Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the most recent previous Green Spotlight. More than 25,115 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
MotherMags writes—The Southwest's only free-flowing river could be sucked dry by home builders and Republicans: “For the most part Arizona hasn’t experienced severe drought conditions like we’ve seen in California and Nevada. One reason is U.S. Senator Carl Hayden, the longest serving member of Congress (1927-1969) and a principal architect of western water policy. The unassuming but powerful Arizona Democrat engineered more water for his home state than it probably deserved, given Arizona’s tiny population at the time. Hayden’s great legacy is the Central Arizona Project, a 336-mile complex of dams, canals, pumps and pipes that brings Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson the most expensive water system the U.S. ever built [...] Now a couple measuresare before the Arizona courts and legislature that could spell trouble for the San Pedro River and the area’s overall water future. A three-judge panel is considering a request for a 7,000-unit housing complex in Sierra Vista called ‘Tribute’ (to what?) that would tap the San Pedro in order to satisfy the 100-year requirement. The Arizona Department of Water Resources ruled, stupidly some think, that the builder can draw from the San Pedro, and they approved the deal [...] This is like chopping down the last Sequoia because it would provide a few temporary jobs for lumbermen and their corporate bosses.”
Pakalolo writes—The Florida Keys reef is dissolving away in acidic ocean water 50 to 60 years sooner than predicted: “A new report published in the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Biogeochemical Cycles highlights the work of University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science researchers findings that the limestone that forms the foundation of coral reefs along the Florida Reef Tract is dissolving rapidly during the fall and winter months” in the upper Florida Keys. The AGU explains that previous laboratory projections have led scientists to predict that ocean “pH would not fall low enough to cause reefs to start dissolving until 2050-2060.” This new report illustrates that like other climate change impacts throughout the world, eco system destruction is occurring much faster than expected in the Florida Keys as well.”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Austin Bailey writes—Cecil the lion lives! “Cecil the Lion became more famous in death than he ever was in life. Yet while many expressed outrage and condemnation, Daniela Relja – an educator and advocate from Barrie, Canada – was not content to leave it at that. She turned her anger and sadness over the killing of Cecil into an initiative to make lions the first ever UNESCO World Heritage Species.”
Austin Bailey writes—The deadly toll of rhino poaching: “Since 2008, 4000 rhinos have been killed by poachers intent on harvesting only their horns. Despite worldwide outrage, China continues to allow the horns and powdered horns to be imported. Despite worldwide outrage the United Stated Congress will take no stand on this deadly trade. Rhinos have made an incredible comeback in South Africa thanks to government and private cooperation. Private game parks like Aquila help both in increasing the number of rhinos and diversifying the gene pool. Last week the South African government abandoned a controversial plan to sell harvested rhino horn into the world market. The advocates of the plan felt that by using South Africa's humanely harvested horn powder (a stockpile worth $2 billion at current prices) more money could be allocated to protecting rhinos from poachers. Major conservation organizations were opposed to the plan, believing that it could lead to increase demand and therefore more aggressive poaching and that, by participating in it, the trade in rhino horns would be legitimized.”
Castleman63 writes—Do you live in Colorado? Please help convince our legislature to pass an anti-poaching bill! “Do you live in Colorado, fellow Kossack? If so, then you have a chance, this week, to help convince our state legislature to pass an anti-poaching bill. If you know what's happening to elephants, rhinos, tigers, lions, pangolins, sea turtles, sharks ... then you know we have to do something about the illicit trade in endangered animal parts if we are going to prevent the extinction of these amazing creatures. The state senate now has before it HB 16-1341, a proposed ban on the trade of endangered animal parts. This bill would add to the growing number of state laws that seek to close the American market to the illicit trade in the tissues of some of the world's most iconic animals. The bill has already cleared the state's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. Before the whole senate can consider that bill, it has to clear a committee vote. The committee chosen to hear it - the Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs - will hold a hearing on HB 16-1341 on Wednesday, May 4.”
