the Mayor of Richmond to local activists demanding an end to Chevron’s toxic legacy, Matt and I joined 200 others in walking onto Chevron’s property and sitting in at their gates in an act of peaceful civil disobedience."
Eco-Related DC & State Politics
Gov. Jerry Brown's Legacy—by RLMiller: "Brown says all the right things regarding climate change. His home page invites you to "join the call for action on climate change." And when a major new report lists all the ways climate change is already affecting California, he tweets: 'Whether you live in California, Texas or Timbuktu, climate change is real, and it’s long past time for action' That new report, compiled by Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, lists 36 indicators of climate change already occurring in California. A story notes that rising ocean waters, bigger and more frequent wildfires, and more brutally hot summer days are already here. These changes aren't just abstract predictions based on computer modeling, but rather observations - things happening right here, right now. Brown will point to many actions the state is taking to alleviate the worst impacts of climate change, with high speed rail as the centerpiece. Which makes his stance on fracking California even more puzzling. To him, fracking is a fabulous economic opportunity.'
Are You in Danger of a Preventable Chemical Plant Explosion?—by Phil Radford II Greenpeace: [President Obama issued an executive order to modernize regulation of chemical plant safety]: "At the same time that the president issued his Executive Order, Greenpeace and over 100 groups such as United Auto Workers, the Sierra Club, UPROSE, Rebuild the Dream, Environmental Defense Fund, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Peoples' Action, MoveOn, Los Jardines Institute, and Community In-Power and Development Association sent a jointly signed letter to the new EPA chief Gina McCarthy urging her to make chemical disaster prevention a priority in her first 100 days in office. The path forward couldn't be clearer, and the risks of continued inaction couldn't be higher."
OR-03: Support For Earl Blumenauer's (D) Bill To Save The Bees Grows In The House—by poopdogcomedy: "Received this e-mail today from Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D. OR-03) With some good news: Thank you for signing the petition supporting "The Save America’s Pollinators Act.” Your outpouring of support was amazing with over 310,000 of you lending your name to help me take this vital message to my colleagues in Congress. The legislation currently has 17 co-sponsors, a good first step!
However, despite your passion and the importance of protecting pollinators to our food and ecosystems across the globe, passing this legislation will still be an uphill battle. Our best chance for saving bees from neonicotinoid chemicals is getting "The Save America’s Pollinators Act” included in the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. While I work to convince my colleagues in Congress that protecting our economy and environment is tied to healthy bee populations, it’s also vital for them to hear from you, their constituents, while they’re back in their districts during the August work period. Let them know what the buzz is all about! Can you call your representative right now to demand that "The Save America’s Pollinators Act” be included in the Farm Bill to protect pollinators?"
Time to say this: Republicans are destroying civilization—by VL Baker: "But there is nowhere the Republican failure is more devastating than in the global response to climate change. [...] In the over 30 years of Republican political dominance, the evidence of anthropogenic climate change has only strengthened to the point that 97 percent of credible climate scientists support the overwhelming evidence of human caused climate change. Yet over that time the Republican/conservative response has been to use its power to misinform and to obstruct any progress to mitigate. The Republican political leaders have taken the side of their business buddies—the fossil fuel industry, who have rewarded them with obnoxious sums of money for their support which has assured them of unrivaled control of the energy market. In the 112th GOP-controlled congress alone there have been 317 votes taken against the environment."
Climate Chaos
The photo the Koch brothers really don't want you to see—by
VL Baker: "Renowned polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, who has studied the bears for almost 40 years, describes this polar bear found dead in Svalbard as "little more than skin and bones," having perished due to a lack of sea ice on which to hunt seals:
'From his lying position in death the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped,' Stirling said. 'He had no external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone.' The bear had been examined by scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute in April in the southern part of Svalbard, an Arctic island archipelago, and appeared healthy. The same bear had been captured in the same area in previous years, suggesting that the discovery of its body, 250km away in northern Svalbard in July, represented an unusual movement away from its normal range. [...] This is what the Koch brothers' business model is producing. The Koch PAC is the largest oil and gas contributor—donating more than even ExxonMobil. Koch Industries sends 90 percent of these contributions to Republicans."
As Arctic village disappears beneath sea, more fossil fuels being found—by Warren Swil: "Two recent stories from opposite sides of the Arctic circle demonstrate that climate changes is not only happening right now with devastating effects, but that we – human beings – are making it worse, not better. One is about the village of Kivalina, a tiny hamlet that is disappearing as the ocean rises – an affect of climate change. The Alaskan village set to disappear under water in a decade The other is about a new, high-tech giant machine developed in Norway to extract more gas from a field once thought exhausted. Giant gas platform sinks below waves."
Addressing Environmental Racism Linked to Climate Change Impacts Happening Now in California—by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse: "California's Department of Environmental Protection issued a new report today on the 'Indicators of Climate Change in California.' The 'indicators' are the 'large amounts of scientific data' collected by monitoring and research activities by state and federal agencies, universities and other research institutions. This report makes it clear that 'climate change is not just some abstract scientific debate. It's real, and it's already here.'"
