See Bev Bell's diary here
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Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Wednesday Spotlight can be seen here. More than 20,540 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
Michael Klare: Perpetuating the Reign of Carbon—by
TomDispatch: "Around the world, carbon-based fuels are under attack. Increasingly grim economic pressures, growing popular resistance, and the efforts of government regulators have all shocked the energy industry. Oil prices are falling, colleges and universities are divesting from their carbon stocks, voters are instituting curbs on hydro-fracking, and delegates at the U.N. climate conference in Peru have agreed to impose substantial restrictions on global carbon emissions at a conference in Paris later in the year. All this has been accompanied by what might be viewed as a moral assault on the very act of extracting carbon-based fuels from the earth, in which the major oil, gas, and coal companies find themselves portrayed as the enemies of humankind. Under such pressures, you might assume that Big Energy would react defensively, perhaps apologizing for its role in spurring climate change while assuming a leadership position in planning for the transition to a post-carbon economy. But you would be wrong: instead of retreating, the major companies have gone on the offensive, extolling their contributions to human progress and minimizing the potential for renewables to replace fossil fuels in just about any imaginable future."
Trending in the New Year: Americans' Love for Public Lands—by
Dan Chu: "Last year nearly 900,000 acres of public lands were permanently protected by the President alone. President Obama designated three new national monuments—Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands in California, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in New Mexico, and the San Gabriel Mountains just outside Los Angeles. He also greatly expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the Pacific Ocean by over 250 million acres. All of these designations were widely supported and praised. Yet lost in the holiday shuffle were two other important signs of conservation progress. The Obama administration held public hearings to discuss adding two very special places to our nation's legacy of protected public lands. The first, Browns Canyon in Colorado, is one of the country's most popular white-water rafting and premiere trout fishing destinations. Its breath-taking combination of rushing water, upland ridges, and dry valleys provide a beautiful backdrop for all types of outdoor experiences year-round. The area is also important for elk, deer, and bighorn sheep."
Global Warming Will Kill Your Children—by
New Minas: "California Sierra Snow-Water Levels are 40% of our annual average for this date. For the third year in a row we are at precipitation levels that mirror the all time low of 1977-1978. At this rate we will suffer a catastrophic collapse of agriculture in the U.S. breadbasket which produces 37.5 billion dollars of food annually. These changes weren't supposed to happen so quickly. Even our most recent models from the MET in the UK held only gradual changes over the next 50 years or so. It is time to WAKE THE FUCK UP!"
Scientific Study Links Fracking with Earthquakes—by
tmservo433: "For quite some time, environmentalists have speculated that fracking may be contributing to the rise of small earthquakes within states that participate, leading to studies in places like Oklahoma, Ohio and elsewhere. In the middle of last year, I pondered this question as Oklahoma went through 7 earthquakes in a 14 hour period. Now, however, a scientific study has come out which validates this line of thought.
A new study links the March 2014 earthquakes in Poland Township, Ohio to hydraulic fracturing that activated a previously unknown fault. The induced seismic sequence included a rare felt earthquake of magnitude 3.0, according to research published online by the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA). In March 2014, a series of five recorded earthquakes, ranging from magnitude 2.1 to 3.0, occurred within one kilometer (0.6 miles) of a group of oil and gas wells operated by Hilcorp Energy, which was conducting active hydraulic fracturing operations at the time. Due to the proximity of a magnitude 3.0 event near a well, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) halted operations at the Hilcorp well on March 10, 2014."
You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.
Climate Chaos
Australia's Fires consume "largest amount of territory in more than three decades."—by Lefty Coaster: "Wildfires in Australia have long been part of the continent's wildlands. Now these wildfires are increasingly moving into more developed areas, as the country is having its worst fire season in 30+ years. To top that off the climate denying government of Prime Minister Tony Abbott has just announced that last year's Spring was the hottest in Australia's history. Now the summertime has arrived down under. Every year, the continent’s sweltering temperatures and dry conditions create a toxic combination for bush fires that can threaten homes and lead to injuries and deaths. This season’s wildfires are particularly damaging, destroying the largest amount of territory in more than three decades. The Insurance Council of Australia yesterday declared a catastrophe for regions near Adelaide in South Australia. Fires may be inevitable in Australian summers, but climate change is making the problem more severe, says Will Steffen, an adjunct professor at the Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment & Society."