Lenny Flank writes—Daily Bucket: Florida's Invaders--The Asian Carp: “Most of the Bucketeers have already heard the tale of Matching Mole and I and our kayaking encounter with the Giant Flying Killer Goldfish of Death. :) But here's the story behind these fish. [...] Carp are, biologically, just giant minnows. Belonging to the Cyprinid family of fishes, they are widely distributed around the world. Their best-known member is Carassius auratus, the plain ole ordinary petshop Goldfish, which is native to eastern Asia, and its close relative Carassius carpio, the Koi, also known in the wild as the Common Carp. Other Asian carp species include the Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and the Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). In their native areas, the Asian carp species are widely-used as food fish (though they have a lot of bones, and wild ones have a reputation for a "muddy" taste). In particular, the Silver Carp is widely used in aquaculture, and has been imported to at least 88 different countries to be raised as a food fish. So it was probably inevitable that escapees would become established. Although the wild population in China is now considered a threatened species, captive and introduced Silver Carp are common all over the world. They prefer quiet stagnant water, where they can tolerate low oxygen levels that would kill most other fish.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - flowers and fruits (West Indies Bucket #2): “Today’s focus is the flora I encountered around the place I stayed, a small (10-room) low-key “resort” on the beach of a tiny (1 mile x 10 mile) coral-covered limestone island that is flat and barely above sea level. Annual rainfall is 10-12 inches which falls mainly from May to October, and drains quickly through the porous limestone. Vegetation must be either drought-adapted or salt-tolerant in nature, or lucky enough to receive gray water donations, as some did around the place we stayed. Spring is a good time to enjoy flora here as elsewhere in the northern hemisphere: it’s flowering and fruiting season. At latitude 20ºN it’s subtropical in climate.”
owktree writes—Daily Bucket: A visit to the Philadelphia Zoo (Part I): “A free Friday led to a first-time visit to the Philadelphia Zoo. Due to the many pictures this is part one of a two part series. In this one the visit will mainly concentrate on the reptiles, amphibians, and birds. For the mammals you will have to wait until the second diary. Weather was cloudy with on-and-off rain and temps in the mid-50s. This meant that a lot of the animals were staying indoors. There were a few school groups about, but otherwise the crowds were fairly light and one could spend a bit of time looking at a particular exhibit. The zoo is organized along the general lines of grouping animals by type (primates, big cats) or location (savannah, jungle). There are also secondary attractions including a carousel, pony rides, and even a balloon. And lots of children-friendly things such as face painting and a childrens’ zoo section featuring farm animals.”
Kestrel writes—Dawn Chorus: Swallows are Bustin' Out all Over: “Swallows, of which there are about 90 species, are small, with pointed narrow wings, short bills, and small weak feet; some species have forked tails. Plumage may be plain or marked with metallic blue or green, and the sexes look alike in most species. Swallows spend much of their time in the air, capturing insects. They are among the most agile of passerine birds (and absolutely among the most difficult to photograph). For nesting, swallows may use a hole or cranny in a tree, burrow into a sandbank, or plaster mud onto a wall or ledge, as you’ll see in some of the photos that follow. Although there are many species of swallows, the most abundant ones we see around the U.S. are Cliff Swallows, Violet-green Swallows, Bank Swallows, Northern Rough-wing Swallows, Cave Swallows, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows and Purple Martins, which are closely related.”
CLIMATE CHAOS
ColoTim writes—NE Canadian Arctic Sea Ice - a Photo Diary: “Just a few pics to show the beauty of the sea ice off NE Canada that I witnessed flying back to the States last Saturday. I was hoping to see bergs — here are several thousand. I understand from Kossack theotherside that the volume of ice is only slightly below average this year in this area. I expected quite a bit more.”
tampaedski writes—More Bad News For The Climate: The Arctic Sea Ice Death Spiral Accelerates: “I (and a few others, including front pager Mark Sumner) wrote the other day about the potential for depleted oxygen levels due to climate change to manifest much sooner than many people have thought. It could become a problem in 10 to 20 years. Today, Pakalolo writes about the state of the coral reefs that make up the Florida keys, and how the damage seen today appears to be perhaps a half century ahead of expectations. Now for some more bad news. Yesterday I ran across a scary comment at Neven's Arctic Sea Ice blog (for those not familiar with this site, it's a very serious group that monitors the state of the Arctic ice cap. It's mainly amateurs, but they are serious about their task. And not prone to hyperbole. And not tolerant of trolls). I've lurked there for years, but have never felt that I could add to their discussions.”
FishOutofWater writes—Gulf Stream Slows, Tides Jump, Tropical Atlantic Heats up: Watch Out East Coast: “The main development region for Atlantic hurricanes heated up rapidly in April while the Gulf Stream slowed down for 2 weeks. Tides on the southeast coast have been a half a foot to a foot higher than normal since mid-April in response to the Gulf stream slowdown and wind changes across the Atlantic. An abnormal wind pattern caused by an atmospheric bridge from the intense El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean is heating the tropical north Atlantic. The same processes that caused very intense hurricane seasons in 1998, 2005 and 2010 are taking place now. An extreme Atlantic hurricane season is likely in 2016. Higher than normal east coast tides and rapidly rising sea levels will make the east coast extremely vulnerable to storm and surf damage this summer and fall.”