Michael Klare, How to Fry a Planet—by TomDispatch: "Look at it any way you want, and if you’re not a booster of fossil fuels on this overheating planet of ours, it doesn’t look good. Hardly a month passes, it seems, without news about the development of some previously unimaginable way to extract fossil fuels from some thoroughly unexpected place. The latest bit of 'good' news: the Japanese government's announcement that natural gas has been successfully extracted from undersea methane hydrates. (Yippee!) Natural gas is gleefully touted as the 'clean' fossil-fuel path to a green future, but evidence is mounting that the newest process for producing it also leaks unexpected amounts of methane, a devastating greenhouse gas. The U.S. cheers and is cheered because the amount of carbon dioxide it is putting into the atmosphere is actually falling. Then Duncan Clark at the British Guardian does the figures and discovers that 'there has been no decline in the amount of carbon the U.S. is taking out of the ground. In fact, the trend is upwards. The latest year for which full data is available—2011—is the highest level on record.' It’s just that some of it (coal, in particular) was exported abroad to be burned elsewhere."
Could Drought-resistant Desert Plants mitigate Climate Change?—by jamess: "Some very smart "rocket scientists" seem to think so. As cited on NASA's Global Climate Change page: As the world starts feeling the effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and consequent global temperature rise, researchers are looking for a Plan B to mitigate climate change. A group of German scientists has now come up with an environmentally friendly method that they say could do just that. The technique, dubbed carbon farming, consists in planting trees in arid regions on a large scale to capture CO2. They publish their study today in Earth System Dynamics, a journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).
Want to solve Climate Change? Think Different—by xaxnar: "The title of today's offering is riffing off an ad slogan that probably still has some resonance, whether or not you like the products of the company. You could take it as a really concise corollary to the quote attributed to Einstein: 'Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.' The ITER program is a classic brute force approach to the problem of energy, based on what is the traditional mainstream line of attack on the fusion problem—the tokamak. It has provided a steady living for generations of physicists and engineers, even if that approach hasn't panned out yet. (If you followed the links in my diary yesterday or even did a quick web search, you'd find there are a number of other fusion concepts being explored.)"
HOLY REALITY CHECK!!! Former Republican Heads of EPA on climate change: Don't deny, Don't delay —by
citisven: "Hell is indeed freezing over and angels are dancing and popping corks everywhere. In an August 1st op-ed in the New York Times, former administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency William D. Ruckelshaus (1970 to 1973, 1983 to 1985), Lee M. Thomas (1985 to 1989), William K. Reilly (1989 to 1993), and Christine Todd Whitman (2001 to 2003) make the Republican Case for Climate Action. First, they say denial is not a river in Egypt and it's time for Republicans to stop acting like stubborn 15-year olds clinging to their belief in Santa Claus."
Want to Solve Climate Change? Solve Energy—by xaxnar: "While Europe has been struggling with really bad economic policies and their own unemployment problems, they've still managed to forge ahead on an experimental energy project that rivals Apollo or the Manhattan Project: ITER. It's a multinational project to build a working thermonuclear reactor that will use nuclear fusion to generate power. To date no one has succeeded in building a reactor that can do it without consuming more power than the reactor creates. ITER hopes to be the first to reach "break even" and go beyond. Nuclear fusion, if done right, does not need highly radioactive and dangerous fuel, does not produce dangerously radioactive waste, or green house gasses. It does not risk a China Syndrome meltdown, a Chernobyl, or a Fukushima. The fuel is readily available and cheap. It's a big if—but the potential rewards are huge."
Developing Polar Storm Could Last 2 Weeks Destroying Arctic Sea Ice—by FishOutofWater: "Arctic sea ice area has made an astonishing recovery in the early summer of 2013 compared to 2012. However, there is one thing holding back a sustained recovery. The ice is spread very thin. Last summer's record melt left very little thick multi-year ice. Last winter's thin first year ice has been spread, like a layer of slush, across much of the Arctic ocean And now a strong storm is brewing that the GFS model predicts will stir the slushy waters for the next two weeks. Moreover, there is a large area of much warmer than normal water on the Atlantic side of the Arctic ocean. That warm salty water will be driven into the Arctic by the southerly winds blowing up along the coast of Norway."
Food, Agriculture & Gardening
Farmers Win Major Protection Against Monsanto GMO Infringement Lawsuits—by pajoly: "Jim Gerritsen, a Maine farmer and the president of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, announced in a public letter today that American farmers have secured a major victory in the battle against behemoth Monsanto. ...the Court ordered Monsanto...to NOT sue farmers for patent infringement should they encounter trace GE contamination. The estoppel protects EVERY farmer in the United States – not just those in our Plaintiff group. So American farmers for the first time in history have gained a new critical legal protection. As a result, farmers now may choose to sue Monsanto to recover damages in a contamination incident without the fear of being inflicted with a counter suit asserting patent infringement.It is wonderful news. The policy of Monsanto suing farmers for patent infringement because Monsanto's own GMO contaminated their seeds has struck me as incredibly evil and an egregious example of America, Inc. using its bulk and wealth to destroy farmers."
