See dcrowe's post below.
Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Spotlight can be seen here. More than 23,165 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
"Catastrophe!" Screamed the Newspaper Headline—by
Thinking Fella:
"At approximately 10:30am on Wednesday, August 5th, 2015, the wheels were set in motion for a man-made disaster in the Animas River watershed near Durango, Colorado. Truth be told--those wheels have been grinding slowly for decades, but on the date & time above the dam finally broke. Literally. [...] I suppose this story begins over a century ago, in the rugged & beautiful southern Rocky Mountains. The San Juan Mountains, beautiful as they are, held a thing even more desired than the gorgeous mountains that were full of game and awe-inspiring views: Gold and Silver. In short order, many made their way to the gold & silver mines. They were hastily built--gold does not wait long to be mined once it's whereabouts become known. Many fortunes were made near the town of Silverton, Colorado. Even more fortunes were made 50 miles downstream in Durango--where the smelter and even more importantly, the banks were located. The American Indians--the Southern Ute Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe were driven off the land in short order. Progress! Progress & wealth had finally arrived in southwest Colorado. Plenty of books have been written about this bit of Colorado history. I won't attempt to explain & describe all the history in this diary, and I have only said this much about it because it plays heavily into recent tragic events."
An Organized Battle for Lifestyle in the Finger Lakes region of NY State—by
riverlover : "Some two hundred miles west of the Hudson River in NY lies the Finger Lakes region of New York. There, 10, 12, 14 (counts vary) long Lakes were formed by the last glaciation. The area is lakes, hills, waterfalls, small cities, towns, villages, hamlets, smallish farms and grape country. The watersheds break between the Great Lakes watershed to the north and west and the Chemung and Susquehanna river tributaries into the Chesapeake Bay system to the south and east. The Erie canal runs along the north end. The southernmost region borders Pennsylvania, which plays into this scenario. Geologically, the area was once shallow sea. The reminder of that is left as large salt deposits, now underground. This is still important economically. Working salt mines still exist. [...] Salt mining in present form gouges out huge caverns, leaving pillars of salt as support structures. These caverns are relatively dry, not like wet limestone caves. Thus, they have been repurposed as dry undergound storage areas. Detroit has an impressive and massive underground mine. Why not make use of dry storage? Why not store liquefied gas products in free, relatively impermeable natural containers? Enter the Players and one battle below the orange eddy."
Shell Oil: Lawless. Vicious. Corrupt—by dcrowe: "On Friday, July 31, Bill McKibben wrote: '[T]here is no more contemptible company on earth than Shell Oil.' For the week prior, incredible activists from 350PDX, Greenpeace, Rising Tide and others had blockaded an icebreaker ship on Shell's payroll, dangling from bridges to form a human curtain and clogging the ship's path with kayakers. McKibben wrote his words as the blockade ended and the icebreaker resumed course to assist Shell with drilling in the Arctic, a project that will go down in history as a moment of incredible stupidity and greed--if Shell and companies like it leave us a future where people can read and write history, that is. I thought Bill's claim was pretty strong, so I thought I'd look into it. TL;DR: I think he's right. Shell is an incredibly rich, incredibly powerful, and completely corrupt and contemptible company, a corporation for which the planet-defiling Arctic drilling project is just another escalation along a long history of unbelievably evil acts."
You can find more excerpts from green diaries below the orange spill.
Climate Chaos
Why Hillary's climate plan sucks. And everyone else's too.—by Keith Pickering: "Hillary's plan references the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project, a serious attempt by serious people to figure out how that might actually be possible in a timeframe that might actually save the planet. DDPP's goal is an 85% reduction in CO2 emissions (from 2005 levels) by 2050. DDPP offers several scenarios whereby this might be achieved, but all of them share this general outline: we decarbonize the electric grid first; then, we electrify all the remaining uses of fossil fuels. We use non-fossil electricity for transport or to make synfuels, and replace furnaces with heat pumps. Of course some non-electrical uses can be converted sooner, and should be, but that's the general idea. The upshot is this: to decarbonize the economy, our electrical use will have to go up, not down. Because we're going to be converting most of that other 60% over to non-fossil electricity. And that's going to take a lot of Watts."
A Close Read of the IPCC 2014 Synthesis Report—by stockdoc77 : "The recent announcement of even tighter CO2 emission standards for power plants by Obama has been met with outrage by the usual suspects. This is a necessary action as the Republicans have decided to deny that global warming is even a thing. There is clearly no point in trying to get legislation on this. I have occasionally discussed global warming at this site, but it is a touchy topic and sometimes views are expressed that are not what the scientific consensus says. While the right denies the issue entirely, there is also some inflation of the problem that I will find myself disagreeing with. As such I decided to go to the source document for the actual scientific consensus, which is the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC released in 2014."
More Dirty Attacks on Clean Power Plan—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Now that the initial flurry of reporting on the Clean Power Plan (CPP) has subsided, editorial writers are offering their opinions. While the overwhelming majority of newspapers have published their support for this life-saving and planet-protecting policy, there have been a number of detractors. It's perhaps an encouraging sign of the times, however, that aside from the Wall Street Journal, nearly all the negative editorials have come from small or ideologically conservative papers. The only sizable papers running anti-CPP pieces have been the NY Post, which ran an editorial; the Star Ledger, home to the perennially misleading Paul Mulshine; and the Dallas Morning News, which featured an op-ed by Jay Ambrose. Then there are the small outlets, like the Detroit News, Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, Carteret County News-Times and Press Enterprise and the ideologically driven ones like the Washington Times. While each of these attacks is slightly different, they all share some common features. If they bother to cite any sources, they go to either debunked industry-sponsored reports or industry-friendly opinion pieces."
SAT prep with the WSJ—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Ever desperate to attack climate science—but running out of even vaguely scientific issues to discuss—John Steele Gordon at the Wall Street Journal provides an uninformative tour of science history that concludes with two paragraphs on Climategate (so you know he's got absolutely nothing to say). Taking issue with the phrase 'the science is settled' and the term 'climate-change deniers,' Gordon attempts to show that science can't be trusted, citing Newton's mistaken understanding of Mercury's orbit as an example. Gordon then makes a false comparison to climate change saying that, as was 'clearly' the case with Newton, there are lots of unanswered questions about the climate. According to Gordon, this means any certainty about climate change must be a hoax perpetrated by self-interested politicians 'to vastly increase government control over the economy and the personal lives of citizens.' If that doesn't make sense, don't worry, it's not just you. Gordon's non sequitur leap from Newtonian physics to climate change doesn't make much sense to us either. Nevertheless, Gordon moves on, proceeding to ask some of the 'veritable cornucopia of unanswered questions' about climate change."
Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms; newest paper by James Hansen, et al.—by e2247: "The Washington Post described Hansen as 'The world’s most famous climate scientist...' On 23 July 2015 Hansen's team of 17 put up this Discussion Paper in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP) An interactive open-access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), the international scientific journal dedicated to the publication and public discussion of high-quality studies investigating the Earth's atmosphere and the underlying chemical and physical processes. [...] This team says ... We conclude that multi-meter sea level rise would become practically unavoidable. Social disruption and economic consequences of such large sea level rise could be devastating. It is not difficult to imagine that conflicts arising from forced migrations and economic collapse might make the planet ungovernable, threatening the fabric of civilization."
No Pause in Pause-Busting Papers—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Amidst the commotion surrounding the Clean Power Plan, two important studies were released that further weaken the argument for inaction. While the 'pause' or 'hiatus' in warming has long been debunked, the new papers provide additional ways to show that warming has continued all along. In a detailed post, Greg Laden helpfully explains the studies and how 'the alleged hiatus in global warming didn't happen.' Here's the short version. One paper searched for the hiatus and 'found that there was no statistically significant change to the [global warming trend] since 1970,' as stated by co-author John Abraham in his Guardian piece. The second paper used change point analysis—a statistical technique used to examine the size of temperature changes and to estimate when big changes happen. Its conclusion is quite straightforward: 'the term 'hiatus' or 'pause' cannot be statistically justified.'"
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Rick Scott MIA as Floodwaters rise in much of Florida!—by Vetwife: "Anyone who has talked to me knows I am sick of the rain but now it is getting dangerous. I hope our Tampa kossacks and surrounding areas are OK as Flooding is hitting the West Coast of Florida to historic levels. Tampa is basically flooded out. The infrastructure is crumbling and over 44 roads are closed off. Evacuations are beginning with buses coming to get folks in a rescue attempt for an RV Park along with other areas. [...] Where the hell is Rick Scott to declare this area a Disaster area? Shining his new environmental award badge, I guess or fining folks for saying CLIMATE CHANGE."
Critters & the Great Outdoors
The Daily Bucket--An Inept Raccoon—by
6412093: "Last year, I created a new backyard pond, with a feeder stream and waterfall, to provide habitat for the native Oregon tiny tree frogs that hide among the strawberries and flowers in our garden. But all of nature seems to conspire against those bee-sized frogs. Last week I found solid evidence that raccoons are after the tree frogs. [...] Fortunately, the raccoon is inept. As the prior picture shows, it left behind muddy pawprints, alerting me to its night time raids. I am not too worried, however. The pond where it is hunting, doesn't have any tree frogs in it by now. They all matured into frogs from tadpoles, and scattered to the four corners of the garden. There was only one inch-long fish in that pond, and I haven't even seen it for a long time. The coon may have nailed a bullfrog or two in that pond, but that was several months ago. It looks like the coon has sat on the rocks, and scooped out a few paws-full of duckweed. Maybe there was a water bug or snail in that pile; not a very good harvest."
The Daily Bucket - A Monarch in the Milkweed—by
enhydra lutris: "
August 3, 2015, Castro Valley, CA, late afternoon. A Monarch was perfectly posed on the millkweed behind the garage. By the timw I got back with the camera it was fluttering all over. I finally got these on the milkweed at the other end of the house."
Delta Airlines Will No Longer Allow Shipment of Hunting Trophies—by weezilgirl: "I've been praying for this. I am hoping that the other airlines will follow suit. Following the tragic news of the killing of Cecil the lion, Delta Airlines has announced that it will no longer allow the shipment of hunting trophies around the globe. The airline said in a statement: 'Effective immediately, Delta will officially ban shipment of all lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies worldwide as freight. Prior to this ban, Delta’s strict acceptance policy called for absolute compliance with all government regulations regarding protected species. Delta will also review acceptance policies of other hunting trophies with appropriate government agencies and other organizations supporting legal shipments.'"
The Daily Bucket: That was a mighty big Barred Owl—by
PHScott: "End of July 2015. Sure am happy to show y'all a photo of my big morning event. It happened about 10 minutes ago so I'm still excited. Actually I'm more struck by 2 days in a row I see something unusual at the birdbath. Previous with Red-shouldered Hawk. Today I had the camera ready - sort of. I never use the "automatic" setting on the old Fuji S2000 and prefer to fiddle with shutter speed and aperture settings using the built-in meter (auto is always over-exposed.) Since I had been taking pictures of a Golden Orb outside the window, the exposure was not too far off - only threw out 2 of 5. Had I actually used the camera's advanced features, there'd be burst shots of it flying up and off.
CSPA charges water board, feds with violations of laws protecting salmon—by Dan Bacher: "A prominent sportfishing group today formally charged the state and federal governments with violating numerous laws protecting salmon, Delta and longfin smelt and other fish species during the California drought. The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) filed a formal complaint against the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for violations of the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins (Basin Plan), violations of WR Order 90-05 and Sacramento River temperature requirements and for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Public Trust Doctrine and the California Constitution."
Tribes Slam Federal Water Plan for Klamath River—by Dan Bacher : "The Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes criticized a federal environment assessment to release supplemental flows from Trinity Reservoir this August and September for not doing enough to prevent a fish kill on the lower Klamath River, since the proposal releases only half the water requested by scientists. Continued dry hydrologic conditions and the recent discovery of the presence of 'Ich,' the fish disease thought primarily responsible for the fish kill of September 2002, when an estimated 35,000 to 78,000 adult salmon perished, prompted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to supplement flows to the lower Klamath River in 2015. The Yurok Tribe discovered the outbreak of "Ich" on the lower river five weeks earlier than it found the disease last year. 'The Proposed Action includes supplemental flows to prevent a disease outbreak and a contingency volume to be used on an emergency basis to avoid a significant die-off of adult salmon,' said Erin Curtis of Reclamation. 'Real-time environmental and biological monitoring by federal, state and tribal biologists would be used to determine if and when to implement supplemental flows.'"