Meteor Blades writes Plight of Louisiana climate refugees ought to ring the bell for breaking free of fossil fuels: “Tribal ancestors fled to the island more than 175 years ago when the U.S. government removed at gunpoint tens of thousands of Indians, including several bands of Choctaw, from their east of the Mississippi homelands to what is now Oklahoma. Rather than accept faraway exile, some people of the several tribes being removed from across the South hid out or held on to patches of ground that nobody else wanted. The swampy, low-lying Isle de Jean Charles was one of those. Even when the Indians arrived, it was only reachable by boat or, at low tide, on a wagon road. Fifty years ago, its 22,000 acres were ample enough for the fishing, trapping, livestock raising and subsistence farming by the few hundred inhabitants with their Cajun tinge. The island was 15 miles long and three miles wide and boasted three little towns and many fishing camps. Now, it’s a quarter-mile wide and a half-mile long as erosion worsens. Only 25 families remain, their homes on stilts because the waters of the Gulf of Mexico inundate the land a little bit more each year.”
progressivewishlist writes—What to Do to Mitigate Looming Climate Change: 10 Specific Policies: “(E) Keep it in the Ground Act Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, have introduced in Nov 2015 the bill Keep It In The Ground Act, that would bar new leases on coal, gas, oil, and tar sands extraction on federal lands in the U.S. The bill, would likewise, preclude offshore drilling in the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean and forbid the renewal of leases that haven’t yet produced fossil fills. ‘This bill is about recognizing that the fossil fuel reserves that are on our public lands should be managed in the public interest, and the public interest is for us to help drive a transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy future,’ Merkley said. ‘We don’t have a lot of time to do this, so there’s an urgency to it, and a place that’s readily available for us to act is on the fossil fuels that are on our public lands.’”
A Siegel writes—When it comes to #Climate #SciComm, @JimmyKimmel hits it out of the park ...: “We’ve been seeing ‘late night’ humorists doing some of the best climate science communications. Last night, Jimmy Kimmel joined the ranks of ‘must see TV’ when it comes to climate science discussions with a laugh. (Okay, honestly, many laughs). The following is highly recommended watching … and make sure not to miss the last, especially powerful, few minutes.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Daily Caller Fiddles with “First” Quibbles as America Burns (or Sinks): “In a demonstration of just how desperate his “gotcha” games have gotten, the Daily Caller’s Michael Bastasch has spun an entire story out of a pedantic nitpick about how ‘Media Outlets Discover ‘America’s First Climate Refugees’—For The 3rd Time 3 Years’ [sic]. Bastasch takes issue with a recent New York Times story about the $48 million in federal funds being used for ‘Resettling the First American ‘Climate Refugees.’ It’s a sad but interesting feature story, accompanied by hauntingly beautiful photos of Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles, which has lost over 90 percent of its land since 1955. This was the first grant given as part of the federal government’s plan to dispense $1 billion to help communities adapt to climate change -- thus the Isle’s unpleasant distinction as ‘America’s first climate refugees.’ This is the entire focus of Bastasch's story, pointing out that in prior years other outlets have referred to the villages of Newtok and Kivalina, Alaska as being home to America’s first climate refugees. Bastasch’s tone in the piece is as if he’s made some shocking discovery of media malfeasance instead of respecting the sad fact that there are a number of communities being forced to relocate due to climate change. The Alaskan villagers were the first to introduce the issue of climate refugees to the United States, while the residents of the Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana are the first to receive official funding for relocation.”
Extreme Weather & Natural Catastrophes
terrypinder writes—Fort McMurray, Alberta, is on fire. Why? You know why: “This is a breaking news story at the time I am writing this. Fort McMurray, Alberta, is a small city in far northern Alberta. For the last few days, it’s been extremely hot and dry (like hot. Temps well north of 80, close to 90.) And now it is on fire. A wildfire burning in Fort McMurray city limits that has forced the largest evacuation in Alberta’s history is expected to get worse Wednesday, when winds are forecast to switch direction and increase in intensity, at speeds of 25 to 50 kilometres per hour. You all, of course, know why. The Earth is warming. It’s warming faster in the higher latitudes than the lower latitudes. Models more or less accurately forecast this and now here we are. A Canadian city is on fire.”