Food Security: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is—by
boatsie: "An unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels is emerging as what might be the proverbial straw that breaks the back of an already severely insecure global food system which faces overwhelming challenges from runaway population growth, uncontrolled climate change, and extreme and unpredictable weather. In a report issued last month, the UN appointed panel which was assembled to frame, quantify and qualify the post Rio Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasized the intricate link between the health of the environment and the innate needs of a healthy human population for sustainable energy, water, food, and natural resources. The Post 2015 Agenda, which replaces the eight Millennium Development Goals with 12 SDGs targets a daunting 54 issues, while specifying that addressing food security, climate change and the rapid depletion of natural resources are tantamount to adequately meet the global nature of both the economy and ecology of the plane"
An End to Dead Zones?—by johnniec: "It looks like there has been a potential breakthrough on nitrogen fixation in crops. Researchers in England claim that simply by coating crop seeds in a certain species of nitrogen fixing bacteria, those plants will gain the ability to fix nitrogen in their roots. If true, this could reduce or eliminate the need for nitrogen fertilizers which through their lifecycle, from creation to final fate in the environment, are a major source of water and air pollution. Hedging again here, if true, this could mean great things for multiple fisheries around the world. The main example of dead zones we learn about in the US is the one at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but there are many more along our coasts and around the world."
Macca's Meatless Monday:You say tomato, I say tomatoe—by VL Baker: "Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 2.5 Pounds. Each time you have a plant-based lunch like a PB&J you'll reduce your carbon footprint by the equivalent of 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over an average animal-based lunch like a hamburger, a tuna sandwich, grilled cheese, or chicken nuggets. For dinner you save 2.8 pounds and for breakfast 2.0 pounds of emissions. If you have a PB&J instead of a red-meat lunch like a ham sandwich or a hamburger, you shrink your carbon footprint by almost 3.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions."
* New Day * — Could You Become a Part-Time Vegan for the Planet?—by smileycreek: "Ever since my 20's I've found it fun to experiment with just about every diet approach out there, from the perfectly awful Natural Hygienic all raw foods diet to the perfectly awful super low-carb heavy-on-animal products Atkins diet. It's clear I'll never be a total vegetarian. I don't like extremes and there are times I crave meat, fish, and especially cheese, though the older I get the more I move in a vegan direction. Recently I found an outstanding book I've been recommending to my patients that lays out a flexible food philosophy I believe anyone can benefit from and work with. Mark Bittman, food writer for the New York Times Magazine and author of Food Matters, which explains how the standard American diet harms the environment, has come up with a simple, flexible philosophical plan anyone can adapt: Become a Part-Time Vegan."
OR-03: Support For Earl Blumenauer's (D) Bill To Save The Bees Grows In The House—by poopdogcomedy: "Received this e-mail today from Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D. OR-03) With some good news: Thank you for signing the petition supporting "The Save America’s Pollinators Act.” Your outpouring of support was amazing with over 310,000 of you lending your name to help me take this vital message to my colleagues in Congress. The legislation currently has 17 co-sponsors, a good first step!
However, despite your passion and the importance of protecting pollinators to our food and ecosystems across the globe, passing this legislation will still be an uphill battle. Our best chance for saving bees from neonicotinoid chemicals is getting "The Save America’s Pollinators Act” included in the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. While I work to convince my colleagues in Congress that protecting our economy and environment is tied to healthy bee populations, it’s also vital for them to hear from you, their constituents, while they’re back in their districts during the August work period. Let them know what the buzz is all about! Can you call your representative right now to demand that "The Save America’s Pollinators Act” be included in the Farm Bill to protect pollinators?"
Disgusting #USDAfail: Poop & Bleach on Food, OK—by InterfaithWorkerJustice: "August is Clean & Safe Chicken Month. Ok, we made that up but we can win a small but meaningful victory. Clean and Safe Chicken is achievable – this month, before the USDA implements a terrible new rule. Please help. The USDA plans to “modernize” chicken production by: 1. eliminating 75% of USDA inspectors and permitting corporations to police themselves, using untrained employees; 2. speeding up production lines so it’s not possible to inspect and remove chickens contaminated with poop, pus, scabs, and rotten flesh; 3. assuming contamination, so all birds will be washed with chlorine. Spend a couple of minutes to support workers, protect our food supply, and take a stand against de-regulation."
USDA Subsidizes California Grower's Fight Against Coastal Whales—by LeftOfYou: "Between 1995 and 2012, Coburn Ranch of Dos Palos, California, raked in $5,558,358.28 in federal farm subsidies, mostly commodity price support payments. BTW, that placed this poor struggling family agribusiness in the No. 2 slot of the 642 recipients of such government payments (dare I say, entitlements) in Coburn Ranch's zip code in the California Central Valley. Coburn Ranch knows how to use a little extra spending money when they get their hands on it: Pick a fight with a fish, and lose. That sounds like an excellent use of federal funds. /snark."
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 9.25—by blue jersey mom: "Good morning, gardeners. As some of you probably know, blue jersey dad and I spent about two and a half months in the field this summer, doing archaeological work in Hawai'i and then in the Middle East. This was not good for our garden. We had three days between the time we arrived home from Hawai'i and the time we had to leave for Ukraine. It gave us just about enough time to do our laundry, mow the grass in the front of the house, collect our Turkish research visas, repack, and get back to JFK."
Energy
Global Finance Saying No to New Coal Power Plants—by TomP: "First it was President Barack Obama pledging in June that the government would no longer finance overseas coal plants through the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Next it was the World Bank, then the European Investment Bank, dropping support for coal projects. Those banks have pumped more than $10 billion into such initiatives in the past five years. 'Drawing back means there is less capital for these projects,' Richard Caperton, managing director for energy at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said in an interview. 'I don’t expect private capital to move in and fill the void, either, because there is a real risk that these plants will be turned off early.'"