When cute critters collide--sea otters, orcas, and trophic cascades—by Username4242: "Somewhere in the Alaskan ocean wilds, a sleek mammal glides through the salty water surrounding an expansive forest of kelp. It is a sea otter, and doing what sea otters do, it is swimming and it is eating. It spots a small pink urchin, a creature resembling the result of a forbidden encounter between a porcupine and a Tribble. It pulls its prize off an algae covered boulder, it surfaces, and using its belly as a resting surface for the prey, it begins to feed. That this interaction may help sustain entire aquatic ecosystems was a notion first suggested by the ecologist James Estes in the 1970s. While boating through the Aleutian islands in southwest Alaska, he noticed stark differences in habitat between areas occupied by urchin eating sea otters and those without. In near shore habitat without sea otters, kelp forests were decimated by great numbers of kelp grazing urchins. Without the kelp forest, the faunal and floral community was undiverse and desolate. Contrastingly, regions with sea otters had much lower urchin density and supported a great number of wildlife species. By feeding on plant eating urchins, the sea otter was causing an aquatic trophic cascade, and thereby increased the ecological integrity of an ecosystem."
The Daily Bucket - bathing their summer finery—by OceanDiver: "A calm warm summer day with bathing seabirds was a nice surprise for us out boating last week. Usually this spot on the Strait of Juan de Fuca has rough water, with swells rolling directly in from the Pacific Ocean...choppy water offshore and waves breaking on rocks, but this day the water was nearly flat. [...] Perhaps the birds who live way out here found it pleasant too. Many were bathing and preening their vivid summer breeding plumage, so different from their plain winter garb. These are alcids, deepwater fish-hunters who never come in to beaches. They nest on remote rocky islands. Alcids look superficially like ducks, but they are more like penguins (those 'svelte buoyant waterfowl'): similar compact well-insulated bodies and incredible agility and grace underwater. Like penguins they swim with their wings. But unlike them, the alcids can fly! Such short wings are no good for gliding but they can speed by just above the surface almost faster than you can track. Since they all feed on fish, they'd be in competition if they didn't specialize. Take a look at their bills - note how different they are."
Groups Sue State Water Board to Prevent Fishery Extinctions—by Dan Bacher: "On 4 August 2015, The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) and AquAlliance, collectively “Petitioners,” filed a lawsuit against the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and a writ of mandate, under California Code of Civil Procedure, in Alameda County Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that the State Water Board and its Executive Director violated the California Water Code, Public Trust Doctrine and a suite of environmental laws when it issued a series of Temporary Urgency Change Orders (TUCP Orders) that weakened legally adopted standards protecting water quality and fisheries."
The Daily Bucket: A Walk in Pittsburgh—by Lenny Flank: "Alas, I hoped to be in Ohio by now, but ran into a delay. But here are some photos from a walk in Pittsburgh last week."
Four-spotted dragonfly
Energy
Coal, Oil, Gas & Nuclear
Some People Never Learn: Japan to Restart 43 Reactors.—by patbahn: "Japan is about to do something that’s never been done before: Restart a fleet of mothballed nuclear reactors. March 2011, The Japanese suffered the Great Tohuko Quake an event that killed 15,000 people, and threw the country in chaos and started the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster which melted down 3 reactors and critically damaged 9 others, poisoning vast areas of Northern Honshu and the oceans. And Now Japan wants to restart 25 nuclear reactors after they were allthrown into emergency shutdowns and mothballs for 4.5 years. ... More after the eerie orange glowing blob. so out of some 56 reactors, they think they might be able to restart 25, maybe ultimately 44."
WaPo and Senate Committee R's Move To Lift Ban on Crude Sales—by WheninRome: "While we're busy being assailed by police killings, both on black people, indigenous peoples, and looking for a cop killer, and Obama has his climate program about to be unveiled, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill from Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski that would allow for the export of all crude oil and condensate produced in the U.S. The bill would also provide for revenue sharing for offshore drilling in her home state. The Washington Post Editorial Board then talks to us like we are 6 year olds: IMAGINE THERE were a simple policy that would spur economic growth, lower gas prices and please international allies. This policy exists: removing the United States’ irrational and outdated ban on exporting domestically produced crude oil."
Oil Corporations Scheme to Export America’s Security—by Leo W. Gerard: "Oil honchos and their legion of lobbyists petitioned Congress last week to pad corporate profits at the expense of American energy independence and national security. And Republicans on a Senate committee voted to comply. On the demand of oilmen, the committee agreed to end America’s 40-year ban on exporting crude. They did it because oil corporations think they can make a couple more bucks on each barrel by selling American crude on the international market. Never mind that America doesn’t produce sufficient crude to meet its needs and still imports 44 percent of what is refined in the United States. Never mind that exporting American crude makes the United States more dependent on belligerent Russia and hostile Arab nations. Never mind that complying with oil corporations’ demands for potentially higher profits hands oil-rich Middle Eastern countries additional power to crush the U.S. economy with another oil embargo. Instead, what was important to the GOP majority on this Senate committee was bowing and scraping before multinational oil corporations that pledge allegiance to no country."
Emissions Control
Obama announces historic plan to clean up U.S. energy and fight climate change—by Laura Clawson : "President Obama is taking his most aggressive action yet to fight climate change with the Clean Power Plan, a new set of Environmental Protection Agency regulations that is 'the biggest most important step we've ever taken to combat climate change,' Obama said in a video released Saturday night. Under the plan, the administration will require states to meet specific carbon emission reduction standards, based on their individual energy consumption. The plan also includes an incentive program for states to get a head start on meeting standards on early deployment of renewable energy and low-income energy efficiency. 'Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change,' Obama said in the video. 'Until now, there have been no federal limits to the amount of carbon pollution plants dump in the air.' According to studies, the plan will save thousands of lives and create tens of thousands of jobs."
Naomi Klein's Democracy Now interview on Obama's plan for CO2 reduction & his Energy Policies—by Lefty Coaster: "So I think that what we’re seeing from Obama is a really good example of what a climate leader sounds like. You know, everything he’s saying is absolutely true about the level of threat, about the fact that this is not a threat for future generations, it is a threat unfolding right now around the world, including in the United States. It’s a threat that is about people’s daily health, with asthma levels, and also about the safety of entire cities, huge coastal cities. So he’s doing a very good job of showing us what a climate leader sounds like. But I’m afraid we’ve got a long way to go before we see what a climate leader acts like, because there is a huge gap between what Obama is saying about this threat, about it being the greatest threat of our time, and indeed this being our last window in which we can take action to prevent truly catastrophic climate change, but the measures that have been unveiled are simply inadequate."