darkonc writes—Global Warming Burns Oil City: “Ft. McMurray, Alberta, Canada is a city built by the oil industry. Specifically, it was built by the Tar Sands.. one of the biggest, nastiest point sources of greenhouse gasses in North America. Prior to the construction of the Alberta tar sands, Ft McMurray was a quiet Alberta town of little note. In the last few decades, it has grown into a boom town servicing the massive tar oil extraction projects just north of the city. In a case of Karmic Turnaround, the entire population of Ft. McMurray, has been ordered evacuated because of a massive global-warming fanned forest fire.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
mj55 writes—Public Comment on Nestle Water Theft Ends Today, 5/2/2016: “Another five years of free water for Nestle while California dries up? Just say no. Nestle's been pumping free water from the San Bernardino National Forest in California for 28 years. Their permit expired in 1988. They'd like their permit to be renewed for another five years. The public comment period with the US Forest Service closes tomorrow, May 2, 2016. So...to review: Nestle gets free water from public lands. California is in the middle of a historic drought. Nestle will sell this public - lands water at a 2000% markup to thirsty consumers, incidentally creating millions of tons of plastic waste from bottles. If a robust environmental review is conducted, Nestle will possibly not get its permit. Three environmental groups are also suing to stop the renewal of Nestle's water-pumping permit. So sign the petition by tomorrow, or comment directly on the US Forest Service site.”
Dan Bacher writes—Blockade Disrupts Klamath Watershed Salvage Logging: “In the early morning hours before daybreak on May 2 in the fire-impacted conifer forest near Seiad Valley in the Klamath River watershed, 27 people including Tribal youth, river advocates and forest activists blocked the road leading to the Klamath National Forest’s Westside salvage logging project. Demonstrators held banners that read ‘Karuk Land: Karuk Plan,’ recited call and response chants, and testified to the timber sales’ impact on ailing salmon populations. Work was delayed for approximately four hours, according to a news release from the river advocates. The protesters said the Westside Salvage Logging Project would clear cut more than 5,700 acres on steep slopes above Klamath River tributaries and along 320 miles of roads within Klamath National Forest. Post-fire logging and hauling began in late April, before legal claims brought forth by a lawsuit led by the Karuk Tribe could be considered in court. ‘The Forest Service should follow the Karuk Plan on Karuk Land. Traditional knowledge of fire helps everything stay in balance because it’s all intertwined,’ said Dania Rose Colegrove of the Klamath Justice Coalition. ‘When you destroy the forests, you destroy the rivers.’ ”
Dan Bacher writes—Tribunal Considers Rights of Nature in Imperiled San Francisco Bay-Delta: “Many people have opined about Governor Jerry Brown’s environmentally devastating Delta Tunnels Plan, but nobody, including the Brown and Obama administrations promoting the plan, have asked the alleged “beneficiary” of this project — the San Francisco Bay-Delta Ecosystem - what the estuary has to say about the tunnels. That all changed on April 30, 2016, when a panel of judges convened in Antioch to consider the question: ‘What would the San Francisco Bay-Delta Ecosystem say?’ when examining a case brought before them in the first-ever Bay Area Rights of Nature Tribunal based on an international rights of nature tribunal held in Paris during the Paris Climate Talks last December. ‘The rights of nature have been inherent from the beginning of time,’ said Gary Mulcahy, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, one of the tribunal judges. ‘We need to get rid of the concept of dominion over the Earth. We—the salmon, the water, the trees, the spiders — are all one thing. The more pieces you take from the whole, the closer you come to becoming extinct. Just like the salmon that my people depended upon.’”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
RLMiller writes—The most important Congressional primary in California: “In California’s 44th Congressional district, the contrast between the two leading candidates couldn’t be clearer. Nanette Barragan stands for clean air, clean water, and a better future for the working class families of her district. Isadore Hall cozies up to Big Oil, Big Tobacco, and the gambling industry. It’s a very competitive primary in a deep blue district. Help us send Nanette Barragan to Congress. Nanette Barragán fights Big Oil. As mayor pro tem of Hermosa Beach, she stumped for “No On O” to keep oil exploration out of her city and off Los Angeles-area beaches, and won in a landslide. Barragán is the 12th child of Mexican immigrants, a fact that matters in a district that is 70 percent Latino. She’s passionate about bringing good jobs to her district.”