Climate Change and Privilege—by DarkScholar82: "In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, one Rich Ailes of Swarthmore has published a letter lambasting those who want a strong government response to climate change. In this letter, he argues that we should turn to that eternal panacea, the free market. He writes: But consider this scenario: As the world warms incrementally, billions of market participants notice and reward entrepreneurs for products and services that help them adapt. This activity provides what we need and spreads wealth around to rich and poor alike. My Gut Reaction: This sounds nice, Mr. Ailes, but how is that going the help the people who will most likely suffer the most from climate change: people in third world countries like Bangladesh and the islands of the Pacific."
When will Will learn?—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "In a syndicated column, George Will talks about two different books he supposedly read recently on past climate changes and the major negative impacts they had on humanity. We say "supposedly" because it'd be pretty hard to read them and come to the conclusions he put forward in his column. While he's not quite brazen enough to say it outright, the thrust of Will's piece holds that, because past changes weren't human-caused, the current changes aren't either. Will uses past changes as a way to lob rhetorical attacks on "climate Cassandras" that he inexplicably thinks are unaware that past changes of climate have occurred. Yet those who don't share Will's ideological bent are likely to take the devastation caused in the past by extreme climate conditions (including parents eating their children in 14th century Europe due to climate-induced famine) as a stark warning of the consequences of climate change."
The Impending GOP Retreat on Climate: From Denial to Do-Nothing-ism—by kindler: "Changes in the political climate can sometimes sneak up on you—just like changes in the terrestrial climate. Case in point: A recent opinion piece in the right-wing Human Events, 'A Conservative's Case for Global Warming,' provides a hint that the GOP may be about to start tiptoeing away from climate change denial. While still repeating a number of easily disprovable climate denial whoppers (e.g., that the earth hasn't warmed in the last 18 years, even though it has, and the usual cheap attempts to downplay the overwhelming scientific consensus), the author seemed to be striving to reposition conservative opinion to accept the reality of climate change—this, even though he is a member of the Heartland Institute, notorious for (among other travesties) its repugnant Unabomber billboard campaign. Others have noted the curious phrase that is now ubiquitous among Republican politicians—"I'm not a scientist"—and like Jonathan Chait, have speculated on whether this phrase represents a kind of tactical retreat."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Daily Bucket--High Ground—by 6412093: "Winter changes many patterns. The herons spend less time hunting in the now-icy ponds, where frogs and fish seldom surface. Instead the heron and other feathered predators often head for the meadows, where they can catch voles (large field mice) and other tiny prey, even worms. The meadow may not look like prime habitat, but sometimes I see the big birds duke it out in the sky, fighting each other to hold the high ground there. […] It's not breathtaking habitat like old growth forest, or a surging river. It's level acres of unkempt fescue grass, a foot or two long. A handful of 20-foot pines that would be modest elsewhere, dominate this grassland. […] Thanks to my new camera and zoom lens, I finally got a good look at the hawks who badgered away their competition, and are currently at the literal top of this food chain. As KenBee often says, they are probably redtails. They've been a devoted couple for a few years now."
The Daily Bucket - Wild Condor Mating Success—by
enhydra lutris: "It appears that two of the wild California Condors eluded the spying eyes of the various naturalists keeping tabs on them, mated, nested and had a kid. The kid is now a nine month old, fully grown juvie. It also turns out that the male has pulled this off before - this is his third. It just goes to show what a little protection and habitat preservation can do for a critically endangered species. From the article cited below:
With a wingspan of 10 feet, the California condor is the largest North American land bird. The massive black vulture is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a life span in the wild of 35 to 40 years. Once widespread across North America, the condor has declined precipitously since the 19th century, mostly as a result of hunting and poisoning from the lead shot left in meat they scavenged. The last 27 California condors left in the wild were captured and placed in a breeding program in 1987. The Big Sur flock is the result of releases from that program. The new condor tot was the fourth condor chick produced last year in the Big Sur area."