Fact sheet: President Obama to announce historic carbon pollution standards for power plants—by Transcripts Editors: "The Clean Power Plan establishes the first-ever national standards to limit carbon pollution from power plants. We already set limits that protect public health by reducing soot and other toxic emissions, but until now, existing power plants, the largest source of carbon emissions in the United States, could release as much carbon pollution as they wanted. The final Clean Power Plan sets flexible and achievable standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, 9 percent more ambitious than the proposal. By setting carbon pollution reduction goals for power plants and enabling states to develop tailored implementation plans to meet those goals, the Clean Power Plan is a strong, flexible framework ..."
Americans from Coast to Coast Cheer Major Climate Action Announced Today by President Obama, EPA—by Mary Anne Hitt: "Today President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a major step in the fight against climate disruption by releasing the Clean Power Plan. Until today, there were no limits on the amount of carbon pollution that power plants could dump into our air, wreaking havoc on our health and our climate. [...] Regular Americans aren't just cheering this announcemen—they were key to making it happen. In July, we announced the 200th U.S. coal plant retirement, and clean, renewable energy is at record levels. Grassroots advocacy made that happen, and as a result, the U.S. is leading the industrialized world in reducing carbon emissions, and we are are on track to meet—and even exceed—the carbon reduction targets in the Clean Power Plan."
CREDO: This carbon rule won’t offset President Obama’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy—by Josh Nelson: "In response to the Obama administration’s release of the final carbon rule for existing power plants, CREDO Action Senior Campaign Manager Elijah Zarlin released the following statement: 'Reductions in carbon pollution are much needed, but it’s hard to get too excited about this rule the same week that the president allows Shell to tempt fate in the Arctic. We have also now learned that this already too-weak rule is going to take another two years to kick in. President Obama has cleared the very low bar of the most climate pollution reductions of any president in history—but in context of the progress that is needed, it’s hard to view this as especially ambitious.' The need to stop burning dirty fossil fuels and transition to clean sources of energy couldn’t be greater. But in the context of President Obama’s 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy, which has increased the domestic production of fossil fuels, it is simply too weak and too late in starting. If this rule is President Obama’s signature achievement on climate change then his administration has missed a major opportunity to show real leadership on climate.'"
WSJ Slings Mud at Clean Power Plan—by ClimatechangeRoundup: "Yet again the Wall Street Journal's opinion pages are serving as a tool to promote industry voices, this time with a piece co-authored by the President of the National Mining Association and a lawyer the Association hired to sue the EPA over its mercury standards. The WSJ attack cites the same debunked industry reports and rehashes the same faulty arguments. The only fresh point involves legal quibbling about whether the CPP regulations are 'appropriate' because they set limits on state emissions instead of individual sources, and even this is an apparent attempt to apply the MATS ruling to the CPP, despite the substantial differences. Because the chicken-little hysterics will no doubt continue, we've put together some of the best resources for rebutting common attacks, the three most common of which falsely argue the CPP will negatively affect cost, reliability and jobs. Climate Nexus also has a resource guide and a short, sharable video busting the myths if you only have 90 seconds to Clear the Air."
POTUS Clean Power Plan Released—by boatsie: "In the most ambitious US climate change regulation to date, President Barack Obama today announced the US Clean Power Plan, initiating a program whereby the US establishes national standards to control CO2 emissions from power plants. The plan aims to cut CO2 power plant pollution by 32% from 2005 by 2030. 'Power plants can still dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air,' the President said. 'For the sake of our kids and the health and safety of all Americans, that has to change. For the sake of the planet, that has to change.' [...] Since the plan was unveiled for public comment in June 2014, some 365 businesses, including eBay, Nestle and General Mills, have expressed strong support for the new rules, which they view as economically beneficial."
Obama’s bold steps on climate change can’t wait—by Molly Weasley: "With his new Clean Power Plan, President Obama is taking his boldest action yet on the issue of saving the planet. The new rules are the first ever to impose limits on carbon pollution from power plants. The approach aims for a 32 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, from 2005 levels, by 2030. 'We’re the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it,”' Obama said in an event in the White House’s East Room, citing stronger storms, more severe droughts, and longer wildfire seasons as evidence that the climate is changing. The entire plan is detailed at a White House website."
There They Go Again—by ClimateDenierRoundup : "The WSJ is at it again, this time with an editorial attacking the Clean Power Plan. Like the attacks from yesterday and the day before, this one is shallow and faulty. In fact, once you cut through the rhetoric, the only substantive criticism is one that no longer applies! In the original draft of the rule, the EPA set emissions limits for each state, but this went beyond existing precedents, which hold the EPA can only regulate the sources of emissions. The key technical term was 'fence line,' meaning that the EPA only has jurisdiction 'inside the fence line' of polluting facilities, and not throughout the states. Having heard this criticism when the draft rule came out, the EPA adjusted the final rule, setting emissions limits for the power plants themselves. That way every coal plant in the country has to meet the same standard, instead of each state having to meet its own goal. By making this change, the EPA eliminated the one legal hurdle that experts considered legitimate. Opponents still make other allegations, but EPA officials and legal experts have written those off as very unlikely to impede the plan's progress. It seems the WSJ didn't bother to look at the EPA's changes to the plan—even though the agency released a document describing the changes—and instead included the fence line issue as a central part of its attack on the plan's legality."
Fossil Fuel Protectionist Jumps The Shark—by Phoenix Rising: "Today, in the wake of the announcement of Obama's Climate Action Plan - a plan that is, if anything, too conservative based on recent climate change reports - at least one supporter of the fossil fuel industry has proven that he'll say anything to protect his big money supporters. Even if it's patently absurd. Sen. Mitch McConnell—no fringe Republican he— today said that the Administration's rules wouldn't have any meaningful effect on the global climate, and that 'they could actually end up harming the environment by outsourcing energy production to countries with poor environmental records like India and China.' Yep—we'll just outsource that energy production to China and India. And then we'll ship it across the ocean in cheap shipping containers like any other product, where it could be sold to West Virginians and folks from Wyoming whose jobs we outsourced because of this policy."
Majority Report: Obama's Legacy & His Climate Policy—by The Majority Report: "Sam [Seder] takes a deep dive with Vox writer David Roberts about President Obama's new EPA rules to control climate change."