Michael Brune writes—An Open Letter to Charles G. Koch “Here's my open letter to Charles Koch, the CEO of Koch Industries. If you want to personally encourage him to stop supporting the climate-denying American Legislative Exchange Council, click here! Dear Mr. Koch, Recently, at a Wall Street Journal forum, I heard from your company’s environmental, health, and safety director, Sheryl Corrigan, that you believe that “the climate is changing,’ and that ‘humans have a part in that.’ I wanted to write to welcome you into the not-very-exclusive club that includes the strong majority of Americans, 99+% of scientists, nearly all Democratic candidates and a growing number of conservative Republicans, who all believe the same thing. We’re happy to have you! Sheryl also said, ‘the real question is … what are we going to do about it?’ I have a few suggestions. First, make sure that everyone knows where you stand on this important issue. Your voice is an important one, and I hope you’ll speak up if your opinion has truly changed.”
GeoCastillo writes—From one Governor to another, Trump endorsing science denier and Senate candidate: “As Florida Governor Rick Scott visits the Golden State again this week, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today sent him a report on the economic impacts of sea levels and temperatures rising in the Sunshine State and called on him to “stop the silly political stunts and start doing something about climate change” in the following letter: [...] To help you get a better grasp on things, I’m enclosing a recent report authored by the Risky Business Project, a nonpartisan climate initiative led by Hank Paulson, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer. It’s titled, ‘Come Heat and High Water: Climate Risk in the Southeastern U.S. and Texas,’ and finds: ‘Florida faces more risk than any other state that private, insurable property could be inundated by high tide, storm surge and sea level rise. By 2030 up to $69 billion in coastal property will likely be at risk of inundation at high tide that is not at risk today. By 2050, the value of property below local high tide levels will increase to up to about $152 billion.’ [...] So, while you’re enjoying a stroll on one of California’s beautiful beaches this week, don’t stick your head in the sand.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS & OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
MorrellWI1983 writes—Expanding the National Parks System -#38- Pennsylvania: “This is the thirty-eighth diary in my Expanding the National Parks System series of diaries. Prior Diaries are linked below at the bottom of the diary. Last Time I was in Oregon, this time I’m in Pennsylvania. Like with most states East of the Mississippi, Pennsylvania was settled long before the idea of conservation took root, and thus the state does not have much federally protected land- at 2.5%, Pennsylvania is 36th in the country in that metric, slightly ahead of Indiana and Delaware , and slightly behind North Dakota. Currently, Pennsylvania has 1 national forest, 4 wildlife refuges and 21 historic sites and other NPS units. I will propose giving the state its first monuments.”
ENERGY
Nuclear & Fossil Fuels
LakeSuperior writes—350.org Gets Push-Back from the United Steelworkers Union on Move to Shutdown U.S. Refineries: “ The organization 350.org recently announced its campaign to shut down United States petroleum refineries as part of its so-called ‘keep it in the ground’ campaign. The campaign is expected to include civil disobedience and large demonstrations seeking the shutdown of four different United States petroleum refineries. These are the Shell and Tesoro refineries near Anacortes, WA, Philadelphia Energy Solutions in Pennsylvania and finally, the large BP Refinery on Lake Michigan at Whiting, IN: Nothing in the campaign planned by 350.org would actually reduce demand for liquid hydrocarbon fuels or lead to emission reductions at the targeted refineries….so shutting down the four refineries would mean increasing imports of refined petroleum products like gasoline and diesel from other countries without affecting the emissions of greenhouse gases implicit in the combustion of such liquid fuels. The prospect of large demonstrations and civil disobedience at the four petroleum refinery sites is getting push-back from the union and the Democrats that represent petroleum refinery workers at all four sites, the USW International Union, otherwise known as the United Steelworkers Union.”
Mary Anne Hitt writes—Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign Crosses 100,000 MW Milestone for America’s Clean Energy Transition: “After over a decade of tireless advocacy from our Beyond Coal campaign and more than 100 allied organizations, America just crossed one of its biggest clean energy transition milestones yet: the announced retirement of more than 100,000 megawatts (MW) of coal power since 2010 -- enough to prevent 100,792 asthma attacks, 9,420 heart attacks, and 6,097 premature deaths annually. This 100,000 MW milestone came when Dynegy, Inc., a Houston based electric utility, announced that it will phase out the use of coal at units one and three at the massive Baldwin Power Station in Baldwin, Illinois and unit two at the Newton Power Station in Newton, Illinois -- eliminating a total of 1,877 MW from its energy portfolio and bringing our country to an important benchmark in the shift to clean energy. This milestone is the latest sign of the profound energy transition underway, as we’ve partnered with 100 plus allies to move the country to clean electricity.”
