Miles of wild salmon streams will be destroyed by the Chuitna Coal Mine.
See Pakalolo's
post.
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
23,240 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.
Big Oil in Retreat—by
Michael Klare via TomDispatch: "Big Energy is doing its best to remain optimistic about the situation, believing a turnaround is inevitable. 'Globally in the industry $130 billion of projects have been delayed, deferred, or cancelled,' Bod Dudley, chief executive of BP, commented in June. 'That’s going to have an impact down the road.' But what if we’ve entered a new period in which supply just keeps expanding while demand fails to take off? For one thing, there’s no evidence that the shale and fracking revolution that has turned the U.S. into 'Saudi America' will collapse any time soon. Although some smaller operators may be driven out of business, those capable of embracing the newest cost-cutting technologies are likely to keep pumping out shale oil even in a low-price environment. Meanwhile, there’s Iran and Iraq to take into account. Those two countries are desperate for infusions of new income and possess some of the planet’s largest reserves of untapped petroleum. Over the decades, both have been ravaged by war and sanctions, but their energy industries are now poised for significant growth. To the surprise of analysts, Iraqi production rose from 2.4 million barrels per day in 2010 to 4 million barrels this summer. Some experts are convinced that by 2020 total output, including from the country’s semiautonomous Kurdistan region, could more than double to 9 million barrels."
Energy Returned on Energy Invested—by
nickel1946: "We are at the beginning of a great transition in our energy regime, in which so-called renewable energy sources are in the process of replacing fossil fuel sources of all types (coal, oil, natural gas). Consequently, there is much discussion about the relative merits and demerits of the various energy sources. A key idea underlies this discussion but is seldom mentioned: the concept of energy returned on energy invested (abbrev. ERoEI). Perhaps it is omitted from discussion because it is not widely understood, or, more likely, that it is discouraging for producers and supporters of oil from tar sands and shale. These, of course, are the oils produced at the present time in Canada and the United States. A basic explanation of the ERoEI concept goes like this. Suppose that in a particular oil field in, say, Saudi Arabia, it is found that the investment of one barrel of oil in the production process results in the production of 100 barrels of oil. In this situation, the energy invested (EI) is the energy content of 1 barrel of oil. The energy return (ER) on this investment is the energy content of 100 barrels of oil. ERoEI is simply the ratio of ER to EI: ERoEI = ER/EI= 100. Of the 100 barrels of oil produced, 1 barrel must be considered to offset the 1 barrel invested, leaving 99 barrels that were essentially obtained “for free”. An ERoEI of around 100 was typical of oil fields at the very start of the oil boom, in the latter half of the 19th century. Today, ERoEI for a typical traditional oil field (a field that does not require the use of fracking) is in the vicinity of 40. This falls far short of the early ratios, but still represents a profit of 39 barrels of oil per barrel invested."
Colorado suffers the mining pollution disaster Minnesota fears—by ericf: "It's not hypothetical. The disaster at a gold mine that was abandoned nearly a century ago near Silverton, CO, is exactly what opponents of sulfide mining in Minnesota have been warning about. Water mixes with crushed rock and leaches out sulfides that make for a nice acid bath --- formerly known as Cement Creek and the Animas River. [...] They're dealing with pollution from mines mostly abandoned in the 1920s and 30's. By "they", I don't mean the mining companies. I mean the taxpayers, in this case in the form of the EPA. [...] Minnesota could easily have Colorado's problem of trying to figure out what to do about acidic water a century after the mines close --- with no end in sight. Before reminding me that a century has passed and the technology is surely better, let me point out that Mount Polley happened just a year ago. Could modern mining engineers find a solution to avoid destroying the water supplies in northern Minnesota? I'm willing to believe there is an engineering solution, making it possible to mine and still prevent pollution, if the mining companies are willing to spend what it takes to implement such a solution. If you're saying that's a huge 'if,' oh yes. The mining companies have so far shown no interest in proving their willingness and ability to pay for cleanup of their pollution. Why should they, when dumping cleanup costs on the public while taking the profits and running is built in to the business model? "
You can find more excerpts from green diaries below the orange spill.