=At $65 billion and counting, this is a case study of nuclear power’s staggeringly bad economics—by nirsnet: "An amazing thing happened Monday. Yes, President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency released the first real climate action policy in the U.S. ever. But that’s not all. The incredible thing—the one that will be most important in the years to come—is….they got it basically right. Including on nuclear power. President Obama just made it the policy of the United States that nuclear power is not a viable climate solution. And not just that, but renewable energy can replace nuclear power just like it can replace fossil fuels. This is a game-changer, both for reducing carbon emissions in the US, and for discrediting the deceptive Exelon-sponsored Nuclear Matters bailout campaign. What is more, going into December’s global climate treaty negotiations in Paris, the U.S. government just declared that we are moving forward, and we are going to do it with renewables, not nuclear."
Obama's Clean Power Plan makes important pivot away from nuclear energy and natural gas fracking—by VL Baker: "In Obama's new Clean Power Plan there is an important but little noticed pivot that could have huge consequences..that is if it's not too late. The change is a pivot away from natural gas fracking and nuclear energy toward the real sustainables such as solar and wind. Perhaps the White House has been paying attention and noticed that its 'all of the above' energy policy with emphasis on natural gas (fracking) as a transition bridge fuel has been a total failure especially since CO2 emission reductions attributed to natural gas/fracking have been proven to be a myth. Obama's chosen Head of Energy Dr. Moniz pushed it, Obama's State Dept under SoS Hillary Clinton sold it around the world before finding out about the environmental consequences of fracking and before considering how bringing investment to support building permanent infrastructure for natural gas and fracking around the world would substantially slow investment for solar and wind worldwide. So now they are backtracking."
Renewables & Conservation
Some East Baltimore residents are getting solar energy and solar energy training—by Walter Einenkel: "In a new program, ten low income East Baltimore homes and a community center willl be getting solar paneling and "cool roofs." But there's more to this program than just the solar panels—via treehugger: A partnership between the city of Baltimore, the nonprofit GRID Alternatives, and Civic Works, a local job training organization, is netting low-income homeowners and a community center their own clean energy source, and enabling more green job training in Charm City. In East Baltimore's C.A.R.E (Caring Active Restoring Efforts) community, ten homes are getting 'cool roofs' and solar arrays, which are expected to help residents 'climb the energy ladder' and take advantage of both the financial and environmental benefits of renewable energy. The program is funded through the city's Office of Sustainability and GRID Alternatives, and includes some 1600 hours of solar installation and weatherization job training for local residents, which could potentially garner them a green job in the booming solar industry."
Fracking
Oklahoma governor's solution for homeowners dealing with swarms of earthquakes? Buy more insurance—by Jen Hayden: "Last week, the state of Oklahoma had an incredible 40 earthquakes in one week. EcoWatch reports that Oklahoma has experienced 40 earthquakes in the past seven days. Just yesterday, five quakes measuring over 4.0 magnitude were felt in Oklahoma and surrounding states, which would seem shocking but the rate of earthquakes has increased so dramatically in recent years that they’re probably pretty used to it by now. Just how dramatic is this increase? Oklahoma reported 562 earthquakes of 3.0 or greater in 2014 — three times as many as California had and 600 times the historical averages. No big deal! Nothing to see here! Naturally, the residents of Oklahoma are concerned because their homes cannot take the stress of repeated earthquakes. They are cracking and falling apart. And all because fracking wastewater is being injected into the earth."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
THEY’RE BOILING OUR PLANET! STOP THE DAMN COAL TRAINS!!! (Please help before Aug.25)—by Back Porch philosopher: "When you honestly stare down the barrel of the global warming gun that is being held to our heads, the disaster that is unfolding even more quickly than most predicted is overwhelming. We environmental activists are people used to taking on large problems and whittling away at them until they are solved. We saved the bald eagle from extinction, cleaned up Love Canal, brought back wolves to Yellowstone and much of the northwest, saved the grizzly bear from extinction in the lower 48, and millions of other successes. But all of it is for NOTHING if we cannot get the global warming problem turned around. And that problem is daunting. However, we now have a target that gives us at least SOMETHING to hope for. Keep the damn fossil fuels in the ground. Period. Whatever it takes. Or what? Or witness the cessation of most of life on earth within a few generations. Yes, it's that bad. Please read on for ONE BIG WAY YOU CAN HELP."
Breaking! Clinton Will Support Obama on TPP and Keystone!—by Armando: "This recommended diary discusses whether Hillary Clinton, while Secretary of State, supported TPP. But I think my title, which is AN OPINION, not a fact, applies to Keystone as well. The thrust of that diary is that as Secretary of State, Clinton supported the Obama Administration's position on TPP. This is neither breaking nor deniable. Now as to what is in TPP, I repeat, no one on THIS web site knows what's in it. (Indeed that's why I opposed fast track for TPP—public did not know what was in it. Full disclosure - there is a strong likelihood I think that I will support TPP once I know what is in it.) Similarly, on Keystone, I expect (MY OPINION, NOT A FACT) that Clinton will support whatever position Obama takes on it. It is MY OPINION that the reasons for this are political - the tradeoff between breaking with Obama or breaking with those strong contingents that oppose either of these projects is not one Clinton wishes to have to take."
Candidates, DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
ALEC Crawls Out From Under Its Rock To Declare War On The Rest Of Us—by Dartagnan: "At least they've stopped pretending they don't exist anymore. It's almost refreshing to see them wiggle out from under their rocks into the clear light of day. The President has drawn them out this time, with his Clean Power Plan (announced today), designed to ultimately divest this nation as much as practicable from the deadly warming climatic effects of pouring unchecked CO2 into the atmosphere. As The Washington Post Reports: Opponents of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan prepared Monday for all-out war against the carbon-cutting regulation, blasting the measure publicly while accelerating behind-the-scenes efforts to stop its implementation. [...] The attacks came as other groups prepared to launch initiatives on the state and local level. In anticipation of the rule’s unveiling, a task force of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—a conservative group funded in part by electricity producers and fossil-fuel interests—approved model legislation to be sent to state legislatures around the country. The model bill would give state governments special authority to “expedite approval of resources to challenge the EPA’s Clean Power Plan,” according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post."