Victory! US government sets new rules protecting whales and dolphins!—by VL Baker: "It's only taken us ten years but finally the US government has agreed to set the same stringent rules for imported seafood as for seafood protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The US rules have been in place since 1972 but it's taken a protracted lawsuit to get the feds to implement the rules: The regulations will require foreign fisheries to meet the same marine mammal protection standards required of U.S. fishers or be denied import privileges—implementing a 40-year-old provision of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 'The new regulations will force other countries to step up and meet U.S. conservation standards—saving hundreds of thousands of whales and dolphins from dying on hooks and in fishing nets around the world,' said Sarah Uhlemann, senior attorney and international program director of the Center for Biological Diversity. 'The U.S. government has finally recognized that all seafood consumed in the United States must be "dolphin-safe."' With over 90% of US seafood imported from other countries these new regulations should have a major global impact on the survival rates of especially endangered whales and dolphins."
Whale Stranding in Marin—by enhydra lutris: "This article was in this morning's SFGate: Whale rescue effort in North Bay forced to wait until Friday and the original article is here. The marine mammal center believes it to be a pygmy sperm whale based on descriptions and should be working on rescuing it by the time I get this posted. From the article: A pygmy sperm whale washed ashore a remote beach at Point Reyes National Seashore on Thursday and remained alive and stranded for hours after it was discovered, authorities said. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito received reports of the stranded mammal near Abbotts Lagoon about 3:30 p.m., but were unable to get an exact location and learn its condition before it became too dark for an evacuation, center officials said."
Delta smelt reaches new record low in fall survey—by Dan Bacher: "The Delta smelt, an indicator species that demonstrates the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, reached a new record low population level in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's fall midwater travel trawl survey for 2014, according to a report released today. The smelt was once the most abundant fish in the Bay-Delta Estuary. It is considered an indicator species for the health of the estuary since the 2.0 to 2.8 inch long fish spends all of its life in the Delta. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has conducted the Fall Midwater Trawl Survey (FMWT) to index the fall abundance of pelagic (open water) fish, including Delta smelt, striped bass, longfin smelt, threadfin shad and American shad, nearly annually since 1967. The index of each species is a number that indicates a relative population abundance. The dramatic decline of fish species this year is part of a long term decline of fish species, due to massive water exports out of the Delta, increases in toxic chemicals and the impact of invasive species."
Daily Bucket: Florida's Invaders--Brazilian Pepper—by
Lenny Flank: "Florida is the land of invasive species. Because of our status as a center for the importing of exotic pets and houseplants from overseas, and our neo-tropical climate, we have been invaded by everything from kudzu plants to Burmese pythons. One of our most invasive species is the Brazilian pepper, also known as the Florida holly or sometimes as the Christmas Berry. Introduced as an ornamental, it has now taken over much of the state. The Brazilian Pepper plant,
Schinus terebinthifolius, is a large shrub, reaching 15-30 feet in height, with a short trunk, long compound leaves, and large clusters of tiny white flowers that turn into glossy bright red beans in the winter. Taxonomically, Brazilian Pepper is not really a pepper. It is a member of the Anacardiaceae family, which also includes the cashews, the sumacs, and the poison ivy and poison oaks. Like most of the other plants in its family, Brazilian Pepper produces a protective chemical oil called urushiol, which produces skin irritation and dermatitis on contact. But unlike its relatives Poison Ivy and Poison Oak, Brazilian Pepper's urushiol is found mostly in the sap, and not on the leaves. In its native areas, it is known as the 'tame tree' to distinguish it from its more virulent relatives. But if the tree is burned, in a wildfire or as part of a controlled fire, the smoke carries the volatile oils and can cause irritation in anyone nearby."
Energy
World Nuclear Roundup #37—by davidwalters: "In case you were unplugged over the holiday season, here are some global nuclear news items that crossed the wires. […] The United Arab Emirates will be getting 25% of its electricity from four new nuclear reactors starting in 2020, if all goes well. The units, being built by a South Korean consortium, are each rated to provide about 1400 MW of electrical power. The reactors are being built at Baraka, a remote coastal site on the Persian Gulf. CEO of the Emirates Nuclear Corp.,Mohammed Al Hammadi, told UAE English language media on 12/22/14 that the first unit will be complete in 2017 and the other three will each complete in sequence a year apart. The electrical power from the reactors will have three important uses. Desalinization plants will provide fresh water to the desert country. It will support the growth of a finished aluminum goods manufacturing industry exploiting the nation’s bauxite deposits, and it will power the country’s growing urban centers at Abu Dhabi and Dubai."
