OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Porter Ranch methane leak doesn’t bode well for climate written by EARTHWORKS:
“For months now, methane pollution has been billowing from the breached facility into [the community of Porter Ranch northwest of Los Angeles]. Families have reported bad odors resulting in headaches and nosebleeds. Over 1,000 families have already chosen to relocate and the school district recently authorized the two local schools to move out of the area. But no one had actually seen the pollution. When an oil spill happens, you see it. At a coal fired power plant, you can often see the pollution blowing in the wind. But when a natural gas storage facility pollutes, what do you see? Until now, you saw nothing. That’s because much oil and gas air pollution is normally invisible. My colleague Pete Dronkers and I traveled to the community of Porter Ranch to show them the pollution they knew was there, but couldn’t see. [...] Earthworks uses a FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) Gasfinder 320 camera that is specially calibrated to expose otherwise invisible air pollution from oil and gas operations. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is one of about 20 gases it can detect. It also recognizes known carcinogens like benzene and other toxins like volatile organic compounds.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
The Daily Bucket - Invasive Giant Snails written by enhydra lutris: “A pair of Giant African Snails and a bunch of eggs were found on pallets at the Port of Oakland this month. An article at SFGate stated: These were live Giant African snails — and no need to wonder about the name. They’re ravenous land snails that can grow to 8 inches in length and 5 inches in diameter, and they eat 500 types of plants, paint and stucco and carry disease that can cause meningitis in humans. So yes, they can eat your house. But they can also threaten California agriculture, so authorities from Homeland Security are doing everything they can to make sure they don’t invade the Golden State. The shipment originated in American Samoa. The container was sealed and sterilized before being offloaded.”
Yellowstone Park: Mountain Sheep (Photo Diary) written by Ojibwa: “One of the animals that tourists may encounter in Yellowstone National Park is mountain sheep. The herd shown below was photographed near Tower Falls.”
Dawn Chorus: wintertime offshore birds in the Salish Sea written by OceanDiver: “That Belted Kingfisher on Harlequin Rock marks the edge of the protected bay where buffleheads, grebes and mergansers spend the winter months. Beyond here we get into rougher deeper water with a different set of birds. I’ve shared the birds of summer (with maps) and spring at the Dawn Chorus, so this is a good time to add the winter populations. We go out in our 25-foot boat every couple of weeks, our usual route winding through small islands and rocks, rounding the sea lion rocks, and returning by way of the open strait. Here’s who we’ve been seeing over the past month offshore beyond Harlequin Rock. The alcids are far fewer in winter. Haven’t seen a Rhinoceros auklet in months, and Tufted Puffins are just a summer’s dream. Mostly it’s Pigeon Guillemots in their mottled gray winter plumage. The gigantic flotillas of Common Murres are dispersed now but we’ll usually see a few, with their winter eyeline. All these alcids are far more striking in their summer garb.”
The Daily Bucket: Solstice - the Sun Stands Still written by PHScott: “Just a bunch of pretty pictures of Fall in the Florida Panhandle. Some of these photos were taken last week at Spring Canyon in western Gadsden County; others from my yard on the eastern side.”
American River Steelhead Numbers Rebound From Last Season written by Dan Bacher: “The number of steelhead showing now at Nimbus Fish Hatchery is greatly improved from last season, in spite of continuing low releases of 500 cfs from Nimbus Dam into the lower American River. This year is much different from last season, when a total of only 154 steelhead were trapped by hatchery staff from December through mid-March. In contrast, the hatchery has trapped over 148 steelhead as of December 22. Last season only 10 steelhead had been trapped by December 29. ‘There are lots of steelhead in the hatchery,’ said Gary Novak, Nimbus Fish Hatchery manager. ‘I’m floored.’ The hatchery has spawned a total of 27 pairs to date compared with only 31 pairs all of last season.”