"Everything is Connected" - The People vs. Coal Exports in the Northwest—by Mary Anne Hitt: "In recent days, there were new developments in the fight against Northwest coal exports that stopped me in my tracks. Last week, the news broke that the official review of the largest proposed coal export terminal in Washington State will be unprecedented in scope, and will include not only the health and environmental effects of the project, but also the climate impacts of burning the coal in Asia. This announcement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and Whatcom County comes after a blockbuster comment period on the project, where 10,000 people attended standing-room-only public hearings and more than 120,000 submitted written comments."
Iowa's Campaign to Stop Nuclear Power—by Paul Deaton: "Prepared remarks delivered by Paul Deaton at the Iowa City Public Library on the 68th Anniversary of Hiroshima, Aug. 6, 2013—In February 2010, I wrote the first of a long series of posts on Blog for Iowa about what I believed to be the legislature's infatuation with nuclear power during the last four sessions of the Iowa General Assembly. I wrote, "I heard the words 'zero sum gain' applied to MidAmerican Energy’s process toward change for the first time. It seems to fit. A zero sum gain is a situation in which a participant's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the other participant(s). If the state wants to move forward with nuclear power, it’s okay with MidAmerican Energy, but they are a business, so the customers will have to pay." The customers will have to pay. That pretty much sums it up. What's missing is no one knew how much a new nuclear power plant would cost, then, or now. For this and other reasons, the people of Iowa decided there were better ways to generate electricity."
The Contango Game: How Koch Industries Manipulates The Oil Market For Profit—by War on Error: "From Inventing Oil Derivatives To Deregulating The Market—How Koch Became An Oil Speculation Powerhouse—In fact, Koch pioneered the risky speculation industry that dominates the world’s oil markets today, first by inventing oil derivatives back in the ’80s, then by working to kill off regulations. ThinkProgress has delved into the history of Koch’s oil speculation business and the following timeline spells out Koch’s leading role."
The End of Fossil Fuels—by Aven Satre Meloy: An infographic.
Renewables
Feds take one step closer to establishing 17 new "Solar Energy Zones" on Public Lands—by jamess: Federal officials have taken another step toward establishing 17 new "solar energy zones" on public lands in the West by barring new mining claims that could impede renewable energy development on the sites. [...] Hmmm? Maybe folks could learn to "mine" the Sun, instead?"
You've heard about Price Per Gallon -- could be time to school up on Price Per Watt—by jamess: "Nearly everyone 'frets about' the price of the gallon of gas. Isn't about time we became equally 'engaged' about the price of a kilowatt-hour of electricity? Especially if you're at all interested in the affordability of those Solar-generated kilowatts ...The upshot (see chart) is that the modules used to make solar-power plants now cost less than a dollar per watt of capacity. Power-station construction costs can add $4 to that, but these, too, are falling as builders work out how to do the job better. And running a solar power station is cheap because the fuel is free. Coal-fired plants, for comparison, cost about $3 a watt to build in the United States, and natural-gas plants cost $1. But that is before the fuel to run them is bought."
DOE: U.S. Wind Energy Production and Manufacturing Reaches Record Highs—by Magnifico: "Wind energy is now the fastest growing source of power in the United States – representing 43 percent of all new U.S. electric generation capacity in 2012 and $25 billion in new investment ... In the first four years of the Obama Administration, American electricity generation from wind and solar power more than doubled. This upbeat assessment comes from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), which released two new reports on America's wind energy production and manufacturing. Nine states rely on wind power for more than 12 percent of their annual energy consumption, with Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota exceeding a 20 percent share. For the past two years, 'the price of wind under long-term power purchase contracts averaged just 4¢ per kilowatt hour.'"
ALEC takes a 13-0 beating in fossil-fueled effort to gut states' renewable energy standards—by Meteor Blades: "Nearly three-fifths of the states have established renewable energy standards. That rises to three-fourths when renewable energy goals are included. The standards mandate how much electricity utility companies, including municipally owned utilities, must generate by a certain date from solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, biomass and other renewable sources. And the folks at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), who are celebrating their 40th birthday at the group's annual convention in Chicago this week, worked in their usual behind-the-scenes way in the past seven months to dump those standards. They failed. Not just once. But in every state where they attacked."
Fracking
NOAA Investigation Finds Massive Methane Emissions from Utah Fracking: 6% to 12% Lost to Atmosphere—by FishOutofWater: "Thousands of gas wells have been drilled in Utah's Uintah basin. An investigation by NOAA & CIRES found that 6% to 12% of the gas produced near Ouray (by hydrofracturing) escaped to the atmosphere raising methane concentrations in air to shockingly high levels. On a perfect winter day in 2012 NOAA and CIRES scientists sent up a sampling plane to determine the methane levels and the quantity of methane released from oil and gas production activities in the Uintah basin in Utah. The scientists found far more methane than anyone had anticipated. Methane levels downwind peaked at the stunningly high level of 2080 parts per billion. [...] Assertions that natural gas from fracking has a lower greenhouse gas impact than conventional sweet crude are just not true. Atmospheric scientists will continue to investigate the complexities of release of natural gasses from gas wells developed by hydraulic fracturing, but it is now clear that industry estimates of gas emissions are far below realistic values. The EPA is also using gas emissions values that are far below the levels measured by the NOAA CIRES research team."