Hydraulic Fracturing
wade norris writes—FRACK you! Colorado Governor overturns will of the people...”Today’s headlines read ‘Colorado Supreme Court rules against Cities’ Fracking limits’. But that’s not entirely the case. When John Hickenlooper had the opportunity to appoint a Democrat to the Colorado Supreme court, a.k.a the deciding vote, he chose a Republican, giving the Oil and Gas industry all the power it would need to defeat local ballot initiatives. He knew what he was doing, just like when he went on the the news in 2013 and threatened to sue any city that passed a ban on Fracking.”
Emissions Controls & Carbon Pricing
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Clean Power Plan, Steyer, and McKibben, All in the Crosshairs: “A Koch-backed bill to protect donors from IRS disclosure has just passed the House Ways and Means committee. This will make it harder for the government to prevent nonprofits from acting as lobbying arms for industry. But even without it, figuring out who is behind attacks on clean energy is already difficult, with shell groups and shady funding streams making it impossible to track down their true source. Take, for example, the freshly launched corenews.org, a fake news page for a new campaign dedicated to attacking Tom Steyer and Bill McKibben (among others). The site discloses that it’s ‘a product of America Rising Advanced Research,’ which sounds fine at face value. But some quick digging uncovers that this ‘news’ site is run by a Republican opposition research group whose attacks are so deceitful even Fox News has called them out. Funding secrecy is understandable for oppressed minorities who are up against powerful forces. It is why the 1958 ruling in NAACP v Alabama was well warranted in finding that groups don’t have to turn over membership or donor info. But now, this secrecy gives the fossil fuel industry a way to circumvent lobbying disclosures that could hurt its public image.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Guy Noir writes—Psst! Free and green electricity! (After five years or so): “Greetings from the Great Liberal State of Massachusetts where I expect to have free and green electricity in a few years. Oh, and two tax credits and some income from selling our SRECs that will add from $1635 to $545 a year to our income over the next ten years. No doubt about it, electricity is expensive out here in Western Massachusetts. The going rate is about 22 c/KWH but since we are getting ours from wind power it’s more like 25c/KWH. Fortunately we moved into a new and highly energy efficient house. We consume only about 6000 KWHs a year but full disclosure we use natural gas to heat, hardly carbon neutral but quite efficient and better than most alternatives in this cold and snowy state. About a third of our neighbors have solar power so it was on our agenda to go solar as soon as we could figure out a way to pay for it. It came sooner than I anticipated, mainly because my father passed away. The only good thing about it was I was a beneficiary on some of his accounts. Was this Dad’s way of helping me go green? Once we looked into it though it was ‘Why isn’t everyone going solar?’ and ‘Why the @#$% don’t developers just put solar panels on the house in the first place when they build them?’ Come below the fold to discover just how easy and cheap it is to go solar.”
Pipelines & Other Oil and Gas Transport
Walter Einenkel writes—Company is losing over $1 billion from oil spill in Kalamazoo River—EPA fines expected to rise: “Enbridge, Inc., a Canada-based company spilled a lot of oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River back in 2010. They did this by accident of course. Unfortunately, they seem to have a history of doing this kind of thing by accident. The Kalamazoo spill consisted of 800,000 gallons of tar sands oil being dumped into the river. There is ample evidence that Enbridge knew that the pipeline in question was cracking all the way back in 2005. Enbridge Inc. knew in 2005 that its pipeline near Marshall, 95 miles west of Detroit, was cracked and corroded but it didn't perform excavations that might have prevented the rupture, investigators told the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington before it approved the findings and 19 safety recommendations. Enbridge didn't realize the pipeline was gushing oil into the Kalamazoo River and an enjoining creek for 17 hours, when a gas company worker pointed it out. During that time, Enbridge control center personnel twice pumped more oil into the ruptured line, investigators found. Last year, Enbridge reached one of many settlements. Last year’s settlement was with the First Nations Tribes in Michigan. This week, Enbridge has released new accounting that says they expect to incur higher than previously reported fines. The estimate is now around $55 million.”’
DaveElder writes—Pipeline Wars 2 — What Property Rights? “Basically, the pipeline companies do whatever they want, regardless of legal implications, and as often as not, they get away with it, though not always. In the case of Mercer Co., NJ, county officials had given PennEast surveyors permission to survey public lands in the county, and then had to revoke that permission when they discovered PennEast employees conducting soil borings, which could potentially prove harmful to the environment. The conflict between petrochemical industry desires and essential property rights has set up an interesting dynamic among self-described conservatives who supposedly stand on an ideology of support for property rights, but who, in the real world, and in positions of political power, generally cater to industry wishes. To their credit, a Republican majority in Georgia voted about a month ago to suspend a major pipeline project called the Palmetto, mainly due to property rights concerns.”