Daily Bucket: Wild Florida, The Great Blue Heron written by Lenny Flank: “The prehistoric-looking Great Blue Heron is one of the largest and most conspicuous of Florida's wading waterbirds. Although it is often mistaken for a crane, it is actually a member of the heron family. There are five subspecies of Great Blue Heron in North America. Most are of similar appearance, being very tall (up to 4.5 feet), greyish slate-blue in color, with long necks, long wading legs, pointed bills, and whitish stripes on the head. [...] The most distinctive subspecies is Ardea herodias occidentalis, which largely replaces the "normal" Herons in southern Florida, the Keys, and the Caribbean. It is starkly different in appearance from all the others, being almost pure white, and is also, on average, slightly larger. For many years, argument has swirled amongst biologists as to whether the "Great White Heron" is just a color morph of the wardi subspecies, a distinct subspecies of its own, or perhaps even an entirely separate species. Since they can interbreed, and intermediates (gray birds with white heads) can be found where the two groups overlap, most authorities class them as a subspecies.”
Daily Bucket: Foggy Musings Result in Element of Surprise written by Besame: “[Environmental chemist Peter] Weiss-Penzias discovered that fog picks up mercury pollution from the ocean and disperses it into the Santa Cruz Mountain fog habitat, where it is picked up by other organisms, including pumas (mountain lions), wolf spiders, and probably puma’s prey (often mule deer), understory plants, and other organisms. The mercury being cycled into fog probably was deposited into the ocean years ago due to burning coal and other human activities. It’s another lesson to humans that what we do now may dangerously reverberate into the future and cause troubles we do not imagine. [...] Because Weiss-Penzias indulged his moment of curiosity and allowed his senses to grow sharper, researchers learned that pumas in redwood forest can have toxic levels of mercury, sometimes 4 to12 times higher than the level considered safe for humans. The path by which he discovered this information is a perfect example of following your curiosity to each new step. While mercury isn’t fairy dust, it is magic to discover something unknown, even toxic, that is literally right in your eyes.”
The Source of my SeaWorld Disillusionment: Keet's Family Tree, Part 1 written by The Katwoman: “There are dozens of killer whales in captivity, and it can be tricky to keep track of which ones people are talking about if you aren't familiar with the industry. It's my intention to cover all them in due course, but by way of introduction, I'm going to go over the lineage and living relatives of Keet, the whale that started it all for me. This post will cover his descendants and paternal relatives.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Now Tell Me Again Why Climate Change Wasn't Talked About in Last Night's Debate written by ohnoella.
Fear of terrorism threatens to drown out climate change written by Climate Coach: “[F]ollowing the release of the Paris agreement, GOP presidential candidates had nothing positive to say about the unprecedented global consensus that was achieved and GOP leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, were doing their best to undermine it. Opinion polls suggest the public is ready to tackle climate change, but if climate change is not high on voters' list of concerns, it may not matter. Voters, whipped into a fear-fury by irresponsible politicians, may forget about climate and this presents a problem for climate activists seeking to capitalize on the momentum of Paris, Keystone and the Clean Power Plan. After a two and half hour long post-Paris GOP debate, climate change was not even mentioned, except by Ohio Governor John Kasich as a dangerous distraction from fighting ISIS. The focus was on terrorism and if attacks continue, terrorism will drown out climate as an issue in next year's election. Polling suggests worry about terrorism, if it persists, will give the GOP an advantage in next year's election. While terrorism is a short term concern, the long term challenge of coping with climate change is the central challenge the world faces.”
Whoa! Arnold Schwarzenegger blasts deniers. 'I don’t give a **** if we agree about climate change' by FaithGardner: “I’m definitely not a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s politics. However, he deserves some kudos for the righteous rant he posted on Facebook Dec. 7 to climate change deniers titled ‘I don’t give a **** if we agree about climate change.’ He directs his page-long scribe at the people “asking why we should care about the temperature rising, or questioning the science of climate change” and those ‘who say renewable energy is a conspiracy,’ ‘who say climate change is a hoax … even those of you who use four letter words.’ He asks some very important questions. First - do you believe it is acceptable that 7 million people die every year from pollution? That's more than murders, suicides, and car accidents - combined. Every day, 19,000 people die from pollution from fossil fuels. Do you accept those deaths? Do you accept that children all over the world have to grow up breathing with inhalers? Now, my second question: do you believe coal and oil will be the fuels of the future?”