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Community Solar A Hit in Southwest Washington—by Delta Overdue: "Normally, when I open my electric bill I don't pay much attention to the newsletter that's included every month. Today was different, I saw the words “Community Solar is Coming”. Well, words like this catch my attention, and demand further investigation. Here are the details: Clark Public Utilities provides electricity in Clark County Washington, which is just across the Columbia River from the Portland, Oregon area in the southwest corner of the state. They launched a project where customers can buy shares in a large solar panel array. While certainly not a new concept, this is a first for this area. Phase One is an approximately 75 kilowatt system, with 272 ground mounted panels. A single share is 1/12th of a panel, with a limit of 100 shares. Each share sells for $100, and there are flexible payment options. Pay-off is estimated at four years, with a system life of 20 years. A little quick math (75kw divided by 272 panels divided by 12 shares/panel) indicated output of about 23 watts per share, putting the cost at $4.35/watt. This is a little high, but considering the ease of buy-in, well worth my investment. "
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
News on Keystone XL—by DRo. "Senate panel approves Keystone XL bill, despite veto threat: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday approved legislation to authorize the Keystone XL pipeline, following a divisive debate over climate change that previewed bitter fights to come.
The 13-9 vote to approve the measure—with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin the lone Democrat crossing party lines to back the bill—paves the way for Senate floor debate to begin as soon as Monday. We need to rally forces because the Senate is expected to take up identical legislation next week."
What You Liberals Should Do About Keystone Pipeline—by paradox: "I’m always interested when a professional journalist opines about what we liberals should do with a particular political strategy, tactical study is always worthy and perhaps a precious grain of truth will be discovered in the murk. Unfortunately in this case the thesis—that liberals could easily make significant climate change policy progress by using Keystone as a bargaining chip—is rife with misperception, obscured political realities and lousy tactics, so a rebuttal is necessary."
Warren: If Republicans wanted bipartisanship in 2015, Keystone XL bill was a lousy place to start—by Meteor Blades: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn't against bipartisanship. But she isn't keen on the bogus kind that Republicans are interested in. Which is subtitled: our-way-or-the-highway. As progressives have seen to their delight, the senator isn't, like too many of her Democratic colleagues, shy in expressing her views about GOP hypocrisy. This makes her third committee assignment—to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources—all the more delicious. […] Warren said in an interview with Mass Live on Monday that she opposes the pipeline because of its harmful environmental impacts and the piddling number of jobs it would create. There are better choices for congressional action, she said: 'If this is about energy policy, Keystone is about bringing oil down to the gulf and preparing it for export. If this is about energy policy, why isn't the Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) Rob Portman (R-OH) energy efficiency bill first up?' Warren said at an editorial board meeting in Worcester on Monday. 'If it's about jobs, why not the Highway Transportation Bill? Instead, the first thing up is a bill that is very divisive, that runs powerful environmental risks for this country. This tells me that with the Republican rhetoric—that they are going to find things for us to work together on their actions—don't match their words.'"
House passes Keystone XL bill, but the 28 Democratic ayes won't be enough to override Obama's veto—by Meteor Blades: "The House voted Friday morning to force President Obama's hand on the Keystone XL pipeline. The tally was 266-153, with one Republican voting 'present' and 28 Democrats joining the rest of the GOP caucus. While that may seem like victory, the pipeline's backers need 290 votes to override a threatened presidential veto, and they obviously are not going to get that many. In the Senate, supporters have more than enough Democratic votes for a filibuster-proof approval of the bill. But they need 67 for a veto override, and they seem likely only to get 64 at most—54 Republicans and 9 or 10 Democrats. The bill, H.R. 3, is designed to transfer authority for granting a permit to build the northern leg of the pipeline from the president to Congress. Approval of international bridges, tunnels, conveyor belts and pipelines has been a presidential prerogative for more than 130 years."