Climate Chaos
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics re #Climate financing in @WashTimes—by A Siegel: "Leveraging work done by a business consulting firm on the full extent of business opportunities related to "climate change" (note: this report is behind a (high-price) paywall and thus has not been examined for this post), the Times's article is entitled An inconvenient truth: ‘Climate change industry’ now a $1.5 trillion global business. OMG! $1.5 trillion dedicated to Al Gore! That is the intended—both overt and implied—take away. The plaintive calls about global warming and loss of polar bear habitats, the stern warnings about rising seas and flooded coastlines—this is what the public hears about. Then there’s this pesky, inconvenient truth they don’t hear about: $1.5 trillion. OMG! $1.5 Trillion!!!! No serious discussion, of course, of how much of this is the price of putting in wind turbines versus NOAA's weather satellites versus insulating homes so that they are more frugal in energy use and, well, more comfortable to live in versus ... No, because, the real point is: OMG!!! $1.5 TRILLION FOR POLAR BEARS!!!"
Hottest July yet, 2015 on track to be hottest by far, Thickest Arctic Sea Ice Gone—by FishOutofWater: "July 2015 was the warmest on record and 2015 though July 31 is the warmest year on record, NASA reports, July 2015 was the warmest on record and 2015 though July 31 is the warmest year on record, NASA reports, and the heat of the developing intense El Niño has just begun to impact global temperatures. Temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific ocean have risen rapidly over the past month starting a strong El Niño event which models predict will bring a much warmer than normal fall and winter to the northern hemisphere and strong warming as far south as Antarctica in the southern hemisphere. This July, very warm temperatures in the Canadian Arctic and the Arctic ocean north of Canada melted and crushed the thickest sea ice in the Arctic ocean. Thus, not only was it the warmest July on record, but the stage is set for the possible collapse of late summer Arctic sea ice over the next 2 years as the impacts of El Niño heat drive global and Arctic temperatures upward."
January through July 2015 is the hottest first 7 months on record by a large margin.
Obama to Visit Alaska with Climate Change Discussion on Tap—by
Senor Unoball: "President Obama will visit Alaska later this month. He will be the first president to visit rural, Bush Alaska. And he'll be talking climate change. [From Anchorage Daily News:]
The White House has not yet confirmed the exact details of Obama’s trip to Alaska, but he does plan to travel outside of Anchorage, likely to places experiencing coastal impacts of climate change. 'Because what’s happening in Alaska isn’t just a preview of what will happen to the rest of us if we don’t take action. It’s our wake-up call. The alarm bells are ringing. And as long as I’m President, America will lead the world to meet this threat—before it’s too late,' Obama said in the video released Thursday. While in Alaska, seeing first-hand the direct impacts of a warming climate, and showing that impact to climate-change deniers, I hope that Obama will use that opportunity not only to speak in favor of alternative energy sources, but to finally give disapproval and reject, once and for all, the Keystone XL pipeline."
Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena
Critters & the Great Outdoors
Sea Lion Seizures, Toxic Algae and the Nightmare Scenario for the Oceans—by dcrowe: "A sea lion on a Washington beach curls into a fetal position, shuddering. Then it contorts its neck, craning its head into the air, clearly in distress. NOAA researchers in Washington were horrified by this recent footage from Long Beach: '"A sea lion with his head arched back, he's basically having seizures," said NOAA Fisheries Research Oceanographer Vera Trainer.' The cause of the seizure? Domoic acid poisoning, caused by the sea lion's exposure to a massive, record-breaking bloom of the algae Pseudo-nitzschia that stretches from California to Alaska. Researchers have never seen a bloom this size. The chains of algae they found on a recent research trip 'looked like it was grown in a lab.' Trainer told Reuters: 'It's the longest lasting, highest toxicity and densest bloom that we've ever seen.' So what's causing the bloom? Scientists are still studying it, but there are at least two candidates: increased ocean acidification and warming oceans."
The Daily Bucket - watching from shore—by OceanDiver: "August 12, 2015. Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest. Watching marine wildlife from a boat lets you see the world a bit more from their point of view. More often, like most people, I'm watching them from the shore, like today. It was a low tide, so I thought I'd check this spot on the west side of the island for seastars and take advantage of morning light behind me to get a better look at the wildlife along this narrow channel between islands. It's peak tourist season right now, which meant lots of walkers and picnickers on the bluff, and tourist boats at sea. The Victoria Clipper is a passenger vessel that makes runs between Victoria BC, Seattle and Friday Harbor. It is at full power to make headway against the incoming tide that races through Cattle Pass. Cattle Point lighthouse is across the way."