BYPRODUCTS, TRASH, TOXIC & RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Brainwrap writes—MICHIGAN: State GOP continues to blow off 15K Flint children/pregnant women: “...so you'd think that with all the T's crossed and I's dotted, the 15,000 children and pregnant women who have been poisoned by lead in their water over the past 2 years would finally receive some sort of medical care, right? Yeah...not so fast. According to Chad Livengood of the Detroit News: Two months ago this week, the federal government approved Gov. Rick Snyder’s request to extend Medicaid health insurance to another 14,000 Flint children and 1,000 pregnant women who may have been exposed to toxic lead through the city’s tainted drinking water. But the health care coverage has yet to be activated because it requires approval of the state Legislature, where the wounds of a divisive 2013 Medicaid expansion battle still linger. Snyder’s request to give health insurance to thousands of additional Flint residents got wrapped into a $144 million supplemental funding bill for the city. That bill was put on a slower track with the overall $55 billion state budget, which lawmakers plan to pass by June. ‘The speed is frustrating. We’re losing that sense of urgency at the state and federal level,’ said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Hurley Medical Center pediatrician who last year discovered high levels of lead in the blood of Flint children.”
rlegro writes—FLINT-CONSCIOUS WISCONSIN DNR PUTS BAND-AID ON LEADED WATER PIPES, CALLS IT A "MAJOR" PROGRAM: “In Milwaukee alone, the lead-pipe problem afflicts an estimated 70,000 residences. The estimated cost of replacing all those pipes runs past half a billion dollars. Milwaukee far and away has the greatest need, but if the DNR were to give the city every dime of the $11.8 million reallocation, it would only be enough to handle one out of every 50 or so city homes in need. But the DNR isn't going to come close to doing that. Its distribution formula (as is typical for a GOP program) screws big, bad, urban Milwaukee. It's like saying the streets are bad in the poor neighborhoods of East L.A., so let's repave Beverly Hills.”
Union Matters writes—America: A Flint in the Making: “When the Flint water crisis hit the news late last year, it sent shockwaves around the country. Good citizens everywhere asked, ‘How could any government allow up to 12,000 children to be exposed to poisonous water? How could they have cared so much about saving money that they failed to perform the normal practice of treating the water to prevent lead leaching into it from old pipes?’ But as details of the tragedy came to light and as data started to roll in about Flint’s water system and systems elsewhere, a scary reality was revealed: FLINT IS NOT ALONE. As Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder meets with President Obama today to discuss details of the man-made disaster, all across the country America’s amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties are disintegrating due to crumbling infrastructure. Official neglect rooted in fiscal excuses and a lack of regard for poor and minority communities, like Flint, are putting public safety in extreme danger.”
ECO-ESSAYS & PROPOSALS
Austin Bailey writes—How to discuss the environment with a rightwinger: “If you need to discuss environmental issues with a conservative, you need to speak a different language. Don't try to use logic or science, they won't respond. Progressives need to learn how to express environmental concerns in a way that brings conservatives on board. The planet is in the balance. Researchers found that people who identified as conservative were more likely to support ‘pro-environmental’ ideals when the issues were framed as matters of obeying authority, defending the purity of nature and demonstrating patriotism. If we can't figure out how to communicate with each other, then we will never be able to get on the same page when it comes to virtually any aspect of conservation. Breaking the polarization between left and right is critical to creating a dialog and moving toward solutions. If that means changing the frame of the conversation, then let that change begin.”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
boatsie writes—Shock & Awe: The Future of Food: “As efforts to feed an estimated 2050 global population of 9.7 billion swing into overdrive, the global breadbasket tropics from Africa to the Amazon are the primary target for ‘agricultural intensification.’ Industrializing food security places the solution in the hands of the very system which created the problem, and it gives rise to what for all intents and purposes might be the quintessential ‘Catch-22: Injecting massive amounts of phosphorus-draining fertilizers into the soil to feed 9.7 billion could render the international food belt barren. ‘In some parts of the tropics, for every ton of phosphorus harvested in food, you have to donate one ton to the soil,’ said scientist Eric Roy, co-author of the University of Vermont report Nature Plants. ‘We call that the phosphorus tax.’ Phosphorus, the ‘energy unit’ of plants, is integral to every part of a plant’s lifecycle — from photosynthesis through seedling grown, grain formation and maturity. And, in yet another ironic twist, there is not enough phosphate rock available to re-feed the soil and insure crop sustainability.”