Nebraska Supreme Court overturns lower court ruling blocking Keystone XL pipeline route—by Meteor Blades: "Now it's all up to President Obama. Kate Sheppard reports: In a victory for proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the pipeline's proposed route through the state can go forward. The decision means that TransCanada, the company seeking to build the pipeline, can build the route that Nebraska's former governor approved in 2013. The court ruling was split, with four of the court's seven judges agreeing with a lower court that the 2012 law used to grant TransCanada that permission was unconstitutional. However, Nebraska requires a supermajority of at least five judges to strike down the law. "We believe that Nebraska citizens deserve a decision on the merits. But the supermajority requirement … coupled with the dissent’s refusal to reach the merits, means that the citizens cannot get a binding decision from this court," the court wrote in the majority opinion."
Climate change deniers boost their numbers in Congress. Realists need to stop diddling around—by Meteor Blades: "Too many congressional Democrats are silent about or give little thought to climate change. Although there are some tough-minded members in the Safe Climate Caucus in the House and the Climate Change Caucus in the Senate, fewer than 15 percent of Democrats in Congress belong to those bodies. When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) gets up to deliver one of his regular climate change speeches on the floor of the Senate—as he has done 83 times in the past three years—it is usually to a sparsely populated chamber. Ditto when Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) speaks on the subject. While neither Whitehouse nor Boxer can be blamed—they have been exemplary—most congressional Democrats have failed to make climate change a major issue. In both the presidential and congressional campaigns of 2012, for instance, climate change barely got a mention from incumbents or challengers. Likewise for the congressional campaigns of 2014. It should have been front and center."
Reuters-Nebraska Supreme Court backs Keystone XL pipeline route—by JML9999: "The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday approved the route for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, reversing a lower court that had blocked the proposal and clearing the way for a U.S. State Department ruling on the plan. The court said it was divided and could not reach a substantive decision, leaving in place legislation that favored TransCanada Corp (TRP.TO) and its claim to build a crude oil pipeline across the state."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
Famine in America by 2050—by bigjacbigjacbigjac: "The Mayans R us. One year, they were cavorting bloodthirstily atop their garish painted pyramids and a generation later the jungle was stealing back over the temple steps and the population was a tenth of its former size. The same thing is going to happen to us, except there will be a hell of a lot more worthless, toxic debris left on the landscape. By the time Americans start dying off quickly, there will be about 340 million of us. Ten percent of 340 million is 34 million. 340 million minus 34 million is
306 million. So, Mr Kunstler said, soon, about 300 million Americans will die. […] Then, tell me, what difference does it make, all the other things he writes about in that article, the economy, the culture wars, the suburbs, what difference will any of that make when most folks are dead."
How do they get away with selling this stuff as food?!—by Nospinicus: "Here are the first three ingredients in a jar of pseudo-peanut butter JIF (taken directly from the label). Ingredients by amount: CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SUGAR, PEA PROTEIN. These are followed by a chemistry set of seven chemical ingredients. The first question is what is the food value of 'corn syrup solids.' These 'solids' are the mash that remains after the high fructose corn syrup has been squeezed out of it. Mothers, just how much healthy nutrition do you think your children will get from eating this mash? But if the first ingredient of JIF wasn't bad enough, the second is even worse. The four grams of sugar in two tablespoons of this stuff is just another factor in the tremendous amounts of sugar that American producers put in their food that leads to child obesity. And the wording of the third ingredient, 'pea protein' is singularly uninformative. What is pea protein and what is its source? Food labels should not have to be deciphered; label information should tell us just what we are eating."
Antibiotic Failure Will Kill 10 Million People a Year by 2050—by VL Baker: "Tom Philpott at Mother Jones brings to attention the new UK government study on antibiotic failure. The study, like the headline is a stunner. It reiterates the causes of our antibiotic crisis as the 1) over prescription of antibiotics to humans 2) the massive use of prophylactic antibiotics in livestock feed. But, don't be fooled, with 80% of antibiotic use in US going to raising livestock the causes do not have equal influence. And in a new report, the UK government has come out with some startling global projections. Currently, the report finds, 700,000 people die annually from pathogens that have developed resistance to antibiotics, a figure the report calls a 'low estimate.' If present trends continue, antibiotic failure will claim 10 million lives per year by 2050, the report concludes. That's more carnage than what's currently caused by cancer and traffic accidents combined."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Are Electric Airliners Possible?—by Major Kong: "Electric cars are a hot topic these days but I recently have read some interesting stuff about electric aircraft. Airbus thinks that they may be able to field a large electrically powered commercial aircraft in the next 20-30 years. […] Airbus recently began test flying its E-Fan demonstrator aircraft. While there have been electric conversions of existing aircraft, this little guy was designed to be electrically powered. Its driven by a pair of 30 kilowatt electric motors driving variable-pitch ducted fans. Each one produces 337 pounds (1.5 kN) of thrust. Power comes from 250 volt lithium ion batteries. They say it carries enough charge for 45 to 60 minutes of flight. Top speed is 118 knots. Cruise speed is a leisurely 86 knots. This puts it at least in the ball park of primary trainer aircraft like the Cessna 152. Electric ducted fans have driving model aircraft for a while now but I think this may be the first use on a full size aircraft."