Paris COP21
Senate Bill Passes Expediting Fossil Fuel Permits on Indigenous Land 2 Days Before Paris Agreement written by Steve Horn: “Indigenous peoples' rights nearly did not make it into the global deal signed at the United NationsCOP21 climate summit in Paris, serving as one of the more controversial sticking points in the road toward the signing of the Paris Agreement. Eventually, though, the Paris Agreement came to include five mentions of the importance of protecting indigenous rights with regards to climate change. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate has decided to grant indigenous people a different set of rights altogether: the right to have oil and coal extracted from their ancestral lands in a streamlined manner. The rights to do so would be granted in a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate two days before the Paris Agreement. Sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2015's (S.209) passage in the Senate received no media coverage besides a press release disseminated by Barrasso's office and by the office of co-sponsor U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).”
Extreme Weather
URGENT: Strong EF2+ Tornado Outbreak Warning Today for Mississippi River Valley written by FishOutofWater: “The Storm Prediction Center has issued a particularly dangerous situation warning today for strong EF2+ tornadoes for the Mississippi River Valley region from northern Mississippi to southern Illinois.
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS FAR NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
NORTHERN AND WESTERN MISSISSIPPI & WESTERN TENNESSEE
* EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1155 AM UNTIL 800 PM CST.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
Warm air from the Gulf of Mexico humid enough to produce a tornado has pushed northwards towards the border of Illinois and Wisconsin. The weather service has now issued tornado watches from Iowa city, through central Illinois and central Indiana in addition to the particularly dangerous situation area further south. Tornadoes are fairly common in the deep south in December and January, but in late December Iowa, Illinois and Indiana it's too cold for tornadoes (the dew point is too low). People living in the central midwest should prepare for a tornado today as if the calendar said April.”
ENERGY
Nuclear, Coal, Oil and Gas
Groups Ask Columbia University To Reveal Funding Behind Exxon-Tied Center on Global Energy Policy written by Steve Horn: “Final exams and winter break loom large for students at Columbia University, but at the upper echelons of the university's administration, new calls for transparency about the funding of a university-affiliated center are likely to create plenty of homework as well. A letter sent out today and shared with DeSmog from several high-profile advocacy groups addressed to Columbia President Lee Bollinger calls for Columbia to reveal the funders of the influential — and to-date, dark-money funded — Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP). The letter was signed by groups ranging from Public Citizen, ForestEthics, Bold Nebraska, Environmental Working Group, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the Checks and Balances Project. ‘Now that POLITICO has revealed that ExxonMobil donated, through its foundation, $25,000 to CGEP in 2014, we ask that you insist the Center report its funding sources and amounts since it was created,’ the letter reads, pointing to a Politico revelation first reported on by DeSmog. As DeSmog reported, we have also contacted CGEP on multiple instances to ask where its funding comes from, every time receiving no response.”
From Paris to Your Backyard: 10 Highlights from a Banner Year for Beyond Coal written by Mary Anne Hitt: “When I returned home from the Paris climate summit to my small West Virginia town this month, everyone seemed to know I had been there. In the coffee shop, on the sidewalk, at church, everyone wanted to hear about it, and to thank me for my work. In these times that are too often marked by division and fear, it felt like the Paris summit was a lifeboat of hope, and everyone wanted to grab my hand and climb in. The thing is, that lifeboat was actually built by those very same people wanting to climb aboard—because the Paris agreement was made possible by years of hard work by grassroots leaders fighting in their backyards for the health of their families and communities, to retire coal plants and replace them with clean energy. Four years ago, in January 2010, a scrappy band of us took on what seemed like a preposterous goal at the time—to secure retirement of one-third of US coal plants, and replace them with renewable energy, by 2015. Back then, the climate bill had just been defeated by the coal industry, “clean coal” ads were blanketing the nation, and King Coal seemed invincible. Now, December 2015 is finally here. And guess what?We did it.”
US oil export ban lifted as oil imports surge to 2 year high, natural gas hits an all time low written by rjsigmund: [M]ost of you probably know by now that a provision to repeal the 40 year old ban on US oil exports was included in the bipartisan budget bill that passed this week...as you'll recall from our discussion last week, this bill was the regular annual budget bill, delayed since October 1st, that funds all the discretionary spending the government undertakes over the year, from defense to the EPA, but not including non-discretionary entitlements such as social security...since it's an absolute must pass bill, all the congresscritters try to hang whatever they might want to push through on it, proposals that would otherwise not be viable as stand alone legislation...such as it is, this creates the incentive for most congresscritters to vote for the entire package, because although it may have provisions they'd otherwise oppose, they've got their own high priority rider attached that they couldn't get through otherwise ...