HRC's DoS Played Major Role in opening Mexico to International Oil and Gas Companies—by Pakalolo: "Well, well, well! How will Hillary wiggle her way out of this one? I believe that her silence and refusal to be opine on key environmental issues, such as Keystone XL, drilling in our oceans and fracking shale deposits which poison our water can now be explained. 'Originally stored on a private server, with Clinton and her closest advisors using the server and private accounts, the emails confirm Clinton's State Department helped to break state-owned company Pemex's (Petroleos Mexicanos) oil and gas industry monopoly in Mexico, opening up the country to international oil and gas companies. And two of the Coordinators helping to make it happen, both of whom worked for Clinton, now work in the private sector and stand to gain financially from the energy reforms they helped create.' This exclusive and breaking news story has been published on the DeSmogBlog today. It stinks to high heaven and certainly raises questions on her claim that she will address climate change as a top priority if she wins the White House. If we don't stop the burning of carbon you can stick a fork in us, because we are out of time."
Shell to Leave #ALEC—by OleHippieChick: "Just came into my email box from Union of Concerned Scientists. Shell just announced that it plans to sever ties with the climate science denying American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)! You helped make this happen by sending more than 130,000 emails to Shell’s CEO and creating public pressure on social media. Combine that with UCS staff members working to expose ALEC’s climate disinformation and meeting with Shell executives—as well as the efforts of several partner organizations and shareholder groups—and Shell clearly felt the pressure! Thank you. Today, Shell’s spokesperson said that ALEC’s 'stance on climate change is clearly inconsistent with our own. … As part of an ongoing review of memberships and affiliations, we will be letting our association with ALEC lapse when the current contracted term ends early next year.' When even big oil companies publicly accept the science and cut ties with climate denial front groups, you know we are making progress."
Obama's Climate Change Plan: The "Stupid Party" Rears its Head Once Again—by pierre9045: "Now, put aside the Republican Party base's continued denial of the science on climate change. Though some could argue that, even on climate change, the Republican Party as a whole is actually also on the right side, compared to their GOP leaders. Regardless, we have to assume that most of the prominent Republicans are smart enough to realize that, even if they won't admit it openly, they are in agreement with the general scientific consensus on climate change. And that it is something that will continue to need to be addressed, even after Obama leaves office, for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the Republican Party chooses to be on the losing side. They choose to stand in the way of progress, to criticize every weakness in the proposed policy, without actually taking an active role in fixing those weaknesses. They choose to obstruct, obfuscate, and bloviate, rather than bite the bullet, roll their sleeves up, and get their hands dirty now to advance their own Republican-brand climate change initiative."
Transportation & Infrastructure
Solving the Bay Area's Fragmented Transit Dilemma—by Edmund Xu: "The last time I wrote about Bay Area public transportation, my final conclusion was that the region needed to consolidate all of its disparate operators into a single agency, much like the MTA in New York or New Jersey Transit in the entire state. I have since significantly revised my stance on this subject [...] First of all, there is no standardized visual guideline that determines what station signage, vehicle design, nomenclature, and maps look like. Each agency has different names for the same thing (e.g. Limited, Rapid), uncoordinated schedules, dissimilar visual guidelines (colors, fonts, logos), and most perplexing of all, there is a procession of maps of all shapes, sizes, and colors that confound earnest attempts from tourists and locals alike to navigate the system. Just designing and displaying a unified map that realistically displays every route and different levels of service would go a long way to facilitate wayfinding."
Eco-Action & Eco Justice
Introducing CREDOClimateHeroes.com—by Zack Malitz: "I’m excited to announce the launch of CREDO Climate Heroes, an activist grant program that will give $500 to 50 activists or small groups who are protesting, blockading and confronting the fossil fuel industry and the decision-makers who are standing on the wrong side of history. In launching CREDO Climate Heroes, we’re taking inspiration from folks like the Shell No protesters in Portland. When our elected leaders fail us and greenlight carbon-intensive extraction, these are the folks who step up, put their bodies on the line, and physically stop the machines that are warming the planet."
I Held up a Picture of a Dead Fish and 10 cops came.—by 6412093: "Paper mill workers gave me what they said were pictures of endangered, dead smelt inside of a paper mill water pipe [...] I blew up one of those pics for my dead fish poster, with some narrative. I hope to write more about smelt, and petitioning the government, soon. 9:07 AM PT: Here are more details. The Columbia River smelt (Eulachon, also known as candlefish, or hooligan) were listed as an endangered species in 2010 because their return spawning runs were shrinking. They swim from the ocean, up the Columbia River to spawn in the Cowlitz River in Longview Washington. The Kapstone (formerly Longview Fibre) paper mill in Longview pumps 40 million gallons of water a day from the Columbia, right from the former mouth of the Cowlitz, trapping and killing many smelt, according to the mill workers. Kapstone's proposed renewal of its water pollution (NPDES) permit does not prohibit this 'taking,' to which I object, and I sought to alert and enlist EPA's aid in this manner."
The Armchair Activist’s Quick Starbucks Activism Hit—by gdreadradio : "Sometimes the best bits of activism can be accomplished in the course of living our day-to-day lives. Recycling, turning off lights not in use, walking rather than using the car for short trips—all of these are examples of quick activism hits that can take some of the pressure off of Mother Earth. Every now and again, our activism offshoot and mailing list The Armchair Activist will offer hints for easy activism that can add up to incremental change in making the world or at least our little piece of it a wee bit better. Every bit counts, right? In case you are wondering, The Armchair Activist is our nearly 20-year effort to promote and inspire positive, pro-planet, peace-progressive action for people who may never have seen themselves as being activists. We believe we all have a part to play in making the world better. With any luck these quick hit suggestions will inspire you to do some good. For more activism news and alerts, keep your eyes on Progressive Nashville, and by all means join the E-list!"
Time to beat the drum louder and more often. We are in trouble.—by : "In this article by Eric Holthaus in Rolling Stone:The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here. The worst predicted impacts of climate change are starting to happen — and much faster than climate scientists expected. If ever you doubted the possibility that the human species is a failure in evolution the evidence is becoming overwhelming. [...] The climate scientists are part of our fragmented system of knowledge gathering and processing. We all know that they have been isolated from the mainstream of human discourse for some time. They keep telling us what is happening and it really seems to be incomprehensible to most people."