Each pink spot signifies a well. Zooming in reveals an extraordinary number of wells.
Royal Dutch Shell: They’ve Really Got a Friend in Pennsylvania—by
brasch: "Royal Dutch Shell, which owns or leases about 900,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale, had a great idea. It wanted to frack the Ukraine. But, there was opposition. So, Royal Dutch Shell decided to create a junket for some of the Ukrainians opposed to fracking to show them just how wonderful fracking is. [...] Now, the people of the Ukraine anti-fracking movement aren’t idiots. They weren’t just going to take whatever they were shown and told. So, they contacted the state’s leading fractivists and anti-fracking organizations. They wanted to learn all the facts—not just what was spoon-fed to them. They were willing to talk to anti-fracking activists when there were no other scheduled activities. But Royal Dutch Shell was monitoring FaceBook and the Internet, and saw that the Ukrainians were trying to talk to the grassroots movement in Pennsylvania to get all sides of the issue."
Exclusive: Censored EPA Pennsylvania Fracking Water Contamination Presentation Published—by Steve Horn: "DeSmogBlog has obtained a copy of an Obama Administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fracking groundwater contamination PowerPoint presentation describing a then-forthcoming study’s findings in Dimock, Pennsylvania. The PowerPoint presentation reveals a clear link between hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') for shale gas in Dimock and groundwater contamination, but was censored by the Obama Administration. Instead, the EPA issued an official desk statement in July 2012 - in the thick of election year – saying the water in Dimock was safe for consumption. Titled 'Isotech-Stable Isotype Analysis: Determinining the Origin of Methane and Its Effects on the Aquifer,' the PowerPoint presentation concludes that in Cabot Oil and Gas’ Dimock Gesford 2 well, 'Drilling creates pathways, either temporary or permanent, that allows gas to migrate to the shallow aquifer near [the] surface…In some cases, these gases disrupt groundwater quality.'"
Is CBS Pitt Shilling for Natural Gas Drilling?—by S Kitchen: "From the bullsh*t propaganda department: on August 15th, CBS Radio’s Pittsburgh cluster (KDKA-AM, KDKA-FM, WDSY-FM, and WBZZ-FM) will 'host' the Marcellus Shale Festival at an outdoor music venue in town. This is an event wholly designed to put a happy face on the practice of hydraulic fracturing: the messy process of harvesting natural gas that’s spreading throughout the country. The Marcellus Shale Formation extends throughout seven states and is currently one of the most active areas of hydraulic fracturing in the continental United States. In many respects, Pennsylvania has been the ground zero of Marcellus fracking, where wells have been operating since 2005."
The Ocean Frackers—by Dan Bacher: "Some may consider California to be a "green" state and the "environmental leader" of the nation, but that delusion is quickly dispelled once one actually looks at who spends the most on lobbying in California - the oil industry. The Western States Petroleum Association spent the most on lobbying in Sacramento in the first six months of 2013 of any interest group, according to quarterly documents released by the California Secretary of State. The association spent $1,023,069.78 in the first quarter and $1,285,720.17 in the second quarter, a total of $2,308,789.95, to lobby legislators and other state officials."
INSANITY: Children "banned for life" from talking about fracking as part of settlement!—by Brainwrap: "Two children aged 7 and 10 have been banned from talking about fracking for the rest of their lives. It's part of a settlement received by their parents, who were awarded $750,000 from drilling company Range Resources to help them move from their fracking-polluted home in Washington County, PA. [Subsequently, Range Resources said that the kids could say whatever they wish now and when they are of age.] "
Keystone and Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
State Dept. now investigating itself on Keystone XL pipeline tainted environmental review—by VL Baker: "Amazing news from the State Department that its own internal watchdog unit has plans to initiate an inquiry on, wait for it, its own environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline. [...] This new development raises the possibility of another redo of the analysis assessing Keystone’s environmental impact and can only give opponents of the pipeline some optimism especially as this comes after President Obama's recent comments that he’d oppose the pipeline if it 'significantly exacerbates' carbon pollution."
America's dangerous pipelines: Haven't we had enough, Mr. President?—by VL Baker: "The Center for Biological Diversity has compiled a new analysis of oil and gas pipeline safety in the United States which reveals a troubling history of spills, contamination, injuries and deaths. [...] According to the data, since 1986 there have been nearly 8,000 incidents (nearly 300 per year on average), resulting in more than 500 deaths (red dots on the video), more than 2,300 injuries (yellow dots on the video), and nearly $7 billion in damage."
A Few Questions on the New IHS CERA Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Report—by lowkell: "A new report by IHS CERA Insight, entitled "KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE: NO MATERIAL IMPACT ON US GHG EMISSIONS," has been getting a good deal of attention for its bottom line conclusions that a) tar sands production growth is not dependent on construction of the Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline; and b) that the Keystone XL pipeline will not lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions. But are these conclusion accurate? We looked into the report, and came up with a number of questions we'd very much love to have answered promptly by IHS CERA. * Should we be at all concerned that a previous report by IHS CERA on "The Role of Canadian Oil Sands in US Oil Supply" claimed "to offer an independent assessment of the potential role of Canadian oil sands in future US oil supply," yet has a list of "report participants and reviewers" that includes almost exclusively those with vested interests in developing Canadian tar sands (e.g., the Alberta Department of Energy, the American Petroleum Institute, the Canadian Oil Sands Trust, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Conoco Phillips, Devon Energy, Marathon, Statoil Canada, Suncor, and TransCanada itself)?"