Another Accident at Russian Nuke written by joieau: “The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant east of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland suffered an accident on December 18th, according to the Crimean News Agency. A pipe carrying steam from the reactor in the second BWR [Boiling Water Reactor] plant apparently "cracked" [burst, failed] in the turbine hall, releasing radioactive steam and forcing an evacuation of the facility after the reactor was manually scrammed. This would be unit-2 of at the 4-unit facility. [...] The four reactors at LNPP are the RBMK-1000 design of Chernobyl type graphite moderated plants. Two more reactors of the newer VVER-1200 type were granted construction license in 2009 and 2010, the first scheduled to go into commercial operation in 2016, and two more are planned in the future. The population near the plant was encouraged not to panic, as winds are carrying the plume of radiation toward Estonia and Finland.”
The Impact of Fukushima on Canada: Comprehensive Health Canada Report Released written by MarineChemist: “The purpose of this diary is to bring to the attention of interested readers a recently released report that provides comprehensive account of the environmental radiation surveillance activities conducted by Health Canada in the months immediately following the Fukushima accident. This report includes an assessment of the overall levels of contamination and resulting impacts to the health of Canadians. Contrary to irresponsible and inaccurate rumors that Health Canada suspended monitoring in the wake of the triple meltdowns, monitoring activities were, in fact, enhanced and expanded to increase the flow of information and improve understanding of the implications of the contamination for environmental and public health. While there was no discernible change in total background radiation a distributed system of monitoring stations and the rapid collection and measurement of environmental samples tracked the trace levels of atmospheric contamination across the country.”
Renewables & Conservation
The Energy Context I See written by gmoke: “According the Lawrence Livermore National Labs annual US Energy flowchart (flowcharts.llnl.gov/...) since 2000 the USA has produced between 95 and 100 quadrillion btu’s of energy every year. Of that annual production of 95 to 100 quads, we ‘reject’ more than 60%, mostly as waste heat, and get useful work, or exergy, out of about 40%, or 40 quads. During that same period, the GDP of the USA increased from $10,284.8 billion in 2000 to $17,348.1 billion 2015, growing by about 70%. Our energy demand seems to have peaked, we’ve expanded our economy by $7,348.1 billion, and there are still plenty of opportunities for greater energy efficiency gains. In conversation with one energy expert from Germany, he confirmed my suspicion that energy demand has plateaued there as well. I suspect that after a certain point of industrialization, nations tend to plateau in their energy use and, with the history of energy since the first Oil Shock in 1973, have concentrated more on energy efficiency than energy production while still growing their GDP.
Keystone XL & Other Oil Transport
Federal Court Gives Blessing to Covertly Approved Enbridge Cross-Border Tar Sands Pipeline Expansion written by Steve Horn: “A federal court has ruled that the Enbridge Alberta Clipper (Line 67) cross-border tar sands pipeline expansion project, permitted covertly and behind closed doors by the Obama Administration, got its greenlight in a legal manner. The ruling—made by Michael J. Davis, a President Bill Clinton-appointee—comes just over a year after several environmental groups brought a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State for what they said was a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA calls for robust public hearings and public commenting periods for any major proposed energy infrastructure projects, referred to by some as the ‘Magna Carta of environmental law.’ But first the basics: President Barack Obama and the State Department gave Enbridge its initial Alberta Clipper permit in August 2009, during congressional recess. In November 2012, Enbridge requested an expansion of that pipeline from its initial 450,000 barrels per day capacity to 880,000 barrels per day. Seeing TransCanada's sordid experience with Keystone XL in action, Enbridge decided that a year into the expansion permitting project, it would do what environmental groups have coined a ‘switcheroo.’”
TRADE AND ECO-RELATED FOREIGN POLICY
ExxonMobil, Peabody Coal Lobbying for Bill Preventing Climate Change Accounting in US Trade Deals written by Steve Horn: “The day before global leaders and diplomats passed a climate change deal in Paris at the United Nations climate summit, the U.S. House of Representatives — in a 256-158 vote — authorized the final text of a bill that has a provision preventing climate change to be accounted for in all U.S. trade deals going forward. That bill, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R.644), now may proceed for full-floor votes in both the House and the U.S. Senate after its conference report was agreed upon. A DeSmog review of lobbying records shows the bill has received heavy fossil fuel industry support. The language in the bill originally dictated that ‘trade agreements do not require changes to U.S. law or obligate the United States with respect to global warming or climate change.’ According to National Journal, Congress changed that language in the conference report to ‘greenhouse gas emissions’ and took ‘global warming or climate change’ off the table.”