Trophy Hunting and the Legacy of the Strenuous Life—by
JKRollins7: "While some argue that hunting has positive conservation effects on animal populations, statistics suggest otherwise. Africa's lion population, for example, has experienced a noticeable decline, from about 75,000 in 1980 to less than 32,000 today. This can be partly attributed to male American big game hunters, who not only outnumber female hunters by a 9 to 1 margin as of 2011, but who also largely account for 60 percent of the 600 lions killed annually in trophy hunts. Many men who engage in hunting, however, disregard how their actions might contribute to the extinction of the animals they are hunting. They only think about how hunting confirms their manhood. Ted Nugent, a famous musician and recreational hunter, provides some insight as to how hunting equates to manliness even today. When asked by Piers Morgan how he would react if his son told him he were gay, he jokingly responded 'I'd say "Uh, get the gun let's go kill a deer,"' as if hunting is somehow a cure for unmanliness (or in this case homosexuality)."
The Daily Bucket: One More Plant Named "Butterfly"—by
PHScott: "For some reason, lots of plants get named Butterfly. Can't imagine why... August 2015. Here's a Spurred Butterfly Pea, a native of the lower southeast to midwest. This flower is not quite fully open; color in photo is fairly true. [...] Sunny today, mid-90s at the Tallahassee International Airport (same crappy overpriced airport, new name) but out here in the woods it stays a few degrees cooler. There's been a front lingering along the Gulf Coast that finally pushed thru taking some of the mugginess with it. Alas it's only for a couple days and then the high pressure system moves north leaving us to swelter and sweat with more Gulf moisture."
The Daily Bucket-I held up a Picture of a Dead Fish and Ten Cops Came, Part Two—by
6412093: "[F]ate turned against the Columbia River Smelt. The west coast tribes called them the salvation fish, because their early Spring runs came when other food was scarce. Its common name is Eulachon pronounced you-la-kon in the United States) which is originally derived from the Chinook Indian trade language of the lower Columbia River. (Hart and McHugh 1944, Moody 2008). They're also known as Candlefish, Hooligan, and
Thaleichthys pacificus. The Columbia River smelt runs every Spring were the largest in the world. Millions of smelt struggled from the ocean, up the Columbia almost 100 miles and into its tributaries, especially the Cowlitz and Sandy Rivers. This map shows the course of the Columbia to the Cowlitz River, where these smelt spawn. As the caption shows, steelhead also frequent these areas. But the smelt population plummeted. Mammoth runs of other smelt species once filled most coastal rivers from northern California to Bristol Bay Alaska and around the world. Other types of smelt in San Francisco Bay and points north are already dying out, all the way to the Oregon border. The Columbia River runs could be next to disappear."
Lawsuit Aims to Spur Enforcement of Fisheries Management Law—by pmustain: "Bycatch, or the capture of non-target species, is a serious threat to the sustainability of fisheries. Researchers estimate that between 17 and 22 percent of the fish caught in the United States are actually thrown out as wasted catch. In fact, the decline of the iconic Atlantic cod population in New England is due in part to the bycatch of this species by fisheries in this region. By discarding around 2 billion pounds of non-targeted seafood every year, the amount of fish thrown away in the U.S. is equivalent to the entire annual catch of some other fishing nations around the world. This practice is not only wasteful, but if not carefully measured and controlled, also endangers the continued abundance of fish stocks that fishermen depend on. [...] In 1976, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act became the primary law governing federally managed fisheries in the United States. This law includes provisions to prevent overfishing, to rebuild stocks that have been overfished, and to minimize the amount of wasted catch through catch-data reporting. The Magnuson-Stevens Act is meant to be enforced by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) which coordinates eight regional fishery management councils ranging from New England to the Western Pacific. [...] On July 29, Oceana again filed a lawsuit against NMFS, claiming NMFS has continued to disregard rulings from previous lawsuits, and that the current bycatch reporting proposal in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic is underfunded and will fail to provide accurate information on fisheries management."
green trails at the wild center—by blueyedace2:
Energy
Coal, Oil, Gas & Nuclear
PacRim wants to Dewater Salmon Rich Chuitna River to Mine and Ship Coal to China—by Pakalolo: "'Never. ever in the history of restoration has anyone ever dug down 300 feet to the geology and the hydrology of a salmon system and put it back together. And experts have not been able to find any examples of where it has been done.'—Bob Shavelson-Cook Inlet Keeper. On August 21, the Department of Natural Resources will hear competing claims to water rights for salmon streams in the Chuitna river watershed or for a coal mine. The Chuitna Coal Mine has the support of Alaska's Republican Senators , Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. [...] The streams and land in this area is a renewable resource to Alaska’s economy, culture and it includes five species of wild Pacific salmon, sockeye, coho, chinook, pink and chum salmon. These five species use the Chuitna River and its streams to spawn. Salmon are keystone species in these environments because animals and humans rely on them as part of their diet. Environmentalists and local activists are rightly alarmed that the strip mine activities would displace 57 miles of salmon streams all to produce 12 million tons of coal per year to be shipped to China."