Fracking's Myriad Ties to Greenwashed State Dept Keystone XL Environmental Review—by Steve Horn: "Most don't think of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") when pondering the future of TransCanada's Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline - but they should. There are numerous ties between key members of the fracking industry and groups pushing for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. And these threads all lead back, one way or another, to Environmental Resources Management, Inc. (ERM Group). The ties that bind raise even more questions about the legitimacy of the State Department's contracted out environmental review."
The Great Outdoors
n The Trail of Cedars - Glacier National Park and the never-ending meet-up diaries (photos)—by figbash: "Once upon a time, so long ago that it might be said that it has almost been lost in the mists of time, there was an EPIC meet-up of Kossacks in Glacier National Park. There were Kossacks from Delaware, from Oregon and Montana, from Colorado and Arizona, from Illinois and, of course, from California. It was so epic you might never hear the end of it. In fact, there could be 8 million stories told (so I exaggerate) about this meet-up. This is just one of them. On Saturday morning the able-bodied Kossacks just couldn’t wait to head off on the four-and-one-half mile trail to Avalanche Lake. That left jakedog42 and me, figbash, with our pitifully under-perfoming spinal colums to strike out on our own. Wait…. what? This looks like a good idea and since the wise and beautiful Sea of Confusion recommended it, we couldn’t wait to check it out. Trail of the Cedars sounds awfully good to me and it's a boardwalk... with benches. We can do this."
McDonald Falls
The Daily Bucket: After the Fact Bucket Lists—by
matching mole: "So I started this diary with the idea of asking people what would be on their natural history bucket list. And while that is a fun thing to contemplate, something else came to mind. What is something that got added to your bucket list only after you experienced it? Something that you wouldn't have thought about beforehand but after the experience was something really meaningful? A recent example for me, which I diaried here, was my observation of the insect life associated with fungi on a rotting tree in our yard. The miniature ecosystem was fascinating and really made my day for several days in a row."
What do you take in your hiking day pack?—by ban nock: "The walking was softer on the slushy ice but my boots aren't new and I was getting leakage. There were many other people on the trail, all of us walking as quickly as we could to get down. Down out of the cold air, out of the icy slush. I noticed less than half of the people even had a rain coat. I was the only person wearing boots, everyone had some sort of hiking sneakers that everyone wears now. People's feet were very cold and wet. Many were wet all over, but walking fast no shivering. I looked carefully at everyone I saw, prepared to give my coat and sweater to anyone dangerously cold. In those conditions any accident could turn serious very quickly. I was amazed at how unprepared most people were despite hundreds of dollars in hydration systems, and GPSs, and competitive mountain running shoes, and trekking poles, and god knows what else. If they'd just thrown a plastic trash bag in their packs they'd of been able to pull it over themselves, poke a hole for their head, and be dry. Plastic ponchos cost a coupla bucks.I guess I'm over prepared. I can last a night out if uncomfortably."
Critters
FWS Purges Gray Wolf Peer Review Panel—by SphericalXS: "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to stack the deck against gray wolf recovery by disqualifying many of the nation’s leading wolf researchers from participating in the scientific peer review process of a proposal to delist the gray wolf as a protected species throughout most of the United States. Three of the nation’s top wolf experts have been excluded from the scientific peer review of the plan to remove federal protections from the gray wolf on orders from the U.S. Dept. of Interior-Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS). The scientists were barred because they had signed a letter with 13 other scientists expressing concern about the scientific basis for the federal plan, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)."
Why Do These People Hate Sea Otters—by LeftOfYou: "Why have these cuties been dragged into court by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), an anti-Obamacare litigant and backer of other Tea Party legal wet dreams? According to the LA Times: Commercial fishermen have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for abandoning a program to create an 'otter-free zone' in Southern California coastal waters that sustain shellfish industries.The lawsuit, filed this week by the Pacific Legal Foundation on behalf of harvesters of sea urchin, abalone and lobster south of Point Conception, accuses the agency of illegally terminating the program without congressional approval or authorization. Do you know what an "otter-free zone" is? Me either before I stumbled across this story and dug deeper. I was more than a little gobsmacked by what I found."
Caspian tern diving
The Daily Bucket: Tern Tern Tern Again—by
PHScott: "These photos of Caspian terns diving were taken a few weeks ago when the terns were more active. Now we only see 1 a day or so. Getting near time for them to move on South, so maybe I'll see them at the Florida coast later this fall.
From the NY Natural Heritage Program website: 'The first known nesting of Caspian Terns in New York occurred in 1986 and the species is therefore recently new to the state. ... The maximum number of nests was 1788 in 2005 and has declined to 1376 in 2008 after an outbreak of type E botulism in 2006. Caspian Terns that breed in the northeast and Great Lakes region begin arriving at their breeding grounds soon after ice break-up, usually in April. Peak nesting occurs late May to mid June, with chicks hatching in July to early August. Adults and young begin to migrate to wintering grounds mid to late August and are at their wintering areas by mid-November.'"