Where's the beef (from?) Who knows! NAFTA takes away! written by pasco2c: “As part of the spending bill passed by Congress and signed by Pres Obama, labeling of where the animals were raised that is now disclosed on the meat labels will be eliminated despite the fact that 90% of American consumers want to know. Canada and Mexico filed a complaint under NAFTA with the World Trade Organization and won approval to impose $! billion of tariffs on American products if the labeling wasn’t ended. For more details from Yahoo news (sorry couldn’t figure out how to link to full story): Thanks to a label that reads ‘Product of the USA,’ consumers have been able to find out a package of steaks or pork chops in the freezer section at their local grocery store came from America. But soon meat lovers will be hard-pressed to figure out whether the animals on their dinner plates were raised and slaughtered—in the States or halfway around the world.”
MINING
Health and environmental concerns overshadow financial gains made by bauxite mining in Malaysia written by Hariette Darling: “While Malaysia has been mining and exporting bauxite for a number of years, demand for their exports surged in 2014 when the Indonesian government placed a broad-based ban on the export of raw materials, including bauxite. The ban was intended to encourage Indonesian mining companies to invest in localised smelters rather than simply export the raw material to be refined overseas. As a direct result, Malaysia’s bauxite mining and export activity have increased sharply with a more than four-fold rise in exports in 2014 compared with 2013. The year 2015 is set to see Malaysia export a record 20 million tons of bauxite to China, in a clear indication that Malaysia’s somewhat opportunistic and unsustainable industry continues to grow at a breakneck pace to feed Beijing’s hunger for the raw material. During the past two-years, the number of bauxite mines and mining companies have also risen, while government regulations have failed to keep up with the surge in demand for Malaysian bauxite, resulting in poorly operated and illegal mining activities. While this hasn’t dented the income stream derived from the exporting process, the lack of regulations on the industry have become detrimental to the populations’ health and have poisoned Malaysia’s waters.”
ECO-ACTION & ECO JUSTICE
Protesters Rally Against Western States Petroleum Association, Oil Caucus written by Dan Bacher: “On December 10, 350 Sacramento and Rootskeeper.org co-sponsored a Day of Action in Sacramento with the theme ‘How the Grinches Stole Climate Justice.’ The event, held on the last day of the Paris Climate Talks, started with a rally by over 40 people on the West Steps of the Capitol. The Raging Grannies opened and closed the march with their songs against fracking and Big Oil. Speakers at the rally included Chris Brown of Sacramento 350, Jessica Wohlander from the Rootskeeper, Valarie Martin of Californians for Green Energy and others. I spoke about the power of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) in California. The event featured the Grinch holding a list of members of the Oil Caucus of the State Legislature, the 20 Democrats who voted to weaken SB 350 during the last session. After the rally, the group marched over to the Western States Petroleum office on K Street to protest the Big Oil Lobby buying legislators' votes. Protesters wore red to represent the "drawing line" for justice because ‘Nature doesn't compromise, Justice can't be compromised, and Politics must respect these limits,’ according to an announcement from the group.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
Yurok Tribe adopts ordinance banning Frankenfish and GEOs written by Dan Bacher: “The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 19 approved genetically engineered salmon, ‘Frankenfish,’ as being fit for human consumption, in spite of massive public opposition to the decision by fishermen, Tribes, environmental organizations and public interest organization. While the FDA may have approved AquaAdvantage salmon for human consumption, these “Frankenfish” and all Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) are now banned on the Yurok Reservation on the Klamath River in northwest California. This ordinance is apparently the first of its kind in the U.S. to specifically address the AquaBounty Technologies’ application for AquAdvantage Salmon, an Atlantic salmon that reaches market size more quickly than non-GE farm-raised Atlantic salmon, as well as all GMOs.”