Emissions Control
Cartoon: Cut from the Clean Power Plan—by BrianMcFadden: "Last week President Obama and the E.P.A. revealed the final rules of their Clean Power Plan that finally attempts to set limits on our suicidal consumption of carbon and other greenhouse gases. They mostly require individual states to reach emission reduction targets by 2030. These rules will be challenged for years by people who have the luxury to either buy themselves out of harm’s way or die before the disasters really start piling up. But if you or people you love will be alive at the end of this century, there’s no excuse for delaying actions that could prevent the disaster that awaits them."
Click to enlarge.
Fracking
New report reveals California fracking uses 197 unique chemicals—by Dan Bacher: "[A] report released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) on August 12 helps to counter oil industry claims that fracking is "safe" and doesn't cause harm to the environment, since it documents the use of 197 unique chemicals used in fracking operations in the state. An EWG analysis of state data reveals that the fluids used in hydraulic fracturing of oil wells in California contain dozens of chemicals that "are hazardous to human health, including substances linked to cancer, reproductive harm and hormone disruption.' Your can read the report and executive summary here."
Keystone XL & Other Fossil Fuel Transportation
Judges Nixing Keystone XL South Cases Had Tar Sands-Related Oil Investments—by Steve Horn: "On August 4, the U.S. Appeals Court for the 10th Circuit shot down the Sierra Club's petition for rehearing motion for the southern leg of TransCanada's Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline. The decision effectively writes the final chapter of a years-long legal battle in federal courts. But one of the three judges who made the ruling, Bobby Ray Baldock—a Ronald Reagan nominee—has tens of thousands of dollars invested in royalties for oil companies with a major stake in tar sands production in Alberta. And his fellow Reagan nominee in the Western District of Oklahoma predecessor case, David Russell, also has skin in the oil investments game. The disclosures raise questions concerning legal objectivity, or potential lack thereof, for the Judges. They also raise questions about whether these Judges—privy to sensitive and often confidential legal details about oil companies involved in lawsuits in a Court located in the heart and soul of oil country—overstepped ethical bounds."
Candidates, DC, State & Local Eco-Politics
Fiorina Punts on Climate—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Carly Fiorina attempted to thread the GOP needle on climate change, avoiding an outright denial of the science but refraining from expressing her own opinions in an interview with Katie Couric. Her main talking point was that we need innovation, not regulation, but she neglected to explain how to encourage that innovation. When pressed on whether or not she considered climate change a problem, Fiorina downplayed it and pointed to other issues, evasively bringing up Obama and ISIS rather than responding to the climate question with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' Fiorina also argued that one country acting alone will not solve the problem,saying that the US should go ahead and develop clean coal, because if it doesn't, China will. This argument ignores the fact that the US and China came to an agreement on climate last year, where it was made clear that China isready to move to a clean energy economy. In fact, they're already testing carbon markets regionally, with the aim to start implementing a national system in 2017. While the interview didn't produce any bombshell quotes, it demonstrated the struggle among the GOP to take a sensible position on climate."
In 2007 the GOP believed climate change was serious—by Climate Coach: "In 2007, GOP leaders were generally in favor of tackling climate change. Since 2007, we have witnessed the increasing political engagement of the Koch brothers, the rise of the Tea Party, and the appropriation of Tea Party ideas by GOP politicians. So it was refreshing to recall the GOP of 2007 in this Media Matters report on the GOP’s about-face on climate change. In the four years since the report was published, the GOP has become even more intransigent regarding climate change."