Butler's Garter Snake Thamnophis butleri
The Daily Bucket - small threatened slithering things—by
Polly Syllabic: "At first we were startled and then we met shyly, eye-to-eye, on the first sunny day of spring. Fresh out of hibernation and our winter shelters we were both basking in the warmth of the unfamiliar. Its delicate tongue-flicks were as numerous as my camera clicks. We spent a short moment in the backyard regarding each other until it slipped away towards the wet meadow in search of juicey earthworms. We haven't seen each other since. In 1997, the Butler's garter snake was placed on the Wisconsin Endangered and Threatened Species List to protect it from habitat loss by the encroachment of real estate development. Its habitat was shrinking and the distinct population was declining and growing more fragmented."
Black Oystercatcher
Dawn Chorus: mmmm.... Oysters!—by
lineatus: "It's kind of an odd name. I mean, there's not much to "catching" an oyster - it's not like they're going anywhere. Oysterhunter would make more sense, but I digress. Oystercatchers are large-ish shorebirds who make their living, for the most part, by prying and smashing mollusks with their awesome orange bills. They will also eat other creatures found along the shore, but are not typically fish eaters. Here in North America, we have two species of oystercatcher, American (found on the east and Gulf coasts, and on the west coast of Mexico) and Black (found on the west coast.) They prefer rocky coastal areas because that supports the mollusks they prefer and provides good breeding spots. If you look at their eastern range, there's a gap along the Louisiana coast and another at southern Florida. Presumably the marshy areas and sandy beaches in those locations doesn't give them what they need."
The Daily Bucket: old pond, summer afternoon—by OceanDiver: "Pacific Northwest: I was a small child when this pond was dug, in what was then rural western Washington over half a century ago, so it's old to me. And old enough to have an established community of residents and transients, some of which I enjoyed a couple of weeks ago, on a warm afternoon. The occasion was a gathering of family and friends, and while most folks were playing a brushy game of high-grass baseball in the field beyond, some of us were poking around beside the pond. The usual ducks and swallows had decamped, but invertebrates were oblivious to the human activity, busy at their own. Several Eight-Spotted Skimmers (Libellula forensis) flew in circles around each other, occasionally alighting for a rest. Here's a male. These skippers, named for the 8 black spots on their wings, are common in muddy bottomed ponds and lakes of the western U.S. As adults they feed on soft-bodied flying insects like mosquitoes, flies, moths, butterflies and termites."
Flame Skimmer
The Daily Bucket - a Different View of Yellowstone—by
Milly Watt: "The usual images conjured up of Yellowstone National Park are big ones - large wildlife like bison, elk, grizzly bear, and wolves; amazing geology like geysers, hot pots, the caldera of a super-volcano, and the grand canyon of the Yellowstone river; historic buildings like the Old Faithful Inn; the huge wildfires of 1988; and, of course, massive crowds of tourists in the summer months. The Old Faithful area was my backyard when I worked summers in the park during my college years. I recently went back for a visit and I was amazed at all the smaller details that I never noticed before. So, let me take you on a tour of the often overlooked nature in Yellowstone. Yeah, sure, Old Faithful is going off again - but, wow, look over here at this dragonfly! These insects are very common, hovering over the Firehole River. In flight, they look entirely rust-colored. I didn't see the clear ends of the wings until one settled down near me on a log. They are feisty and chase each other aggressively. I believe that this is a Flame skimmer (
Libellula saturata).
Water
Westlands files lawsuit against Trinity water release—by Dan Bacher: "The Westlands Water District and San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority filed a lawsuit Wednesday in an attempt to stop increased flows on the Trinity River set to begin on August 13."
Eco-Activism & Eco-Justice
DK's 'Reject Keystone XL' Campaign Stronger If Updated w/President Obama's Key Points—by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse: "The upshot is that President Obama acknowledges that the GOP's economic arguments used to support the XL Pipeline are bogus on jobs, energy security, and gas prices. President Obama acknowledged that the U.S. is merely functioning as an oil bridge from Canada to world markets. This means that the U.S. will also get stuck with irreparable damage to our natural resources and wildlife and all the other harms flowing to people and earth when the XL leaks or spills. The DK campaign letter to President Obama would be far more effective and stronger if it were updated to include President Obama's statements regarding jobs, energy security and gas prices that may all be considered in the upcoming national interest determination on whether this pipeline should be rejected. President Obama presented a clear case to knock down the TC and GOP BS, and we should let him know that we support his words and expect him to do the same."
Sustainability
Cities Scale: Regenerative Development—by gmoke: "The majority of the people in the world now live in cities and that will probably only increase as this century goes on. We need to imagine cities that are sustainable and, even more, regenerative, restorative, ecological."
Pollution, Hazardous Wastes & Trash
Radioactive water from Fukushima spilling into Pacific ocean—by Jen Hayden: "Japan's nuclear watchdog says there is a new state of emergency: An official from the Nuclear Regulation Authority says contaminated groundwater has risen above a shore barrier meant to contain it and is seeping into the Pacific Ocean. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Shinji Kinjo revealed the leak is exceeding legal limits of radioactive discharge.
Countermeasures planned by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear complex, are only a temporary solution, Mr Kinjo added. 'Right now, we have an emergency,' he said."
Fukushima: Tepco, Destroyer of Worlds—by Yasuragi: "On July 18, the residents of Fukushima prefecture posted a statement: From the residents of Fukushima Prefecture. Please be noted that we, residents of Fukushima Shirakawa district (southern part of Fukushima prefecture) will perform action against the Ministry of Environment’s burning project of highly contaminated radioactive waste (more than 8000 Bq/kg) on 18th July, here in Samegawa. Fukushima Disaster is not over, but the Ministry of Environment (MOE) is trying to bring another contamination plan all over the world."