To Win, Climate Hawks Must Fight, not Debate—by Allen Insight: "Definition: Climate Hawk – A person who’s primary political priority is supporting candidates and organizations which seek to aggressively confront and solve the climate crisis. Climate Hawks have spent enough time messaging 'how' Global Warming is happening, and not enough time messaging 'what' will happen if we don’t slow down Global Warming this decade. We’ve done a pretty good job communicating the physics of global warming to the public. Most voters understand the concept that more carbon emissions warm the Earth. Even voters who deny that Global Warming is occurring, understand this concept. Now we must message what is about to happen if we don’t begin phasing out fossil fuels this decade. Because our time is running out. And when we explain 'what is about to happen' we need to avoid generalities like extreme drought, floods, and heat waves. It is too easy for the public to imagine extreme droughts, floods, and heat waves happening to someone else. Instead, we must be geographically specific."
Agriculture, Food & Gardening
FEDERAL COURT Strikes Down Idaho Ag-Gag Law!! Also Imposes Huge Legal Bills For LGBT Court Case—by GayIthacan: "[A] federal judge has declared a state law forbidding the taking of hidden surveillance footage on agricultural land violative of the First Amendment—reopening the door for hidden camera footage of abuse to animals to be legally available in civil and criminal prosecution cases again! Big news out of the federal courts in Idaho today: A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional Idaho’s 'ag-gag' law, which outlawed surreptitious videotaping at agricultural operations, as a violation of the First Amendment. It’s the first court ruling on an 'ag-gag' law; eight states have passed them. Idaho lawmakers acted after an animal rights group filmed cows being abused at a southern Idaho dairy."
Seafood Legislation Aims to Protect Consumers, Honest Fishermen—by pmustain: "Today’s seafood can travel a long path from the boat to the dinner plate. During the many exchanges from fishermen to processor, processor to importer, importer to wholesaler, and wholesaler to restaurant, many opportunities arise for seafood to lose its identity. Mislabeling allows for threatened species to be sold as those that are more sustainable, expensive varieties to be replaced with cheaper alternatives, and safer fish to be substituted with those that can cause illness. To address these issues, a Presidential Task Force on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud set in motion an initiative to improve the transparency in the seafood supply through improved documentation and traceability. Last week the task force released its list of 'at-risk' seafood species for public comment. The Administration is intending to phase in new documentation and traceability requirements. This is a promising first step, but the initial plans would only account for a fraction of the more than 1,800 species of seafood sold in the U.S. Oceana is advocating that new requirements need to be comprehensive to cover all seafood sold in the U.S."
Idaho ban on undercover filming of farm abuses called unconstitutional by federal judge—by Walter Einenkel: "Republican lawmakers trying to stop animal and agricultural abuse whistleblowers from filming those abuses, took a big hit today as a federal judge struck down Idaho's ban on surreptitious filming of agricultural abuses. U.S. Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill of the District of Idaho swept away the state's ban on the grounds that the law violated the 1st Amendment and selectively targeted activists or journalists who might be critical of factory farm practices. 'The effect of the statute will be to suppress speech by undercover investigators and whistleblowers concerning topics of great public importance: the safety of the public food supply, the safety of agricultural workers, the treatment and health of farm animals, and the impact of business activities on the environment,' Winmill wrote in a summary judgment. Ag-gag laws have become all the rage for conservative lawmakers and big business interests, none of whom like having to answer for their terrible, usually illegal and immoral, business practices and lack of quality control."
Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 11.24: The Edible Garden - Plums—by estreya: "Long before i became an underpaid gardener, i was an overpaid waitress. I'm saying i was overpaid because i was absolutely terrible at it (so terrible that i was moved to the coat-check room because coats are a lot harder to shatter than a fully stacked platter of plates). Back then, restaurant menus were a gastronomic wonderment of complicated dishes made with exotic, imported ingredients. But in today's culture of fitness and sustainability, many restaurants are embracing the farm-to-table movement where locally harvested, seasonal ingredients are prepared in a style of elegant simplicity. For gardeners, the farm-to-table principle is nothing new. Indeed, anyone who grows anything edible is a wheel on the farm-to-table wagon, whether it's acres of fruits and vegetables or an herb pot on a windowsill. In my garden, at this moment, it's all about the plums ..."
Trade & Eco-Related Foreign Policy
The Arctic War begins—by SteinL: "Russia today filed for recognition of its claims over the Arctic - stating that its territorial claim over the continental shelf extends beyond the Pole. The matter now rests with the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, which has been called upon to decide. It will now be up to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to decide if Russia should be entitled to include the huge additional areas under its sovereignty. The Commission confirms that “the consideration of the partial revised submission made by the Russian Federation will be included in the provisional agenda of the next ordinary session”, the Commission website informs."
Eco-Essays and Eco-Philosophy
Can a President's tears move the nation?—by FischFry: "I'm probably known here for diaries that are far too long for anyone to get through, because I usually think there's just too much to say leave anything out -- and I want to make every point clearly. This one will be different, because President Obama is showing another, much stronger way to make the point. Climate change has been my major concern for years now—for about two decades, and I've seen precious little response and action to address the greatest threat we've ever faced. I've written lots of words, as have countless others—but given the scale of the problem, deeds have been massively inadequate and horribly delayed. I can write for hours trying to make this case. But, maybe nothing was as compelling as the tears in the President's eyes as he implored us with the appeal to do something because 'we are the last generation who can do anything about it.'"
Pope Francis' environmental encyclical in four core themes—by Steve Masover: "There's plenty that has already been written and excerpted from Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si': On Care for our Common Home, including here on Daily Kos, in the ten weeks since it was published by the Vatican on 24 May. But I took my time reading through the full text (in English translation), and am only now ready to shine my own small light on this deep and comprehensive text by the spiritual leader of some 1.25 billion people. I'm not a Catholic or Christian myself, and disagree strongly with some of the Church's teachings, but Pope Francis got to the heart of several existential problems facing humankind, touching on fundamental themes that he argued and illustrated in ways that speak to audiences well beyond the bounds of Christendom."
Forests, Wilderness & Public Lands
Happy Birthday Mr. President: Go Wild! Show us those Monumental Bears Ears—by willyr : "Since the Republicans have been giving you a few more grey hairs, why not celebrate your birthday by creating Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah as your birthday gift to the American people? It's almost 2 million acres of archeological, cultural and wild public land—and you can save it from further plunder with a stroke of the pen. And while you're at it, sometime this week you may have the chance to sign one of the largest Wilderness bills since you came to office in the Boulder White Clouds—one that will give permanent protection to about 250,000 acres in Idaho. This bill has already passed the House, and if it gets to the Senate floor this week it will pass. If it doesn't move this week, you should do what John Podesta told the bill's sponsor last year: make it Boulder White Clouds National Monument."