Lower Oil Prices in an EV World—by
joelado: "What do declining oil prices mean for alternative fueled vehicles, plug-in hybrids and EVs? If anything is to be learned from the past periods where gasoline prices have dropped precipitously it is that they spell death for alternative fuels. Dropping oil prices are a very bad thing for all alternative fuels and most likely will be a very bad thing for electric vehicles and plug-ins as well. From 1981 to 1986 reduced demand and overproduction created a large amount of oil not being consumed in the open market. I remember going to an area that had refineries at the time and seeing a large number of oil tankers just sitting, anchored out on the bay waiting for their turn to hook up to the refineries. The refineries were not operating at full capacity and when they shipped out their inventory as product, then and only then would they allow for the oil tankers to hook up. This five-year-long period has a direct correlation to the improved fuel economy that vehicles were required to achieve by the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standard laws passed in the 1970s."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Transforming Power, Protecting the Environment in El Salvador—by Bev Bell: "La Coordinadora of the Lower Lempa and the Bay of Jiquilisco in El Salvador is a grassroots, community-led organization of 27,000 families in more than 100 communities. It is transforming economic and political power and the health of the environment, across the department of Usulután. Pillars of La Coordinadora are participatory democracy, empowerment of women and youth, and â still in the works - education and health care for all. The communities are generating income through a green economy based on ecological agriculture and fishing. La Coordinadora is working to build food sovereignty, protect ecosystems, and preserve the largest remaining mangrove forest in the area. Estela Hernandez is a leader of La Coordinadora and its affiliated non-profit organization, the Mangrove Association. She is also an elected member of the national legislature. There, Hernandez sits on the Environment and Climate Change Commission, the body that drafts environmental legislation."
Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste
WA-Gov: Inslee's (D) Pollution Solution Is To Tackle Water Toxics At The Source—by poopdogcomedy: "We have a few Governor races coming up in 2016 in states like Montana, West Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina that will be big races but it's important that we also make sure Governor Jay Inslee (D. WA) is re-elected: Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing legislation to protect state waters by tackling pollution at its source and giving a state agency the authority to potentially ban the worst chemicals in products before they get into the environment. The state is under pressure by the Environmental Protection Agency to update water quality standards that are partly tied to how much fish people eat. The state’s draft rule is expected this month. But the governor has said revising that rule alone won’t get at major sources of toxic chemicals that are found in everyday products, or that come from sources not currently covered by the federal Clean Water Act. As part of his plan, he’s also pushing a toxics reduction bill this legislative session that would give the Department of Ecology new authority to identify chemicals that are most problematic and ban their use if safer alternatives are found. The 105-day session begins Monday."
DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
IL-Sen: "Moderate" Mark Kirk (R) Goes Into Climate Denier Mode—by poopdogcomedy: "Sounds like someone might be worried about a primary opponent from the right: Climate change isn't caused by industrial greenhouse gas emissions, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said yesterday, citing evidence that Greenland was once green—and presenting his strongest disavowal of the prevailing scientific view linking human activity to rising temperatures and sea level. Kirk's comments come ahead of a Senate vote series later this month that Democrats are hoping to use to create political headaches for the new Republican majority, especially embattled moderates like Kirk who are up for re-election next year in traditionally blue states. While he was a member of the House representing a suburban district north of Chicago, Kirk was one of just eight Republicans to vote for cap-and-trade legislation in 2009. Although he renounced that vote soon after launching his 2010 Senate campaign and has been critical of the Obama administration's climate regulations, Kirk remained supportive of policies to advance clean energy development and did not overtly question the prevailing view of most climate scientists."