That "Slight Leak" at Fukushima—by Joieau: "It has been nearly two and a half years since 4 of the 6 nuclear plants at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi reservation were destroyed following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Yesterday the New York Times reported that about 650,000 gallons a week [400 tons per day] of highly contaminated water is flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the reservation. Regulators with Japan's version of the NRC express concern about TEPCO's inability to stop the flow, and do not know when the leak began (estimates go from December through May) or even where it's coming from. Obviously this highlights an issue Japanese officials have with TEPCO's longstanding corporate inability to tell the truth about much of anything, which led earlier this week to a request from officials of Fukushima prefecture that Japan's central government remove TEPCO from its management of the disaster due to its inability to contain the mess."
BP's Criminal Conduct Damages the Entire World—by Ring of Fire: "Last month, BP announced that its claim-compensation fund, intended to pay for claims filed by businesses and individuals affected by the 2010 oil spill, is running dry; claims that they are required by law to pay. Even more recently, BP claimed that it has 'uncovered new allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest' in regards to the claims filed, an extension of similar allegations the company made earlier this year. BP requested that settlement payments be suspended temporarily so that a former FBI director could investigate the settlement program. A similar request was thrown out by a federal judge last month."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Sunday Train: The Triboro RX & the G Train to the Brooklyn Army Terminal—by BruceMcF: "While the Triboro RX plan was first introduced in a Regional Plan Association study in 1996, it was injected into this year's NYC Mayoral Race back in April of last year by Manhattan Borough President and Mayoral Candidate Scott Springer: Scott Stringer: NYC needs a commuter tax, new 'X' subway line: Stringer said the next big transit projects should include adding an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport and adding a subway route—he called it the "X" line—to connect Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The Regional Plan Association first floated the idea in 1996, according to Jeffrey Zupan, a senior transportation fellow for the group.This is what is sometimes called an "orbital" line."
Eco-Philosophy & Essays
My 1-man neighborhood trash crusade—by 8days2amish: "Carrying a plastic grocery bag with me on my daily walks is starting to become a habit. It’s happening frequently enough that my daughters said they’re thinking about getting me an orange jump suit so it’ll at least look like I belong to a prison work release program. They think this would be better than appearing as I am, just a conscientious father out to tidy up the planet they’ll one day be inheriting from me. You’d think they’d be grateful. If things keep going the way they’ve always been, the planet’s the only thing they’ll likely be inheriting from me. For some reason, even the daughters of two recycle-mad, earth-friendly tree huggers like Val and myself sense there is a stigma to a grown man wandering around his neighborhood scooping up trash."
Being green and slow—by cordgrass: "First, I'm taking public transportation to work. Either I take two buses and a train, which involves a lot of waiting, or I walk the bus parts of my commute, which involves a lot of walking time. A long stroll or waiting for the bus are the opposite of the go-go-go 90's. Second, I'm embracing the slow food movement. It's cheaper, it's healthier and it's better for the environment. Sure, I use a pressure cooker to speed up cooking times, and a slow cooker so I don't have to spend hours minding my slow cooking, but still there is a lot of time spent chopping vegetables and braising."
If God came back: His message to climate polluters—by VL Baker. Comic video.
Mount Moran in Grand Teton National Park, western Wyoming.
I for one could have done without James Watt—by
ban nock: "Writing in the latest High Country News Jeff Welsch of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition thanks James Watt for energizing environmentalists into opposition of the destructive pro business plans for the public lands of the US begun in the early 80s. I see things differently. I see the Watt years as the beginning of the big do nothing period of conservation. I'd trade a couple James Watts for one Kyoto Protocol. I'd even toss in a Kieran Suckling or two just to sweeten the deal. Welsch lists his multi-million annual budget and the large charismatic but biologically unendangered carnivores as accomplishments. Dear Jack, look out the window of your mansion. See Mt. Moran? The iconic Skillet Glacier is shrinking as fast as the polar ice cap dude! Nope. James Watt is no hero of mine."
Bikes and Tisha B'Av, Hope and Climate Change—by swidnikk: "Seeds were planted in 2008 when I volunteered for a bicycle advocacy non-profit in Tel Aviv. I helped with various technical affairs such as publishing a monthly digital newsletter, GoogleApps administration, and leadership on a website project. Somehow, I took notice of 350.org, probably via Greenprophet, the sustainability news blog of the middle east. 350.org's website enabled people to create actions and meetings in their own hometowns and this modeled exactly what this non-profit needed. With core activities in Tel Aviv, we wanted to enable other cities such as Jerusalem, Haifa, and Ra'anana to mature and organize further without starting from scratch while keeping in touch and in sync with the umbrella organization."
Products & Miscellany
The Demise Anniversary of Bayou Corne Destroyed by American Industry—by War on Error: "Have you been following the corporate created sinkhole that has destroyed a whole community of upscale homes? It's been a year since the Sink/Stink Hole began. Truth-out reporter, Mike Luwig does an amazing job telling the whole story here. [...] The sinkhole has grown from 3 acres to 24 acres in a year. A whole down was told to evacuate. Funny, you don't hear much about this on the news."