wee mama writes—Domestic compost accelerator; pee-cycling with liquid gold: “Every water issue is also a carbon issue. We are running short of potable water and all the drinking water currently in the system has been purified at the cost of carbon dioxide released into the air. A detailed analysis is available for those interested in crunching numbers. So, why are we still throwing perfectly good water away just to remove our urine? Some systems are already underway to recover and recycle urine on a civic scale. Some places in Sweden are already doing it. Civic systems will be essential for people in towns and cities where composting on an individual basis is not practical. As one Swedish researcher noted, ‘Don't mix what God separates.’ Poop without a lot of water or urine makes for ‘richer sludge and produces more methane, which can be turned into gas or electricity.’ People with composting toilets find that separating the two streams also makes it easier to compost the feces.”
AuntieB writes—This is the dawning of the age of Asparagus...and Rhubarb: “Here in Northern Ohio, the weather has been cold and rainy. Pretty typical for this time of year, I guess, except that March was warm- in the 70’s and even hitting 80 a day or two. So this seasonally appropriate weather feels chilly and unfair. The chickens are laying, the trees are leafing out, but the garden is neglected. A late snow and night-time frosts are keeping me from planting-out any but the hardiest of seeds. While the tiny tomato and pepper plants languish in the DIY ‘green house’ made from cattle panels and clear plastic, I’ve been dealing with garden ennui. Today, between showers that weren’t predicted, and in temperatures 10 degrees lower than the weather channel promised, I went out to see what was growing. The peas finally sprouted, the carrot tops were tiny, but visible, and some early greens were showing but too small to eat. However, the asparagus was ready to pick! So I did!”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
LakeSuperior writes—"Yuge" NY/NJ AMTRAK Rail Transit Infrastructure Planned -- the Hudson River Rail Tunnel Project: “Do you remember way back in 2009-2010 when President Obama proposed funding an $8 billion rail tunnel project under the Hudson River that NJ Governor Chris Christie turned down? Well, it is back now that Christie has had a change of heart after hearing his constituents complain about transit delays and disruption and after Hurricane Sandy flooded the tunnel in 2012. However, Christie’s dalliance wasn’t without cost as some press reports are now putting the project cost at $20 billion rather than $8 billion as a result of the delays….and Christie’s delay means that relief to tunnel-caused rail traffic bottlenecks and congestion will be put off well into the future. Today’s Federal Register brings news of the restart of the approval process on this ‘yuge’ infrastructure project plan for the New York and New Jersey area and for the Northeastern transportation corridor of the United States.”
MISCELLANY
CVStoddard writes—Take the Children and Run: A Song About the Poisoning of Flint, Michigan: “’Take the Children and Run” is a song written by Don Lange with additional lyrics by David Tamulevich that plays to the heart of what the people of Flint, Michigan have been—and continue to be—experiencing as a result of their water being poisoned as a result of cost-cutting moves. It is performed by Mustard’s Retreat (including Libby Glover, Michael Hough, and David Tamulevich… with David Mosher). The accompanying video by Christine Lavin graphically portrays the faces of the victims of the lead poisoning. These aren’t just numbers, but real people… mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers who will suffer lifelong effects due to what was a preventable catastrophe. I found the music in this song moving, made even more powerful with the accompanying video. One can only hope it becomes an anthem for the people of Flint and a rallying cry to keep something as despicable as this from occurring elsewhere.”
Jen Hayden writes—Choke on this, hippies! Colorado Republicans kill measure to crack down on 'rolling coal': “There is a growing trend among young diesel truck owners to rebel against environmentalism and political correctness. It’s called “rolling coal” and it’s an immature, offensive and decidedly environmentally unfriendly practice of modifying diesel truck engines so that they spew heavy black diesel smoke, often times installing a switch so that they can turn it on and off. [...] Although it is already illegal in Colorado, police have a difficult time enforcing it. More on why they can’t easily enforce it from the Colorado Independent: Currently, for cops to crack down on coal rollers, officers must be trained to discern the opacity of the smoke, and also observe it happening for a full five seconds. After requests and complaints from public safety experts, environmentalists, and police, Colorado legislatures were looking to change the law to make it easier to enforce. Unfortunately, three Colorado Republicans stopped the measure in it’s tracks.”