“The Struggle for Land Justice Knows No Borders”: Corporate Pillaging in Haiti written by Natalie Miller via Bev Bell: “The January 2010 earthquake provided a perfect opportunity for many to come and do business in Haiti. Even prior to the earthquake, Bill Clinton led the discussion on developing Haiti through corporate investment. President Martelly turned that approach into a credo: ‘Haiti is open for business.’ We understand the pretext for this so-called development. The concept of extraction isn’t very well known in Haiti, but the country has had a long history of pillaging by colonial and imperial powers. There is a massive transfer of public resources being planned, from collective to private property. Public funding that should be spent on the population is being used to facilitate business investment. This happened in the construction of the free trade zone in Caracol, in which funds from US Agency for International Development and the Inter-American Development Bank that should have been spent on the Haitian people were instead used to develop private business.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
Jerry Brown's ties to oil and gas industry shed light on regulatory capture in CA written by Dan Bacher: “In the latest scandal to plague the administration of Governor Jerry "Big Oil" Brown, the Public Accountability Initiative on December 17 revealed that Brown's sister, Kathleen, was paid $188,380 to sit on the board of Sempra Energy. That's the company responsible for the devastating Porter Ranch Gas leak—the worst in the state’s history. ‘The leak, called the worst in California’s history by Time, began October 23rd and is currently releasing 36,000 kilograms of methane per hour. It has forced nearly 2,000 families to leave the area, caused the federal government to implement a no-fly zone, and led Los Angeles County to declare a state of emergency. It has also resulted in a lawsuit by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer alleging public nuisance,’ the report revealed. The group noted that in its first month, the well leaked 800,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to a quarter of the entire state’s emissions in that period. The report also revealed that Brown’s sister’s stake in the company was worth $1,071,898 at the market’s close on December 15, 2015. Siempra Energy gave Governor Brown $26,000 in campaign donations in 2014, Californians Against Fracking pointed out.”
MISCELLANY
Ancient Europe: Climate Change and Neandertal Extinction written by Ojibwa: “The Neandertals flourished in Europe for more than 200,000 years and during this time, the climate changed a number of times. In response to these climatic shifts, all of which were fairly gradual, the Neandertals adapted by migrating to warmer areas. However, just before Homo sapiens began their European invasion the nature of the climatic shifts changed. In an article in Becoming Human: Our Past, Present and Future, Kate Wong explains: ‘Starting perhaps around 55,000 years ago, climate in Eurasia began to swing wildly from frigid to mild and back again in the span of decades. During cold snaps, ice sheets advanced and treeless tundra replaced wooded environments across much of the Neandertals’ range.’ With regard to the unstable climate, Kate Wong writes: ‘So rapid were these oscillations that over the course of an individual’s lifetime, all the plants and animals that a person had grown up with could vanish and be replaced with unfamiliar flora and fauna. And then, just as quickly, the environment could change back again.’”
The Inoculation Project 12/20/15: Fossil Fuel's & CSI Kit written by nervousnellie: “The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a fourteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. [...] Project: Fossil Fuels for the Future! Resources: 6 Saltwater Fuel-Cell Car, 1 Salt Water Fuel Cell Monster Truck. School Poverty Level: High. Location: West Fork Middle School, West Fork, AR. Total: $231.40. Still Needed: $231.40 $133.75.”
Scaling Green’s 15 Top Cleantech Stories of 2015 written by lowkell: “As the video illustrates, 2015 was an extremely eventful, largely positive year for clean energy. At Scaling Green and Tigercomm, we're very much looking forward to what 2016 brings! Before we get to 2016, though, here are the 15 cleantech stories we considered to be the most important in 2015. [...] 4. Extension of U.S. tax credits for wind and solar power. As the year drew to a close, the U.S. Congress somewhat unexpectedly gave solar and wind power a big boost, extending key tax credits for both clean enegy sources. How much impact could this have? As BloombergBusiness reported: "The extension will add an extra 20 gigawatts of solar power—more than every panel ever installed in the U.S. prior to 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The U.S. was already one of the world's biggest clean-energy investors. This deal is like adding another America of solar power into the mix. The wind credit will contribute another 19 gigawatts over five years. Combined, the extensions will spur more than $73 billion of investment and supply enough electricity to power 8 million U.S. homes, according to BNEF. 'This is massive,' said Ethan Zindler, head of U.S. policy analysis at BNEF.”