Archimedes to Obama: With this Lever You Can Save the Earth—by willyr: "During his State of the Union in 2014, Obama said that if Congress did not act to protect our public lands he would use his authority to do so himself. So far he has followed through. He can, and should, and likely will create more National Monuments. What may be less obvious is how just the threat of a National Monument designation can also protect public land. In many western states there are millions of acres of wilderness quality land that have gone unprotected by Congress because of the stonewalling of wilderness bills by powerful legislators. A classic case is in Utah, where the Redrock Wilderness Act has been blocked by its Republican Senators and House members since it was first introduced in 1989 by Utah Democratic Representative Wayne Owens. A similar situation existed in Idaho until last Tuesday. For over 10 years environmentalists have advocated for wilderness protection for the Boulder White Clouds region, but Congress failed to pass legislation to do so---even though one of the primary sponsors of the legislation was Idaho's Republican Congressman Rob Simpson. Wilderness supporters turned to the only lever they had: they asked President Obama to create a National Monument. Last fall, Rep. Simpson asked the Obama administration to hold off on a National Monument to give his bill one last chance to get through Congress. At a speech celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, presidential adviser John Podesta gave Simpson 6 months. 'You'd better get moving on your bill.' Simpson's bill finally passed the House last week, and made it through the Senate on a voice vote on Tuesday."
Expanding the National Parks-#32-New York—by MorrellWI1983: "This is the thirty-second diary in my Expanding the National Parks' series. prior diaries in the series are linked at the bottom of the diary. Last Time, I was in New Mexico, this time I'm in New York, the Empire State. Despite being the largest state in the Northeast, New York has very little protected land on the federal level-0.8%, tied with Iowa for 47th in the country in that measure. I will propose adding 4 new monuments to New York's tally. Currently New York has 5 national monuments, 1 national forest, 12 wildlife refuges, and 19 historic sites and other NPS units."
Mining
EPA Triggers 1 Million Gallon Mine Waste Spill Turning River Into Orange Sludge—by Desi: "A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cleanup team working with heavy equipment on Wednesday to investigate pollutants at an abandoned gold mine north of Silverton, Colorado, accidentally released an estimated 1 million gallons of mine waste into a tributary of the Animas River. Hundreds of people reportedly gathered to watch on Thursday evening as the mine waste turned the normally blue waters into an orange sludge as it spread downstream. The Cement Creek where the mine is located runs into the Animas River, which then flows into the San Juan River in New Mexico and joins the Colorado River in Utah. According to health and environmental officials, 'the wastewater contained zinc, iron, copper and other heavy metals, prompting the EPA to warn agricultural users to shut off water intakes along the river and law officials to close the river to recreational users.'"
One million gallons of contaminated mining wastewater spilled into Colorado's Animas River—by Jen Hayden: "Officials are warning people to stay out of the Animas River after a major contamination from the Gold King Mine: About 1 million gallons of mine wastewater spilled into a tributary of the Animas River in San Juan County, threatening water quality and prompting warnings to agricultural and recreational water users on Thursday. Health and environmental officials are evaluating the river, and officials say the mine water is acidic and contains high levels of sediment and metals."
Miscellany
Spokane Sues Monsanto—by Karen Hedwig Backman: "The city of Spokane has filed a lawsuit against the international agrochemical giant Monsanto, alleging that the company sold chemicals for decades that it knew were a danger to human and environmental health. In the 1990s the parent company of Monsanto divided into three separate entities: Monsanto, Solutia and Pharmacia. All three companies are named in Spokane's lawsuit. Other U.S, cities seeking damages from Monsanto include San Diego, San Jose and Westport, Massachusetts."
City of Spokane files suit against Monsanto over river contamination—by Jen Hayden: "The city of Spokane, Washington is taking Monsanto to court: The city of Spokane has filed a lawsuit against the international agrochemical giant Monsanto, alleging that the company sold chemicals for decades that it knew were a danger to human and environmental health. The lawsuit, which does not specifically state what the city is seeking in monetary damages, also alleges that Monsanto is responsible for the high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the Spokane River. Marlene Feist, the city’s utilities spokeswoman, called the suit 'long-term litigation,' and noted that the city will spend $300 million to keep PCBs and other pollutants from entering the river in coming years."
Monsanto Shell Game Vis-à-vis Spokane v. Monsanto—by Karen Hedwig Backman: "Charla Lord, a Monsanto spokeswoman, said in a statement that the company is 'reviewing the lawsuit and its allegations. However, Monsanto is not responsible for the costs alleged in this matter.' Monsanto only sold PCBs as a 'lawful and useful product that was then incorporated by third parties into other useful products,' Lord said. 'If improper disposal or other improper uses created the necessity for cleanup costs, then these other third parties would bear responsibility for these costs.'... Ahem, in other words, 'The former Monsanto,' the other Monsanto ... not the present Monsanto. is responsible for the presence of PCBs in the Spokane River. Reflections on the fantastical and sorcerous universe of corporations below."
the frackers’ 2nd quarter earnings and losses, more industry layoffs, et al—by rjsigmund: "the unusual changes in the oil patch metrics we saw last week reversed themselves this week, so all of our speculation on possible energy markets changes they might have indicated have gone by the boards...US field production of crude oil, which had been holding near its early June record until last week, fell 1.5% in this week's report, from 9,558,000 barrels per day in the week ending July 17th to 9,413,000 barrels per day in the week ending July 24th; though that's still up 11.5% from the 8,443,000 barrels per day production in the same week last year, it's now more than 2% off the record of 9,610,000 barrels per day produced in first week of June this year....our imports of crude oil also fell, from 7,941,000 barrels per day last week to 7,545,000 barrels per day in the current reporting week, which was down 2.6% from the same week last year, but still left the 4 week average over 7.5 million barrels per day, 1.0% above the same four-week period last year...with lower production and imports, our inventories of crude oil in storage fell by 0.9%, from 463,885,000 barrels in last week's report to 459,682,000 barrels as of July 24th...that's still 25.1% more than the 367,374,000 barrels that were reported stored on July 25th of last year, and still nearly 20% more oil than had ever been stored at the end of July in the 80 years of EIA record keeping, which had never seen 400 million barrels of oil in storage before this year... "