Eco-Action & Eco Justice
A former NASA scientist and these 21 kids are suing the U.S. government over climate change—by Jen Hayden: "A group of 21 students and a former NASA scientist have teamed up to sue the federal government, claiming that current fossil fuel policies are bartering their future for short term economic gain: The 21 plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, argue in court documents that in continuing to promote the use of energy sources with a large carbon footprint, politicians in Washington are bartering America’s future for short-term economic gain. 'The current practices and policies of our federal government include sustained exploitation and consumption of fossil fuels. We brought this case because the government needs to immediately and aggressively reduce carbon emissions and stop promoting fossil fuels, which force our nation’s climate system toward irreversible impacts,' said 18-year-old Kelsey Juliana, a plaintiff in the suit. They are asking for more urgent action."
Sustainability, Extinction & Population
How might extinction occur? Let us count the ways.—by don mikulecky: "I am just going to mention the more obvious issues that Global Warming is putting into play. Clearly if it gets too hot nothing will survive. If the ocean gets too acid the food it produces will diminish significantly. There are obvious corollary events taking place in the global ecosystem. Along with those effects are the many ways in which agriculture is contributing to the depletion of the soil and the poisoning of it as well. Sustainable agriculture is being developed but it can not undo the damage in any short time. The fossil fuel addiction and the capitalist greed driving it are being attacked more and more yet they go on doing serious damage and seem to have no sign of stopping any time soon. Theirs is one major contribution to the diminishing supply of drinkable water. There are many others. Let's get to some other factors that I see mentioned less frequently. They are all related to things mentioned above and have other sources as well."
Oceans, Water & Drought
Restore the Delta sends public comments video to President Obama and Secretary Jewell—by Dan Bacher: "On July 28, 2015 the agencies boosting the Delta Tunnels Plan/CA Water Fix (formerly, Bay Delta Conservation Plan) presented their new plan to the public at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento. ;Booster agencies were determined to avoid a traditional public hearing where public statements are made before listening decision-makers,' according to a news release from RTD. 'Instead, the agencies and their consultants presented the Delta Tunnels plan as an 'open house' science-fair-like setting. The public was invited to walk from display to display and ask questions of experts who were fully briefed with talking points. It was a sales pitch any conventioneer would recognize. Restore the Delta (a grassroots organization based in Stockton, CA with 25,000 supporters) decided to put the 'public' back into the process."
Mining
Owner of Colorado Mine Speaks Up—by ColoTim: "I heard Todd Hennis interviewed on the Denver IHeartRadio station KOA Thursday afternoon and I was very interested to hear his account of what happened and why. Even with this being a rightwing station (Limbaugh, Michael Brown (heckuva job Brownie) and the like, he wasn't being an anti-government critic. He was very respectful of the EPA, didn't blame them the way the politicians did and he indicated that he really appreciated the EPA quickly taking responsibility (the announcers gave him a chance to criticize them or blame them and he refused to take the bait). [...] He blames the mine next to his, called the Sunnyside mine, for changes to the underground drainage patterns, basically filling his mine with their waste water. The EPA started to explore how they could stop the leaking water from his mine, the Gold King Mine, but they ran out of time last year and they plugged up the opening with dirt. When they came back this year, they started to see what was going on, nudged the dirt and apparently that was all it took to essentially burst with all the pressure behind it."
There Is No Spoon, er, Spill: EPA Mine Waste Conspiracies—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "The right-wing media has gone into full conspiracy mode over the accidental discharge of mining waste into a Colorado river, triggered by EPA investigations into the Gold King Mine. A JunkScience post claims the 'EPA made the Gold King spill on purpose,' based on a July 30 letter to the editor in a local Colorado paper that predicted the mine's 500 gallons-per-minute waste water buildup would eventually leak, enabling the EPA "to justify their hidden agenda for construction of a treatment plant.' Meanwhile, Breitbart has a piece titled, 'See the Matrix: 5 Reasons the Media is Downplaying the EPA Disaster.' The article claims that the media—to protect Obama and the federal government, and because Republicans, Americans and local governments can't be blamed—is "downplaying" the news. This might make sense if it were even remotely true. For example, The New York Times has three original pieces on the event and another six from the Associated Press. And although the spill was unfortunate, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said on Wednesday that the the river's water quality data has "returned to pre-event conditions.'"
Miscellany
Boeing Elects Duke Energy President and CEO To Board—by HardWorking: "Boeing just elected Lynn Good, President and CEO of Duke Energy, to its board of directors. http://www.bloomberg.com/.... The same Duke Energy that recently caused an estimated $8 billion dollars in coal ash environmental damage to the Dan River, and those who get their water from it. http://www.bizjournals.com/.... It is still uncertain who will pay for the total cost of the cleanup. Ratepayers and taxpayers, for sure."